Work//Shift Fellowship 2027: $30,000 Fellowship for Gig Workers, Freelancers and Future-of-Work Leaders
The Work//Shift Fellowship is a 12-month hybrid program providing a $30,000 stipend for individuals exploring the future of work, worker protections, and economic security. Selected participants engage in collaborative learning, cross-sector networking, and two in-person convenings.
Overview
The Work//Shift Fellowship is a 12-month initiative created by the Center for Cultural Innovation’s Research to Impact Lab (R2i Lab). It brings together an interdisciplinary cohort of approximately eight individuals to examine how economic security, benefits, and worker protections can better serve people whose livelihoods fall outside traditional employer-employee arrangements. The hybrid program combines virtual collaboration with two in-person convenings, including a launch gathering in Southern California.
Participants embark on a structured learning journey spanning four stages: unlearning existing assumptions, sensemaking around economic and political forces, envisioning alternative models of care and ownership, and building collaborative new ideas. While a complete project is not required upon entry, fellows receive a $30,000 stipend to support their engagement in monthly virtual meetings, discussions, and program activities.
Benefits
- A $30,000 fellowship stipend for participation in the 12-month program.
- A year-long hybrid learning experience with a small cohort of approximately eight cross-sector peers.
- Access to guest practitioners and a multidisciplinary network of future-of-work leaders.
- Participation in two in-person cohort convenings, beginning in Southern California in January 2027.
- An estimated time commitment of approximately 10 hours per month, designed to allow concurrent full-time professional or community work.
Eligibility
- Open to freelancers, independent contractors, gig workers, artists, cultural workers, domestic workers, caregivers, researchers, organizers, policymakers, advocates, entrepreneurs, technologists, and community leaders.
- Applicants should demonstrate a strong interest in improving conditions for workers operating outside conventional employment structures.
- Candidates must exhibit curiosity, a willingness to challenge conventional workplace assumptions, and an openness to diverse cross-sector perspectives.
- Strong applicants should have meaningful relationships within their communities, professions, or fields and an interest in economic justice.
- Applicants do not need to enter with a fully developed project or direct frontline experience with gig workers, provided they maintain a connection to the central issues.
How to Apply
Applications are accepted online through the Center for Cultural Innovation’s digital submission portal. Prospective applicants should review all program guidelines and prepare to highlight their connection to nontraditional work, collaborative mindset, and commitment to worker well-being.
To submit an application, please visit the official submission platform.
Deadline
The application deadline is October 26, 2026. Because applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, candidates are encouraged to apply early.