From the Benton Institute for Broadband and Society…
About the Fellowship: Through the Marjorie & Charles Benton Opportunity Fund, we aim to support a new generation of broadband scholars, practitioners, and advocates working on broadband access, adoption, application and equity. Our inaugural cohort of fellows are
conducting research and documenting best practices—within academia, nonprofits and government agencies—on critical questions about the future of the internet in our communities.
For the 2023-24 cycle, we are interested in supporting projects that can better inform our current or emerging policy debates in broadband access, adoption, and application. In particular, we invite proposals that focus on:
● Coalitions and capacity building at the state and local levels to implement and influence
broadband programs;
● The extent and impact of digital discrimination;
● Building sustainable, affordable broadband for BEAD and beyond
● The impact of broadband on communities – the benefits and the vulnerabilities; and
● Evaluation frameworks to measure the impact of broadband funding.
This is not an exclusive or exhaustive list, and you should feel free to propose other ideas of critical importance to our field, in terms of research and practice. We especially welcome applications that focus on historically marginalized communities. Proposed projects can yield
either practice or research-focused publications or multimedia content. Fellowships will range from $5,000-$20,000, with a tenure ranging from 6 months to 2 years.
Application Guidelines: To apply, please submit a resume or CV (no more than 3 pages) and a project proposal (no more than 1000 words). The proposal should include:
● A research question or project topic and an explanation of how your project will support the goals of the fellowship program
● A description of the research methods or the work you’ll do over the fellowship tenure
● A rough timeline, budget, and whether you are applying as an individual or affiliated with an organization1
● Proposed outputs (reports/toolkits/webinars/podcasts)
Submit the documents as PDFs by email to fellowships@benton.org by August 15, 2023.
Contact: Please feel free to email us (fellowships@benton.org) if you have questions about the
fellowship, your eligibility, and the application process.