Under the guidance and supervision of the Steans Center for Community-based Service Learning, the Racial Equity Research Fellow will work with one or more mission-driven community organizations that address systemic racism affecting Chicagoans who struggle in communities with justice and equality.

The emphasis of this fellowship is on applied research, highlighting work being done to promote racial justice with and by community-based organizations in the Chicago region.

Applicants should be able to state clearly the general purpose and specific objectives, what they propose to do, the significance related to racial justice, the approach related to their academic area or the interdisciplinary approach, and what results or products they expect to be generated. Proposals should:

• Have an existing connection to a partnering community organization that is working on racial justice, broadly defined. This includes partnership with organizations that counter systemic racism through policy making; the creative arts and music; through education; community gardens; housing, etc.
• Define clearly the roles of the student and the partner community organization in the research project.
• Explain how the project was co-created with a community organization and how the organization plans to utilize the research results.
• Describe the relationship between the research project and the student's academic and professional/career interests.

Fellows will work 100 hours during the term and will receive a $2,000 stipend through the Steans Center.

Expectations for awarded fellows:

Orientation to the Fellowship. Fellows will take part in a program orientation.

Quarterly Reflections. Fellows will participate in periodic group reflections with other fellows at least once per quarter.

Quarterly Reports. For fellowships extending beyond a single quarter, fellows will provide a minimum 500-word report at the end of each quarter submitted to both the partner organization and the Steans Center as part of a quarterly review of the fellowship project.

Final Report. Fellows will submit a 1,000-word publishable report to both the partner organization and the Steans Center at the end of the fellowship project.

Symposium. The fellow will make a presentation based on the fellowship project at an annual university-wide symposium sponsored by the Steans Center.

Proposal Structure

Proposal should be in PDF format and include:

I. Applicant: Name, email, telephone number, graduate program, enrollment status in the program (e.g., matriculation in MA, MS, MJ, LLM, MJ, MBA, MFA, or PhD program), and expected graduation date.

II. Partner organization: Name and address of organization, site contact, and email and telephone number of site contact.

III. Number of Proposed Fellowship Quarters: 1 to 3 (3 maximum); fellowships are reviewed quarterly and continuation is not guaranteed.

IV. Nomination Abstract and Goals (300-word minimum): This abstract should include a list of courses relevant to the fellowship project (including undergraduate), a brief statement of what you plan to do during the fellowship, two to three concise and realistically achieved project goals, and a description of why the applicant believes they are academically prepared for the project.

V. Partner Organization Collaboration (200-word minimum): Describe how the project and its goals were developed collaboratively with the partner organization and provide a rationale for why the project will support the goals of the partner.

VI. Project Rationale (300-word minimum): (1) DePaul is committed to racial equity and reducing inequality, and creating a just and fair society. Advancing equity and equality means investing in communities of color and other groups who have been intentionally marginalized, segregated, discriminated against, underserved and/or under-invested in. How will your fellowship address the root causes of inequity? Relate your answer directly to your project goals.

VII. Project Timeline: Provide a project timeline for completing your project, including benchmark dates for completion of specific tasks whenever possible.

To apply, send your cover letter and resume to Barbara Smith at bsmith@depaul.edu.