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Dalai Lama Fellows

Founded in 2010 with the inspiration and encouragement of the 14th Dalai Lama, Dalai Lama Fellows is reimagining leadership by cultivating and supporting an international movement of young change-makers to meet global challenges in locally adapted ways as they promote our planet’s flourishing. We award year-long fellowships to change-makers who are working in local communities to address one or more of the following areas: Health and Well-being, Education and Youth Development, Social Justice, Environment, Cultural Understanding, Contemplation. The program is non-sectarian and inclusive of all backgrounds.

We provide each Fellow with:

  • Immersion in our distinctive yearlong Head, Heart, Hands online leadership curriculum
  • One-on-one and small-group coaching to support their personal development and leadership in social innovation work
  • Lifelong affiliation in our global learning community and support system

Requirements for Dalai Lama Fellowship

In order to fulfill the minimum requirements, through the application a candidate must demonstrate:

  • Age requirements: 20-36 years old as of April 1, 2027
  • Fluency in written and spoken English
  • Current engagement with or well-articulated plans for a social change project and sustained engagement with the project throughout the fellowship year
  • In-depth knowledge of the community and the issue that the project is seeking to address, preferably with at least one year of previous experience working with the community
  • Interest in learning and engaging in contemplative practices throughout the year
  • Commitment to participating in all dimensions of the program (online learning platform, 1-on-1 coaching calls, group learning calls, etc.)
    • We estimate full participation in the fellowship requires about 12 hours per month, not including Fellows’ work on their projects.

AI Statement:

A core ethos of our program is authenticity, and we believe that Artificial Intelligence cannot reproduce your authentic voice and lived experience. So, we strongly discourage applicants from using AI to write responses in their application.

Process

1. Register

Click on the "Register" link and complete and submit the registration form.

2. Login

Login to the application with your email and password.

3. Create

Create your online application.

4. Save

During the Call for Applications period, your application can be saved as DRAFT until all the required information is completed and attachments uploaded. As each section is complete, you will see a appear in the category tab when the application is saved. At any time, you can download and print your application by clicking on the icon in the Application Summary section.

5. Submit

On completion, save your Application as FINAL. Download and print a copy of your application for your records by clicking on the icon in the Application Summary section in the right column. Note: If an update is required prior to the Call for Applications period, you can make the update and resave as FINAL.

Key Dates

Application Open:
Oct 1, 2026
Application Close:
Nov 11, 2026

Contact Us

Dalai Lama Fellowship
Email: dalailamafellows@virginia.edu

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Copyright  2026 Dalai Lama Fellows.  All rights reserved.