Fellowships are merit-based, not need-based financial awards.
A fellowship grant is funding designed to help an applicant either financially or by providing valuable on-the-job training. While the terms scholarships, fellowships and grants are interchangeable, fellowship grants tend to offer the most freedom for the recipient. A recipient of a fellowship is a "fellow," and most people refer to fellowship grants simply as "fellowships."
Provisions
In some circles, fellowships go to students in universities who are moving on to advanced studies. Organizations usually provide fellowships by setting up an account with the university to pay for the advanced studies. The difference between fellowships and grants is largely a semantic one. However, the federal government does not bestow fellowships. It only gives out grants.
Merit
Fellowships are typically merit-based, unlike grants, which are need-based. Therefore, if someone applies for a fellowship and is financially sound, that does not affect his fellowship proposal. Organizations giving fellowships base them on submitted projects, but recipients need not use them for their projects. Some, such as the Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship, simply require submission of a script. If the script passes muster from a panel of judges, the applicant becomes one of five fellows. In addition to receiving $30,000, Nicholl fellows tend to have doors opened in Hollywood for their work.
Applications
The process of applying for a fellowship is time-consuming. An applicant has to find a fellowship that applies to whatever project she wishes to pursue. Then, she submits an application along with required essays. In addition, the application package needs to contain resumes and letters of recommendation. The fellowship board reviews the application. If the board is interested in further contact, an interview is set up. Even if the fellowship is not given, preparing an application package can provide valuable insights for the applicant, helping to define goals and possibly even choose a different career path.
Opportunities
Fellowships can provide worthwhile opportunities. For example, the Latin American Security, Drugs and Democracy Fellowship looks for advanced graduate-level students that want to help solve drug problems in Latin America. The Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellowship selects fellows to Washington, DC, setting them up as full-time junior staff members of an organization where they would like to work.
Tags: advanced studies, application package, fellowship grants, fellowships grants
