Deadline:
February 15, 2025
Location(s)
United States of America Worldwide
Overview
The Leakey Foundation’s prestigious Franklin Mosher Baldwin Fellowship program builds the future of science by investing in aspiring researchers around the world.
Details
Many countries abundant in fossils and living primates lack graduate school programs for students who wish to study prehistory or primatology. The Baldwin Fellowship program breaks barriers for talented young scholars, empowering them to earn graduate degrees and become leaders in their chosen field.
Since 1978, the Baldwin Fellowship has been instrumental in advancing human origins research and building scientific capacity in regions where fossils and wild primates are found. Initially created to support African students pursuing graduate degrees in paleoanthropology, the program now includes scholars from any country with limited educational opportunities in fields related to human evolution.
Each Baldwin Fellow receives up to $15,000 annually for up to two years, supporting not just their studies but also providing access to essential training, mentorship, and professional networks. This comprehensive approach ensures that Baldwin Fellows are well-prepared for successful and fulfilling careers in science.
The Origins of the Baldwin Fellowship
The Baldwin Fellowships were the brainchild of former Board President Dr. Edwin Munger and Elisabeth G. O’Connor, the widow of Franklin Mosher Baldwin. Baldwin was a distinguished attorney who took a lively interest in the search for human origins. Hoping to honor her late husband’s dual interests in early humans and education, O’Connor embraced the idea of a program to educate African scholars in prehistory and paleoanthropology. Today the Fellowship has been expanded to include studies in primatology and is available to citizens from any country that does not have the programs or facilities available to fulfill the students’ human origins research goals.
Since 1978, more than 70 Baldwin Fellowships have been awarded.
The Leakey Foundation
The Leakey Foundation's mission is to increase scientific knowledge, education, and public understanding of human origins, evolution, behavior and survival.'s mission is to increase scientific knowledge, education, and public understanding of human origins, evolution, behavior and survival.
Opportunity is About
Eligibility
Candidates should be from:
Description of Ideal Candidate
Who can apply
- This program is open to applicants with citizenship in countries with limited opportunities for advanced training and education in fields related to human origins.
- Applicants must be accepted to or currently attending a program of advanced training or studies leading towards a master’s degree or PhD either outside or inside the applicant’s home country.
- The applicant’s field of study must be related to human origins.
Additional eligibility requirements
- The applicant must have a “Home Sponsor,” who is a member of the institution where the applicant is affiliated in their home country, as well as a “Host Sponsor,” who is a member of the institution where the candidate plans to pursue education or training.
- In some cases, the home and host sponsor may be in the same country if the applicant is planning on obtaining advanced training and education in their home country.
- Should an award be made, the “Host Sponsor” must assume responsibility for overseeing the candidate’s education/training. Since the Baldwin Fellowship is intended to be a partnership between the candidate and both the Home and Host institutions, candidates are expected to be offered support by these institutions in the form of financial assistance and, upon completion of training, employment in the home country.
Is a Baldwin Fellowship right for you?
Ask yourself these questions:
- Am I enrolled in or have provisional acceptance to an MA, MS, PhD or equivalent program related to the study of human origins and evolution?
- Have I been accepted or have a provisional acceptance to a host institution where I can earn an MA, MS, or PhD or receive advanced special training leading towards an MA, MS, or PhD.
- Do I intend to return and work in my home country upon completion of training?
If you answer “Yes” to all of the above questions, you are likely eligible for a Baldwin Fellowship.
Dates
Deadline: February 15, 2025
Cost/funding for participants
Eligible expenses
- Baldwin Fellowships may be used to cover tuition, travel, living expenses, student fees, insurance, books, and other relevant expenditures.
- Aid is not provided for family expenses or dependent support, salary and/or fringe benefits of the applicant, nor institutional overhead.
- While all applications and budgets are considered on a case-by-case basis, the Baldwin Fellowship is typically meant to cover educational expenses.
Un-save Opportunity
Internships, scholarships, student conferences and competitions.
