As part of Scholar Fund’s education and community development efforts, we believe that it is increasingly important to expand opportunities for undocumented professionals' personal and professional growth in our community. We believe that by providing tools and experiences for professionals to be exemplary leaders and more culturally responsive will be an investment in creating a more equitable nation and future.

Scholar Fund is proud to host the Cultural Leadership Fellowship for Undocumented Professionals! This program is uniquely designed to support undocumented leaders by immersing new and different perspectives, learning about community efforts in the United States and worldwide, and being in community and collaborate with different groups of people across multiple spaces. The fellowship will have experiential learning opportunities for a cohort of 40 undocumented professionals.

An integral part of our fellowship is to host trips across the United States and around the world, with the hope of expanding our reach to other regions outside of Washington State and the world in the future. The fellows will be immersed in a comprehensive culturally responsive spring or summer program organized by Scholar Fund, with the ability to engage in community-based ethnography for an additional two to three weeks, in partnership with local culturally sustaining educators from Washington State, other parts of the United States, and country-based community-based organizations. 

The learnings taken from the travel experience will allow our fellows to learn from the communities they visit and understand the significant differences and similarities with their local communities. As we strive to create a more equitable and just nation, it is vital for us to learn from community experiences rooted in cultural justice that lead to inspiring action and local community impact.

The Cultural Leadership Fellowship: DACA International Program online application is open until Monday, May 22, 2023.

To be eligible for consideration for our program, applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Must be undocumented with valid work authorization (DACA) to be able to apply for Advance Parole. 
• Must live in the United States and have a valid passport from the respective country of origin by Friday, September 1, 2023, and must be valid for at least 6 months after the program dates.
• Must be at least 18 years old by the start of the program.
• Must participate in ALL PROGRAM activities. 
• Must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, including a booster shot prior to travel. There will not be exceptions.
• Must follow COVID-19 safety protocols, including wearing a K/N95 mask indoors, transportation (plane, train, bus, etc.), and other spaces regardless of CDC, state, or country mandates. 
• Must test negative for COVID-19 48 hours prior to departure, day of travel, and 24 hours after arriving in the country for the program
• Must be able to pay round-trip airfare from the United States and the host countries 
• Must be able to pay the program fee and any additional fees (visa, passport fees, etc.) 

Each fellow will have the opportunity to attend one program, with the ability to expand their ethnographic research to other regions or countries. 

*$950 of the program fee is a non-refundable deposit.

Based on your country of citizenship, you may need to apply for a tourist visa. Please check if you need to apply for a tourist visa to the program countries:

• Administrative costs for the fellowship.
• Lodging, meals, local transportation, entrance fees to field-trip sites, etc. 
• Advance Parole fee and application guidance.
• COVID-19 care package, including home tests, masks, and hand sanitizer.
• Travel insurance (up to 75% of program costs, not including the non-refundable deposit described below).

* The program fee does not include flights. Cost of airfare will be covered by the applicant.

* Scholarships are not available at this time; we highly encourage accepted fellows to fundraise and/or ask their employers to sponsor this cost as a professional development opportunity.

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