Application Process

All Vermont middle and secondary grades teachers are warmly invited to submit a proposal for a Rowland Fellowship. To be eligible, teachers must be currently practicing their profession in a Vermont school and work directly with students on a daily basis. The Rowland Foundation’s selection process does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identification, language, religion, (dis)ability, or national origin.

Fellowship Application Instructions: You can access a printable version of these instructions here. Please review these instructions carefully. All applications must contain the following materials in order to be considered complete:

• • • School Information Sheet (PDF) (1-2 pages)
      Make your own copy of our Google form and complete all fields. If applying as a team, each team member should fill out their own form. (It’s all right if the form extends to two pages once your information has been entered.)
      
      
  • • The Cover Letter (1 page, single-spaced, 12-point font)
      Explain why you are seeking a Rowland Fellowship and share anything about your teaching practice that might not be evident from your resume. Cover letters may be addressed to the Rowland Foundation Board of Trustees.
      
      
  • • The Written Proposal (3 pages, double-spaced, 12-point font) 
      Use no more than three single-sided pages to describe your proposed Fellowship project as follows:
      1. School Climate: Tell us about the current climate of your school and any transformation efforts already underway.
         
         
      2. Project Description: Rowland Fellowships are inquiry-based. With this in mind, what do you hope to explore or research? What philosophical or practical questions will guide your work?
         
         
      3. Benefit to the School and Students: What changes would you anticipate should your inquiry prove successful?
         
         
      4. Plans: Describe your initial ideas for how you will structure your Fellowship experience, especially during the first year when you are released from your teaching duties.
         
         
  • • Creative Digital Artifact
      
      Please submit a digital artifact that demonstrates or visualizes the relationship between your teaching practice and the vision outlined in your proposal. This artifact may be original video, a slide deck, a podcast, a blog post, an infographic, photography, artwork, music, or any other media, as long as it takes no more than 5-7 minutes to review in full. Please provide a tiny url or QR code that can be used to access this material.
      
      
  • • A Preliminary Budget (PDF)
      Make your own copy of our budget template and fill in anticipated expenses, such as release from classroom teaching, travel to conferences, site visits, meetings you wish convene, etc. Refer to instructions within the budget template for more information.
      
      
  • • Three Letters of Support
      Solicit strong letters of support from the following members of your school community and include them with your application package. If applying as a team, these letters should speak to the strengths of both applicants. The letters should come from:
      1. Your principal or head of school, demonstrating their endorsement of your proposal. This support is critical to the success of your application.
         
         
      2. Your department chair, immediate supervisor, or another senior colleague.
         
         
      3. A person of your choice, such as a fellow teacher, a member of support staff, a student, school board member, or other member of your school community.
         
         
    • Superintendent Approval Form
      Make your own copy of our Google form and ask your superintendent to complete and sign it in order to demonstrate support for your proposal from your school district.
      
      
  • • A Current Resumé
      If applying as a team, please provide a resumé for each team member.

    
    Formatting tips:

    To make your application easier to process in our office and disseminate to our Board of Trustees:

    • • • Please use at minimum 12-point font and 1-inch margins wherever possible.
          
          
        • Please print single-sided.
          
          
        • Please do not staple pages together. Paper clips are okay.

    
    Application Window: The Rowland Foundation will accept applications for the 2025 Cohort of Fellows from November 1 to December 31, 2024.  Please mail one copy of your complete application to our offices at: The Rowland Foundation, 47 Maple Street, Suite #200, Burlington, Vermont 05401. Applications must be postmarked on or before December 31, 2024 to be considered.
    
    
    Questions? During the months of April-October, the Executive Director hosts a virtual Information Session for prospective applicants on the third Thursday of each month. This is a chance to ask questions about how to develop an effective and meaningful Fellowship proposal. Register here for the link to join.