Projects for Peace Alumni Award

Apply through Independent Application Process

Internal Deadline: Wednesday, January 22nd, 2025 at 12 PM noon pacific time

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Important

This page has information about the alumni award from Projects for Peace. Only previous recipients of a Projects for Peace award may apply.

Current students looking for information on how to apply to Projects for Peace should review the regular Projects for Peace website.

Description

The Projects for Peace Alumni Award seeks to recognize an individual who has demonstrated sustained contributions to the field of peacebuilding and conflict transformation and who has charted a clear path forward for future impact. The award is intended to celebrate and enhance the achievements of past Projects for Peace grantees. It is not a grant for a project proposal.

Projects for Peace is a global program that partners with educational institutions to identify and support young peacebuilders and changemakers. The program encourages young adults to develop innovative, community-centered, and scalable responses to the world’s most pressing issues. Along the way, these student leaders increase their knowledge, improve skills, and begin to see themselves as agents of change. Since 2007, Projects for Peace has worked with approximately 115 colleges and universities to support more than 2000 projects. Reed College has been a partner with Projects for Peace since 2008 and Reed nominees have been awarded grants nearly every year.

Each year, the Projects for Peace Alumni Award awards up to $50,000 to support the continuing peacebuilding efforts of a Projects for Peace grantee. The Award is made possible through the Kathryn Wasserman Davis Collaborative in Conflict Transformation at Middlebury.

REED'S PROJECTS FOR PEACE ALUMNI

Award Benefits

The awardee receives $50,000.
The awardee is expected to attend a multi-day convening on the topic of conflict transformation convening at Middlebury College, with an opportunity to discuss their work with the Conflict Transformation community at Middlebury by delivering a keynote address, leading classroom discussions, and participating in meetings with stakeholders in Middlebury.
The Kathryn Wasserman Davis Collaborative in Conflict Transformation at Middlebury College expects to fund at least one award each year through 2028.

Eligibility

Applicants must have implemented a Project for Peace any time in the history of the program. The applicant’s name must appear on the approved final report submitted at the conclusion of their Projects for Peace grant. If the applicant was part of a team-led project, only one individual from that project can be nominated.
Applicants must be nominated or re-nominated by the educational institution that supported their Project for Peace. No direct-apply or “at-large” applications will be accepted.
Educational institutions nominating applicants need not be current Projects for Peace partners, but must have been a partner institution in the past.
Previous nominees are eligible to be re-nominated by their institution. Past winners of the award are not eligible to be re-nominated.

Expectations

In the first year, the awardee will be asked to:

Write brief 6-month and 1-year reports reflecting on implementation, impact, and lessons learned. Receipts/full financial accounting is not required in these reports. Instead, a general update on major expenditures is requested, with commentary on notable challenges, successes, and/or deviations from the original financial plan.
Attend a multiday conflict transformation convening at Middlebury College, deliver a keynote address, and engage with the conflict transformation community at Middlebury.
Participate in a reflection session with Projects for Peace and the Conflict Transformation Collaborative at the end of the first year (virtual or in-person).

After the first year:

Invitation to consult with Projects for Peace and the CT Collaborative about their experiences, via annual/biannual discussions
Invitations to Projects for Peace events and convenings

Additional Opportunities:

Projects for Peace Alumni awardees, finalists, nominees and their nominating institutions may be publicly recognized through print and social media.
Finalists and their nominators may be invited to participate in annual events or participate in special opportunities supported by the Conflict Transformation Collaborative at Middlebury.

Selection Criteria

Deliberations of the review committee are confidential, but general selection criteria may
include:

Evidence of enduring commitment, over time, to:
- Peacebuilding and conflict transformation. Applicants need not be currently working on the same issues, or using the same approaches, as their original Project for Peace.
- Community engagement as well as public sharing of their actions and impact.
- Innovation and creativity in approaches to peacebuilding and conflict transformation in their field.
The clarity with which the applicant articulates how conflict transformation integrates with their peacebuilding approach.
Evidence of productive engagement with conflicts that may underlie targeted issues. Conflict transformation moves from destructive “us versus them” dynamics to patterns of constructive engagement, understanding and problem-solving.
Evidence of critical reflection on progress to date, and consideration of how their work could be expanded and/or revised in the future.
Potential impact of the award funds to accelerate or expand the awardee’s vision.

Application Procedure

Eligible and interested applicants should email the Center for Life Beyond Reed at clbrfellowships@reed.edu to let us know that you're interested in learning more about applying. Reed's Projects for Peace Campus Liaison will then reach out share the application process with you and answer any questions you have.

Letters of Reference

Internal applicants will need to have two internal letters of reference sent directly from the recommenders to clbrfellowships@reed.edu by the internal application deadline. Letter writers will have an opportunity to revise their letters prior to the nomination deadline in February or early March, so the internal letters do not need to be the final letters of recommendation. The internal letters will be reviewed by Reed's Projects for Peace Campus Liaison, and by any campus selection committee members appointed by the liaison.

Next Steps

Any applications will be reviewed following submission, and it's possible that applicants will be asked to interview over Zoom in early February. Nomination Decisions will be communicated via email, and the nominee's final materials will need to be submitted by Reed staff to Projects for Peace by the nomination deadline of March 5th, 2025.

Questions?

Please contact CLBR Fellowships.