The Nachshon Project Graduate Fellowship

OVERVIEW

The Nachshon Project Graduate Fellowship will be awarded to Nachshon Project Fellows who have successfully completed the undergraduate portion of The Nachshon Project, and who demonstrate a strong commitment and ability to serve the North American Jewish community in a leadership role. Fellowships will be awarded on a competitive basis for full-time graduate study, including degrees in Rabbinics or Cantorial School, Jewish Education, and Jewish Nonprofit Management.

Graduate Fellows will be granted $30,000 per year throughout their full-time graduate school studies, based on the funding eligibility parameters described below. All Fellows are required to show strong academic standing and to take part in all Fellowship programming.

Upon completion of graduate school, Nachshon Project Graduate Fellows are required to work full-time in an approved role with a charitable organization whose primary mission is to serve the Jewish community in North America for 1.5 times the number of years for which funding was awarded (for example, a Fellow who received funding for two years must commit to work in the Jewish community for a minimum of three years).

ELIGIBILITY AND APPLICATIONS

Eligibility

Individuals must successfully complete The Nachshon Project Undergraduate Fellowship, including the camp/campus projects, in order to apply for the Graduate Fellowship.

Individuals must have an excellent academic record and a college degree.

Individuals must have a compelling vision of their potential professional contribution to Jewish life in North America.

Individuals must have applied to a recognized graduate school program, on a full-time basis, for the upcoming Fall semester prior to applying for the Graduate Fellowship. If awarded a Fellowship, they must begin their full-time graduate studies in that Summer or Fall.

Individuals must be accepted to a recognized graduate school program for the Fall semester by March 15th in order to be invited to an interview and must notify the Foundation in which graduate program/s they plan to enroll prior to the interview.

Individuals who have previously applied for The Nachshon Project Graduate Fellowship may not reapply for the Fellowship for studies in the same graduate program.

Application Form

The Nachshon Project Graduate Fellowship application opens immediately following the Fall Conference of each year. The application includes several essays and requires applicants to submit the names of two references – an academic advisor and a supervisor from a professional Jewish setting, transcripts, GRE results (if applicable), and acceptance letters to graduate school programs, if already accepted. The application deadline is March 1st. Finalists will be notified if they will be invited to in-person interviews by March 15th.

Interviews

All finalists will be interviewed by a panel comprised of Nachshon Project leadership and leading Jewish professionals, and notified regarding Fellowship acceptance by May 15th.

If accepted, Fellows will be required to sign a Participant Agreement that outlines the financial sponsorship and the Fellow’s responsibilities. These Guidelines will be included as an exhibit to the Participant Agreement. Please note that the Guidelines may be updated from time to time—Fellows should look to the Guidelines that are part of their Participant Agreements to determine the policies that apply to them.

THE PROGRAM

Graduate Fellows are required to participate in the following professional development opportunities and other program events:

Attendance at conferences and other events, with preparatory and follow-up work

Remote learning, consisting of webinars and conference calls with Fellowship staff and consultants, with preparatory and follow-up work

THE FUNDING

Funding eligibility

The Graduate Fellowship supports full-time graduate studies at Jewish graduate schools that prepare their students for professional positions in the North American Jewish community. The only exception to this funding eligibility is in the field of special education, where there are no Jewish graduate schools that provide adequate professional training in the field.

Multiple degrees

Students will receive a total of $30,000 per year for dual degree programs that are simultaneous. Fellows may be eligible to apply for funding for two degrees in succession, which may be completed at two separate Jewish institutions, (e.g. an MA followed by a Ph.D., an MA and a Rabbinical degree, or two separate MAs), on condition that both degrees are necessary for their careers working for the North American Jewish community and that each degree, on its own, is eligible for funding. Applicants should indicate their interest in applying for multiple degrees in their applications.

If the Fellow actually enrolls in the subsequent graduate program, the work requirement (described below) will begin upon completion of the second graduate program.

Funding years

Funding will be provided annually, for as many years as The Nachshon Project determines is typical for a full-time student to complete the program in which the grauate Fellows is enrolled. The following is the maximum years of funding per degree:

Master’s programs (e.g. MA in Jewish Nonprofit Management, MA in Jewish Education, etc.) are eligible for up to two years of funding.

Rabbinical programs are eligible for up to five years of funding.

Ph.D. programs are eligible for up to four years of funding. Note that funding will be provided on condition that the fellow will serve in a Jewish communal (non-academic) position upon completion of the program (see The Work Requirement below).

Multiple degrees done in succession can extend the term of funding (e.g. a two-year MA in Jewish Nonprofit Management followed by a two-year MA in Jewish Education will lead to four years of funding). However, eligibility for funding will not exceed five years in total.

The first Funding Year will be year one of the degree and the remaining Funding Years will generally continue consecutively for the duration of the funding period.

Preparatory programs

Funding under the Fellowship does not cover Mechina/Mekorot programs. Fellows are eligible to apply for gap year funding for these programs, keeping in mind that these programs must be completed within four years upon completion of the semester in Israel as part of The Nachshon Project. (Fellows must determine whether they are required to complete these programs prior to applying for the Graduate Fellowship, and are only eligible to apply to the Graduate Fellowship after completion of Mechina/Mekorot programs).

Funding mid-degree

If an applicant has, prior to applying to graduate school, taken courses that count towards a graduate degree, funding will only cover the nuber of years necessary to complete the degree.

THE WORK REQUIREMENT

Upon completing graduate school, Fellows will be required to work professionally within the North American Jewish community for 1.5 years for each year for which they received graduate school support (known as the “work requirement”).

In order to fulfill the work requirement:

1. The job must be with a charitable organization whose primary mission is to serve the Jewish community in North America.

“Primary” for this purpose means that at least a majority of the charity’s beneficiaries are North American Jews

The North American Jewish beneficiaries need not be located in North America, and Fellows need not be living and/or working in North America

2. The position must directly further the Jewish mission of that organization.

For example, a solely operational position (e.g. bookkeeping) does not directly further the mission. External facing positions (e.g. Program Administrator, Executive Director) would qualify, as would some internal positions (e.g. curriculum writer) that directly further the mission though are not external facing.

Positions in marketing, development and other administrative roles qualify as well.

3. The organization and the role must be approved in advance by The Nachshon Project.

4. Issue advocacy is permitted; political and lobbying organizations are not permitted.

Approval of the Position by The Nachshon Project

Fellows should apply for approval from The Nachshon Project prior to accepting a job by completing the Position Approval Request Form. The form asks for a description of the organization’s activities, target audience, non-profit status, and a description of the position for which the Fellow is applying.

Upon completing the form, the Fellow is responsible for directly contacting The Nachshon Project staff to ensure that the form was received.

We will endeavor to inform the Fellow within three business days of receipt of the form.

IMPORTANT DATES

November 15 – Graduate Fellowship Application Opens
March 1 – Graduate Fellowship application deadline
March 15 – Finalists invited to interviews
April – Graduate Fellowship interviews
May 15 – Graduate Fellowship notification
June 1 – Signed contracts due
June 15 – Public announcement of new Nachshon Project Graduate Fellows
July 1 – First payment of fellowship funding received
January 1 - Second payment of fellowship funding received
January 2-9 (tentative) – Graduate Fellowship Annual Retreat

Please contact The Nachshon Project with any questions or concerns.