Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP) calls application for Fellowship for Change in Design 2021. The Fellow works at CUP full-time, collaborating on the community-engaged design projects as part of the CUP team, working as an in-house designer, and participating in mentoring opportunities.

The Fellowship is an initiative to support the development of a pipeline of talented individuals from historically underrepresented communities into the design fields and to dismantle the systemic biases that stand in the way of their advancement as leaders in these fields. The 2021 Fellow will be selected through a competitive, juried process and will work with CUP from July 2021–June 2022.

Funding and Benefits

The Fellowship is a paid, year-long, full-time, training program designed to promote and support individuals in gaining the skills, contacts, and experience to help them excel in their design careers.

The selected Fellow will also receive a stipend of $40,000 (paid in monthly installments), along with free health insurance benefits, a flexible leave policy, and a small budget for professional development activities.

Criteria

Candidates applying for the Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP) Fellowship for Change in Design 2021 should

• Identify as a member of the community that is historically marginalized in the design professions, including but not limited to people of color; people from low-income, LGBTQ, or immigrant communities; formerly incarcerated people; and others
• Have a background in design, particularly graphic, communication, or UI design. CUP believes this is a good position for a recent graduate from a design program. However, it recognizes that individuals with the potential to become great designers may come from a
  broader range of experiences. Therefore, CUP does not require a degree in a design field (or any degree at all). However, we do require evidence, in the form of a portfolio of images, of your skills and abilities as a designer, and your proficiency with design software.
• Be committed to social justice and racial equity as well as have good communication skills.
• Be proficient with Adobe Creative Suite software, basic web applications, and Microsoft Office.
• Furthermore, be friendly, self-directed, detail-oriented, and able to work in a collaborative environment with a broad range of partners.

Applications 

To apply, you will need to create an account on Submittable, fill in your contact information, and upload the following materials:

• A cover letter saying why you are interested in the Fellowship, what you hope to get out of it, what your goals are for your career, and how you meet the Fellowship criteria.
• A current resume
• A portfolio of your design work. CUP is looking for your skills to work on a range of visuals and with type. Please describe the context that your projects were completed in, and your role. Your portfolio will be reviewed on-screen and in a print-out. Please format your work so all pages can be printed out at 8.5 x 11. (Max file size 5 MB)
• A list of three references, with contact information.