Organizer Information
Futuress is recognized as a queer intersectional feminist platform operating at the intersection of feminism, design, and politics. Dedicated to fostering progressive discourse and creating a space for historically underrepresented, oppressed, and ignored voices, the organization actively challenges existing structures within academia and institutional life through feminist practices and collective knowledge-making. Futuress runs a lively program of online learning events, publishes a wide range of stories, and supports a globally-dispersed community of womxn and non-binary designers, writers, educators, artists, and activists. This fellowship program is made possible thanks to a generous grant from the Culture Department of the Kanton Basel-Stadt, emphasizing the organization's strong institutional backing and commitment to community building.
Title & Description
The Engaging Publics Fellowship is a fully funded, 12-month, hybrid program designed to support emerging cultural practitioners in developing participatory, community-oriented projects, cultural mediation, and activist practices. The central purpose of the fellowship is to explore how new forms of mediation can foster genuine conversation and build resilient communities in a hyperconnected but fragmented world. Projects should tackle urgent social issues such as gender, social inequality, climate change, and technology, spanning digital worlds, urban spaces, and rural environments. Fellows will spend the first part of the year developing their projects and the second part transforming their findings into a compelling written text for publication on the Futuress platform, thereby contributing to public discourse and accessible knowledge production.
Categories
The fellowship is open to a broad range of disciplines focused on cultural engagement and social change, including Cultural Practice, Activism, Design, Creative Writing, Journalism, Research, Social Transformation, Public Engagement, Spatial Interventions, and Cultural Mediation. The emphasis is on participatory and community-oriented methodologies.
Eligibility
The call targets Emerging Cultural Practitioners, defined as those who are up to two years after graduation or two years after entering their current field of work. The open call is split between five total seats: three seats are reserved for Basel-based residents (regardless of nationality or migration status), and two seats are available for International Fellows. Applications from marginalized communities (including migrants, BIPOC, queer, chronically ill, disabled, low-income, and other structurally excluded groups) are particularly encouraged. Teams or collectives are welcome to apply for a single spot. All participants must be comfortable communicating, presenting, and writing in English.
Program Benefits & Awards
- An Honorarium of 840 CHF gross for research, writing, production, and publishing, paid in two installments.
- Digital publishing of their text on the influential futuress.org platform.
- Space to conduct or present their project at the DOCK cultural space in Basel, Switzerland.
- Curatorial and logistical support in reaching out to potential collaborators.
- Access to the Futuress Zoom account and Slack channel for promotion and facilitation.
- Guided mentorship through nine hybrid sessions (group and individual guidance) over the 12-month period, facilitated by Futuress leaders Mio Kojima and Maya Ober.
Application Fee
None
Application Requirements
- A Short Project Abstract.
- A Situated Biography (outlining the applicant's relationship to their context/community).
- A detailed Project Proposal covering: the specific social issue(s) the idea engages with; the context (community, physical space, discourse) the project relates to and the applicant’s relationship to it; the planned format of the project; and the plan for facilitating the project during the first part of the fellowship.
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 14 January 2026
- Notification Date: mid-March 2026.
- Fellowship Period (Start/End): April 2026 to March 2027 (12 months).
Location
Basel, Switzerland
Additional Details
Fellows are expected to commit to attending all nine 2-hour hybrid group sessions (held monthly on Thursdays from 7-9 pm CE(S)T). The time commitment also includes conducting independent research, project development, and peer-reviewing texts. Applicants should note that if a team or collective is accepted, the 840 CHF honorarium will not be adjusted or increased. The fellowship is led by experienced mentors Mio Kojima and Maya Ober. Fellows retain the moral rights to their work, but Futuress retains exclusive publishing rights for 12 months after publication.