Key Information
Applications will be accepted 10 – 30 March 2025.
For twenty years, the Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice (Kroc IPJ) at the University of San Diego’s Kroc School of Peace Studies has hosted the Women PeaceMakers Fellowship program. The Fellowship offers a unique opportunity for peacebuilders who focus on gender, peace and conflict to engage in a cycle of learning, practice, research and participation that strengthens peacebuilding partnerships. The Women PeaceMakers Fellowship facilitates impactful collaborations between peacebuilders from conflict-affected communities and international partner organizations. The Fellows also co-create research intended to shape the peacebuilding field and highlight good practices for peacebuilding design and implementation.
Anyone who considers themselves a peacebuilder working to reduce cycles of violence through a focus on gender, peace, and conflict is welcome to apply. People of all genders, including transgender and non-binary or gender-fluid people, are welcome to apply and are eligible for a fellowship. The Women PeaceMakers Fellowship program does not consider sex, gender, or any other protected status as part of the application and selection process. Applicants must have at least five years of peacebuilding or violence reduction experience and must speak sufficient English to participate fully in Fellowship activities.
Throughout the Fellowship with the Kroc IPJ, selected Fellows will:
- Learn from and with other Fellows and the Kroc School team;
- Gain new skills, perspectives, and innovative approaches to peacebuilding
- Expand their professional peacebuilding networks
- Drive forward vital peacebuilding research that focuses on shaping practice and policy
Fellowship Dates: September 2025 – July 2026.
Date of Residency at the University of San Diego in the United States: November 8-22, 2025.
The health and safety of our partners and community is our top priority, and the dates and format of the Fellowship are subject to change as COVID-19 or other illnesses affect group gatherings around the world. The selection of Fellows and the structure of the in-person residency may be impacted based on the Kroc IPJ’s best assessment of Fellows’ ability to receive visas and to visit the US safely given the current political context. The intention is to welcome Fellows to San Diego as part of this Fellowship, but it is possible that the Fellowship will be conducted entirely online or that the location of the in-person residency will need to change if it is not possible to travel and gather safely. We will communicate with the selected Fellows to assess health and safety risks.
Fellows will receive a stipend of USD $15,000, which will cover their time spent in the fellowship as well as any costs for conducting fellowship-related research. The Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice will cover costs for the residency period at the University of San Diego.
2025-2026 Theme
Borders, Gender and Violence Reduction
For the 2025-2026 fellowship year, the Kroc IPJ will select three Fellows who are working to make border policy and the implementation of that policy less violent, using a gendered lens in their work or analysis. We are looking for Fellows focused on border policies rather than operational questions related to service provision or humanitarian relief, though the impacts of policies and the need for services and support are linked. The Kroc IPJ hopes to show how peacebuilders are working to reduce and mitigate the violent and gendered impacts of harsh border policies and to build less violent policies and practices. This work could take the form of advocacy, organizing, policy-focused research or other actions. Fellows may be working in any sector, including government, civil society, academia or the private sector. Fellows must integrate a focus on gender in their work or research.
Example topics might include policies that guide the management of border walls, family separation, detention, or deportation. This is not an exhaustive list, and other topics are welcome.
The Kroc IPJ particularly encourages peacebuilders from the San Diego-Tijuana area to apply.
Strong candidates will have the following experience:
– Working or have worked as a researcher, with a substantial track record of academic and/or practitioner-based experience.
– Research experience that is based on engagement with violence-affected communities and/or with peacebuilding organizations or social movements.
– Experience of at least five years working in peacebuilding, policy advocacy, organizing or related work.
– Experience implementing gender-responsive approaches in peacebuilding, policy or social movement work or substantial academic experience related to gender, peace and conflict.
– Ability to participate in all activities during the year-long Fellowship and collaborate within a multicultural fellowship cohort.
– Sufficient English language proficiency to relate personal experiences and engage in discussions with a multi-country cohort.
Application
Please submit your CV, answers to the following essay questions, and research proposal in a single combined PDF document. Please ensure that these materials are all your original work; please do not use generative AI tools, such as Chat GPT, or plagiarize others’ work.
Essay Questions (no more than 300 words per essay question)
- Please describe the peacebuilding or violence reduction work you have led or currently lead related to border policy. How do you consider gender in this work?
- How is your work to reduce violence related to border policy connected to communities affected by those border policies? Please describe how you collaborate with those most impacted in your work.
- What do you consider your greatest achievement in building peace or reducing violence?
- Please describe your experience conducting research, including the methodologies you have used in the past and how you have collected data. Please provide links to two of your published research works.
- Please describe how this Fellowship would benefit your ongoing work and how your experience can contribute to the community at the University of San Diego and the Kroc School of Peace Studies. How do you plan to engage with faculty, staff, and students?
Research Proposal
As part of your Fellowship, you will work toward a ten-page case study focused on ending cycles of violence and/or peacebuilding work in your country of residence. Please ensure that the research proposal is your own original work. If it is determined that AI tools were used to create your research proposal, your application may be disqualified.
In 750 words or fewer, please provide a research proposal on the topic you would like to explore within the theme of building less violent border policy using a gendered lens. This research proposal should focus on policies and implementation of those policies, not only on service provision or humanitarian response. Please include the following elements in your research proposal:
- A brief abstract
- Your research question(s)
- A brief description of your methodology
- Types of data to be collected
- Study participants or community of focus
Letters of Recommendation
Please submit two letters of recommendation. We suggest that these recommendations come from colleagues or supervisors who know you well and can speak to your strengths in peacebuilding or violence reduction and your research skills. Your application will not be considered complete without the submission of these letters.