What are the Kenneth Myer Innovation Fellowships?
The Kenneth Myer Innovation Fellowships aim to support breakthrough solutions to Australia’s most pressing social and environmental challenges.
A Fellowship offers a unique opportunity for recipients to take 12 months, supported by $180,000, to focus on approaches that have the potential to achieve positive outcomes for society, supporting initiatives that align with one or more of the program themes of inclusion & equality, sustainability & environment including climate change, or human, civil & legal rights.
Fellows receive a combination of time, resources and a program of support to help progress their work, shepherd their initiatives towards fruition and grow and scale their impact.
Who should apply for a Fellowship?
We seek a diversity of people, projects and experience and encourage individuals to submit an expression of interest.
We seek initiatives that are:
• high impact: likely to produce results, aligned with one or more of The Myer Foundation & Sidney Myer Fund’s priority areas of Inclusion & Equality, Sustainability & Environment including climate change, and Human, Civil & Legal Rights
• unique: new or different from existing approaches including applying existing approaches in new contexts or fields
• scalable and sustainable: the potential to scale up and be sustainable over time.
We seek individuals who are:
• experienced and entrepreneurial: a proven track record of achievement or traction in their field, in the subject matter and/or in the approach or initiative
• passionate and connected: a genuine commitment and passion for their cause and the network to make it happen
• collegiate and curious: broad-minded, willing to learn and able to work well with others (including your cohort of Fellows and program advisors and staff), and committed to taking up the Fellowship offering.
We seek a range of approaches. These might include:
• opening productive new lines of inquiry
• asking thought provoking questions
• challenging conventional wisdom
• developing new ideas, strategies or solutions, or applying proven approaches to new fields.
What is offered?
Up to $180,000 is available to each Fellow for their 12-month Fellowship comprising a stipend of $140,000 and up to $40,000 for approved project expenses. Project expenses are those directly related to the Fellowship from its commencement such as renting a separate workspace (if required), travel and contracting of external expertise, and available on a reimbursement basis.
During the 12-months, Fellows have access to a range of supports including a panel of experts, who meet quarterly, a mentor and the network of past Fellows.
What is expected of Fellows during the Fellowship?
Each year Fellows are provided with the resources of focused time and funding to explore their particular project, idea or initiative.
The Fellowship is not tied to specific KPIs or objectives; rather it is designed to support Fellows to progress their work. However, Fellows are required to do a mid-term and final presentation in support of their Fellowship.
Application & Selection Process
What is the application process?
The Fellowship program invites expressions of interest (EoI) from individuals who meet the eligibility criteria. The EoI period is open for six weeks, from late July until early September. Once the EoI period closes, an extensive and robust process of review commences, with Fellows confirmed in March each year.
What are the eligibility criteria?
The applicant must:
- be an Australian citizen or permanent resident
- reside in Australia for the majority of the Fellowship period
- be prepared to take a sabbatical from their current role for 12 months (if relevant)
- have a proven track record of achievement,
- pursue out-of-the-box thinking and be a risk-taker
- have an ability to turn well-formulated ideas or new approaches into action (that is, your idea must have substance to it; a good idea on its own is not sufficient)
- have well-developed networks within an area of the proposed project.
The proposed project must:
- be based in Australia
- be aligned with one or more of the program themes of Inclusion & Equality, Sustainability & Environment including climate change, or Human, Civil & Legal rights
- have been in development for not longer than three years.
What are the funding exclusions?
The Kenneth Myer Innovation Fellowships program will not support the following.
- Projects that have been in development for more than 3 years.
- Benefits or fundraising events.
- Capital or endowment campaigns.
- Ongoing or one-off academic research or work towards higher degrees (including by coursework or dissertations).
- Medical research.
- Initiatives focused on specific diseases.
- International projects.
- Scholarships.
- Sponsorships.
- Funding hubs or accelerators.
- Creative arts projects.
- Collaborations between a number of individuals (noting that should an initiative have co-founders, an expression of interest would only be considered from one co-founder).
- Projects that are focused on program or service delivery (noting that an initiative or project would be considered if it is innovative, scalable and has potential for deep and wide impact, as opposed to delivering, for example, regular activities for particular groups).
- Organisations (noting that the Fellowship supports initiatives that have been created by an individual; that is, supporting individual endeavour, rather than initiatives that have been created within an organisation).
What is the application timeline?
|
Monday 31 July 2023 |
Expressions of interest open |
|
11.59pm AEST Sunday 10 September 2023 |
Expressions of interest close |
|
Week beginning Monday 13 November 2023 |
Shortlisted candidates invited to prepare a detailed application |
|
By 11.59pm AEDT Sunday 7 January 2024 |
Closing date for detailed applications from shortlisted applicants |
|
February 2024 |
Interviews for selected candidates |
|
March 2024 |
Confirmation of 2024 Kenneth Myer Innovation Fellows |
