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Winston Churchill fellowship requests must be for:
- short-term travel outside New Zealand in the calendar year following the fellowship request*
- investigation, experience and/or research that will help to advance your field of interest, occupation, trade, industry, profession or community on your return to New Zealand
*The Trust may also consider requests from people wishing to visit New Zealand for a fellowship that will contribute to a profession, industry, occupation or trade in New Zealand and benefit New Zealand in general.
The Trust has limited income and aims to distribute this income as widely as possible each year for the greatest benefit to New Zealand.
The usual amount awarded for a fellowship is between $7,000 and $12,000. The Trust expects applicants to personally meet not less than 20 per cent of the total estimated costs of their proposed fellowship travel, and to contribute more if they are able.
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Applications for fellowships are made online when a funding round is open. You will need a ‘Real Me’ login to be able to access the Fellowship application form.
The link below will take you to a page that asks for your ‘Real Me’ login or enables you to apply for a ‘Real Me’ login. Please follow the instructions on the page to make a request for funding.
For more information and / or assistance with ‘Real Me’ telephone 0800 824 824.
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No. Fellowships requests to study for academic, professional, trade and other qualifications will not be funded.
Churchill Fellowship requests must be for:
- short-term travel outside Aotearoa New Zealand, or online research, in the calendar year following the fellowship request
- investigation, experience and/or research that will benefit Aotearoa New Zealand through advancing your field of interest, occupation, trade, industry, profession or community on your return to New Zealand
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No. Fellowship requests to attend conferences or short courses will not be funded.
Attendance at a conference or short course may form part of a Fellowship proposal.
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The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust and partnered fellowships do not fund requests for:
- study for academic or professional qualifications
- attendance at academic or professional conferences*
- fellowships that do not show how the benefits of what is learned or experienced through overseas travel will be shared with others
- salary or replacement of income during your travel
- increases in travel costs after a fellowship is granted.
* Short courses that form part of an eligible project may be considered.
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Fellowship travel may be for up to three months. A Fellowship Report must be completed within six months of returning to Aoteraoa New Zealand
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No. Only individuals may apply for a Fellowship.
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There is one funding round a year. Only one application can be submitted to any funding round.
Unsuccessful fellowship applicants may apply to a future funding round.
Previous Fellowship recipients may not re-apply.
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No. No educational qualifications are needed to apply. Churchill Fellowships welcome ordinary New Zealanders from any field.
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Fellowship decisions are usually notified by the end of October in the year the request is made. Once an online application is submitted it moves to the applicant’s ‘Pending Review’ stage and will remain there until a decision is made.
Requests for fellowships always exceed the amount of funding available.The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Board will review all applications individually and comparatively. Fellowship awards are based on:
- the potential benefit the travel experience will contribute to the applicant, the applicant’s field of interest and / or community, and to New Zealand
- the ability of the applicant to actively disseminate their Fellowship learnings and knowledge through their networks and communities for the benefit of others
- the amount of money available to distribute as fellowships in the funding round.
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Requests for fellowships always exceed the amount of funding available.
The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Board will review all applications individually and comparatively. Fellowship awards are based on:
- the potential benefit the travel experience will contribute to Aotearoa New Zealand, and the applicant’s field of interest and / or community
- the ability of the applicant to actively disseminate their Fellowship learnings and knowledge through their networks and communities for the benefit of others
- the amount of money available to distribute as fellowships in the funding round.
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The application form gives you the opportunity to comment on any personal matter you would like the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust to factor into consideration of your application (e.g. if you have a disability that means you require support and/or flexibility).
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As well as Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowships, there are special purpose Fellowships in partnership with others.
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This partnered fellowship is for promising writers and journalists to travel and live overseas. The intention is for the recipient’s horizons to broaden and shift so that their writing is enhanced. Priority is given to applicants who:
- are an emerging writer or journalist aged between 25 and 40 years
- have a track record of publications (one or more publications)
- propose travel to non-English speaking and / or developing countries.
Fellowship requests must be for:
- immersion within another culture by living and / or working for the benefit of the recipient’s writing
- overseas travel between 1 January and 31 December of the calendar year following request
- travel outside New Zealand, for up to six months.
In addition to the supporting documents required for any fellowship, requests for a Winston Churchill McNeish Writers’ Fellowship must include a writing sampleand evidence of one or more publications or writing success achieved to date.
A Winston Churchill McNeish Writers’ Fellowship is offered every second year. The next one will be offered in 2024.
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People who are New Zealand citizens or ordinarily resident in New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Tokelau or Niue may request a fellowship if they have not previously received a fellowship. Proof of permanent residency will be required.
Please note that there are restrictions on who can apply for Partnered Fellowships. The Trust may also consider a fellowship request to visit New Zealand for a purpose that will contribute to a profession, industry, occupation or trade in New Zealand and benefit New Zealand in general.
Winston Churchill Fellowships are open to people at all stages in their careers, in any profession, industry, occupation or trade. All subject areas are considered. There are no qualification requirements, but applicants need to show how they will share their travel learnings with their peers and communities. However previous Fellowship recipients may not reapply.
The Trust would like to receive more requests for fellowships in agriculture, science or technology and / or for learning from cultures in the Pacific and Asian regions. It welcomes more requests from people living in communities outside of New Zealand’s larger cities, and from New Zealanders from all ethnic backgrounds, including Māori and/or Pacific peoples.
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There is one funding round each year.
The funding round usually opens on the first Wednesday in July, and closes mid August.
Only one request may be made to a funding round. Unsuccessful fellowship applicants may apply to a future funding round. Previous Fellowship recipients may not reapply.
In your application you will need to:
- describe your project in less than 100 words
- outline your proposed itinerary
- estimate the cost of you project and state how much you are requesting
- explain why your project is needed
- describe the expected benefits to you, the area you work and / or have an interest in, and the benefits to New Zealand on your return.
- outline your experience relevant to the project
- explain how you will share the findings from your Fellowship experience.
The following supporting documents must be uploaded in your request:
- evidence of your New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Tokelau or Niue citizenship or permanent residency
- your curriculum vitae
- a letter from two referees commenting on your ability to successfully achieve your fellowship plans and how your fellowship proposal will benefit you, and on your return, benefit the community and New Zealand.
Plus any partnered fellowship required document. These are:
- Requests for a Winston Churchill McNeish Writers’ Fellowship must include a writing sample, and evidence of one or more publications or writing success achieved to date.
A Fellowship request that does not include the required supporting documents will be declined as the application will not have enough information to be considered for a fellowship grant.
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All fellowship recipients must submit a Report on their project within six months of their return to New Zealand. These reports are reviewed by the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Board and are published online. Partnered Fellowship reports are provided to the partner.
A copy of the Fellowship Report guidelines can be found at the link below:
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Fellowship recipients sign a Fellowship Agreement in which they accept various obligations. If all obligations are not fulfilled, the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Board will approach referees to help ensure compliance, and consider full recovery of any funding provided.
The published Fellowship lists will record if a recipient did not submit an acceptable publishable report within the agreed timeframe, and the recipient may not become a Winston Churchill Fellow.
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Since the Trust was established in 1965, nearly 1000 Winston Churchill Fellowships have provided travel opportunities overseas for ordinary people from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds from throughout New Zealand. The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Board ensures that income from the Trust continues to be available for fellowship experiences for New Zealanders wanting to learn from others, experience other cultures and give back to their communities.
Read more about our Fellows and Projects here.
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Fellowship Reports are the copyright of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust. This material may be used for personal or in-house (not for commercial purpose) use without fees or further permission. For permission to reproduce the material for any purpose other than personal or in-house use, contact [email protected].
In all cases, the material must be reproduced accurately and not be used in a misleading context. Where the material is being published or issued for others, the source of the material and its copyright status must be acknowledged.
The views and opinions by authors expressed in Fellowship Reports do not state or reflect those of the Trust.
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Information about the Trust is also available at the Trust’s Facebook Page here.
For further information about the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, you can email [email protected]