Digital Thriving Fellowship Program

The Digital Thriving Fellowship Program, run by the Center for Digital Thriving at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, is designed to amplify innovative and bold ideas that empower young people to thrive in a tech-saturated world. The Center, housed within Harvard’s Project Zero, is a research and innovation hub that produces knowledge and resources to support youth wellbeing in digital contexts. This fellowship initiative serves as an incubator for educators, creatives, and practitioners who aim to reimagine digital life through youth-centered and equity-focused approaches. For the 2026–2027 cohort, the program's theme is “Educating for Digital Agency,” and the Center seeks applicants whose work supports meaningful digital choice, intentionality, and values-aligned use of technology among youth. The Fellowship is open to U.S.-based individuals who are not currently enrolled as full-time students and whose work engages directly with young people in educational settings. Eligible applicants include classroom teachers, school counselors, librarians, educational technologists, curriculum designers, school leaders, afterschool educators, and education policymakers. All projects must be situated within the U.S. and should center on promoting digital agency, literacy, and well-being. The Center specifically encourages submissions from those whose identities and experiences can enrich its diverse community of Fellows and whose projects address the intersection of youth empowerment and technological influence. The 2026–2027 fellowship year will run from September 1, 2026 through the end of the academic year in May 2027. The fellowship includes monthly virtual cohort meetings and 1–2 in-person gatherings in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Fellows are expected to continue their regular professional roles while dedicating substantial time to developing their fellowship project. During the term, each Fellow must produce at least one public-facing resource—such as a podcast, article, framework, curriculum, or digital tool—and give a public presentation of their work. Progress reports are required at the midpoint, conclusion, and one year after the fellowship ends. Applications open on February 13, 2026, and the deadline for submitting a Letter of Interest is March 9, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. Approximately 8–10 applicants will be invited in early April to submit a full proposal by early May 2026. Final decisions will be communicated by June 30, 2026. There is no pre-application requirement such as a concept paper or LOI prior to the Letter of Interest submission. Interested applicants are encouraged to attend a virtual information session scheduled for February 20, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The application process is structured in three phases. First, Letters of Interest are reviewed for alignment with the fellowship’s theme, youth-centered and equity-focused approaches, and complementarity with the Center’s ongoing work. Second, selected candidates are invited to submit full proposals. Lastly, finalists may be interviewed before final decisions are made. Although funding amounts are not disclosed in the public materials, the program supports up to 3–4 fellows per year, suggesting a selective and resource-intensive model of support. For questions, applicants are encouraged to contact the Center for Digital Thriving at [email protected]. All applications must be submitted through their Qualtrics application portal, and prospective applicants can stay informed by subscribing to the Center’s newsletter or attending the information session. The fellowship represents an opportunity for educators and allied professionals to contribute to a forward-thinking, hopeful reimagining of digital life for young people.

Align proposals with youth-centered, equity-focused, and critically optimistic approaches to tech; clearly articulate plans for public-facing outputs.