Program Overview

The Stoneleigh Fellowship is designed to support researchers, practitioners, and policymakers who have demonstrated leadership in child welfare, juvenile justice, or related fields. We are particularly interested in individuals whose fellowship proposal involves work that crosses systems or enhances the coordination of service delivery. 

Who Should Apply?

What is the Award?

The "Fellowship" Part of the Fellowship

Types of Projects

Partner Organizations

Other Institutional Support

Geographic Focus

Selection Criteria

Funding Exclusions

Who Should Apply?

Accomplished practitioners, policymakers, and researchers who have demonstrated leadership in juvenile justice, child welfare or allied fields (e.g. education, health and behavioral health as they relate to dependent and delinquent populations) are encouraged to apply. Candidates might be practitioners in youth- or family-serving organizations or systems, or policymakers, analysts or researchers working in non-profit, governmental or academic institutions.

We seek individuals who have:

• A track record of advocating for change in the fields of child welfare and juvenile justice
• Knowledge, understanding, contacts, and institutional support to bring changes to fruition
• Demonstrated ability to design and lead system reform
• Imagination, tough-mindedness, and a focus on results
• A passion for their work
• The commitment of a strong partner organization that will host the fellow and the project, providing both infrastructure and strategic advice and support

What is the Award?

The Stoneleigh Fellowship award is flexible and tailored to the needs of each successful applicant. The amount of the financial award will depend on the personal circumstances of each fellow and project. Awardees are expected to devote full time to the Stoneleigh Fellowship. Therefore, each award typically includes salary, benefits, and a small stipend to cover project-related travel goals. For some fellows based in academic institutions, the award covers a portion of their time.

Budget Range: Because our fellowship supports individual fellows through salary support, they are determined on a case-by-case basis.  To date, fellowship budgets have fallen between $80,000-$130,000/year.

Length of Support:The term of the award varies from fellow-to-fellow based on the needs of each project. To date, fellowship terms have ranged from one to five years.  We have awarded only one five-year fellowship.  The average term is three years.

Fellowship funding can include:

1. Fellow salary.*
2. Fringe benefits and taxes: this is determined on a case-by-case basis.
3. Other costs: a small amount of funding (usually not more than $10,000) for costs directly related to dissemination of findings and/or travel related to speaking about the project, sharing findings, attending conferences and so forth.
4. Administrative fee to the partner organization: this is determined on a case-by-case basis but will not exceed 12% of the award.

* Although most fellowships are for full-time salary support, for fellows based in academic institutions, we usually cover a portion of their time to cover course buy-out and/or release from other university responsibilities.

Fellowship funding excludes (this list is not meant to be exhaustive):

• Staff, including administrative assistants, research assistants, project assistants, consultant fees
• Facility and office costs, including rental and utilities
• Equipment costs, including computer hardware and software, equipment leasing
• Supplies and postage
• Meeting costs, such as travel, food, materials
• Travel associated with conducting the project (in contrast to the travel referenced above for conferences, speaking engagements, dissemination of findings and so forth)
• Payments or gifts to study or project participants
• Other program or project expenses 

The “Fellowship” Part of the Fellowship

We provide fellows with other support designed to enrich the fellowship experience and facilitate achievement of both the candidate’s and Stoneleigh’s goals. For example:

• Opportunities to develop a network of peers and cross-fertilization of ideas among fellows;
• Opportunities to interact with experts and decision makers in related fields;
• General support for project development and management, and other support targeted at the particular needs of each fellow and their project;
• Attendance and speaking invitations at conferences and other meetings to provide professional development, as well as generate interest in topics and ideas related to funded projects and the broader field;
• Support for the dissemination of project results; and
• Ongoing affiliation with Stoneleigh and inclusion in foundation activities after the fellowship.

Types of Projects

We are interested in ideas for new ways to solve old problems, but we will also consider proposals to address emerging problems or provide support for projects that have been through a development phase and need additional support for subsequent phases. With the Stoneleigh Fellowship program, the genesis of the idea lies with the individual fellow and the type of project will depend on the individual.

We support individuals working at different stages of problem-solving.

• Seeding: Support and visibility for emerging work or ideas that show great promise, thereby contributing to the development of viable new solutions;
• Tipping: Support and visibility for existing work that effectively addresses critical issues, thereby contributing to the sustainability and/or expansion of viable strategies for improvement;
• Dissemination: Providing resources that bring visibility to and usage of promising research and/or practice, and help build more effective linkages between research, policy and practice.

Partner Organization

Although the genesis of the idea lies with the individual fellow, we understand that social change is hard and that individuals need the support of an organization that can support them and their work. Therefore, candidates must apply in partnership with an organization that can act as host for the fellow. A strong and effective partner organization is a critical component to our fellowship model because individual fellows draw on their partner organization for support with research, project management, access to practitioners and policymakers, fundraising, dissemination of findings and other important elements of the project.

Candidates for a Stoneleigh Fellowship must identify a partner organization, a contact person at the organization, and the ways in which the organization will support the fellow and the project. The partner organization can be the candidate’s current employer or another organization central to the proposed work.

The partner organization must be a 501c3 organization.

Other Institutional Support

Candidates should also have the support of "anchor" organizations and systems.  These are organizations and systems either targeted by the proposal or which are critical to the success of the project, even if they are not the partner organization.  When specific programs or agencies are the subject of an applicant’s research, policy change or practice improvement, candidates must demonstrate that they have the strong support of these institutions that will need to provide an anchor for the work.  Candidates must include detailed letters of commitment and contact information from the relevant program or agency.  

Geographic Focus

The roots of the Stoneleigh Fellowship are in Philadelphia. Most of our fellows are either based in Philadelphia or doing work in the region. We do, however, support work outside of Pennsylvania. Because we want to impact public policy at the national level, we will consider interest from individuals who live and work in other parts of the country. However, we are most interested in supporting work that can inform challenges being faced in our region.

  Selection Criteria  

In addition to candidates’ professional qualifications, Stoneleigh selects fellows based on the quality of proposed ideas, the fit of proposed projects with the foundation’s focus and goals, and the likelihood that the proposed work can be carried out effectively. A diverse review committee with representatives from the child welfare, juvenile justice and allied fields (i.e. education, health and behavioral health as they relate to delinquent and dependent populations) evaluate each proposal. Specific criteria to be used in judging proposals include:

• Significance: The proposed work effectively addresses critical program, policy or research issues and thus is likely to improve the life outcomes of those involved with or at risk of involvement with the child welfare and juvenile justice systems.

• Effectiveness: The proposal specifically indicates how the project will effectively promote systems change and how it has the potential to improve youth outcomes. Candidates indicate clearly their personal effectiveness in being able to carry out the work.

• Feasibility: The scope of the project fits within the time and resources allotted by the fellowship. Candidates indicate that they have the support of a strong partner organization and representatives from the public systems necessary to achieve the project goals. They have other funding if needed.

• Innovation: The proposed project clearly advances strategies that represent a departure from standard practice. If a candidate is applying for funds to continue an ongoing project, the proposal shows how this fellowship will substantially improve standard practice and why Stoneleigh Foundation support is critical to advancing the work.

• Multi-Disciplinary Impact/Breadth: The proposed work has the potential to be applied broadly and improve youth policy and practice across a number of systems and disciplines.

• Fit: The project clearly meets our overall goals. The proposal and candidate contribute to building a community of fellows and a body of work that will, in aggregate, advance the field.

Funding Exclusions

Stoneleigh Foundation currently funds individuals through our fellowship program. We do not make grants to organizations and we do not fund permanent staff positions.

How is a fellowship different from a grant?

A fellowship is support for an individual to pursue an idea. It allows individuals the freedom from day-to-day work responsibilities to devote themselves to a project they have identified, which will make lasting change in the public systems that serve vulnerable and underserved child and youth.

How is a fellowship different from a staff position?

Our fellowships are distinct from staff positions in that fellows relinquish their day-to-day job duties and are free to pursue their fellowship projects full-time with the support of their partner organization. There is a discrete start and end date to the fellowship, unlike a staff position which is on-going. 

In some cases an applicant might be a current employee of the partner organization, in which case the fellow would relinquish all work associated with their permanent position in order to pursue the fellowship. In other cases, an applicant might not be an employee of the partner organization, in which case the fellow would relinquish all work associated with their employment (if currently employed) and join the partner organization as a fellow.