We recommend reviewing the residency program application before you create your account to fully understand what is required. The application includes a number of narrative questions where you will describe your professional background, your proposed project, and its intended social impact. You must submit a brief video, work samples, and two references as part of the application. The application must be submitted by Wednesday, May 17, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time (no exceptions).

This opportunity is intended for leaders with a proven track record of accomplishment and influence in their field, and for whom a Bellagio residency will accelerate progress on an important project. Strong applicants will be forward-looking with a history of advancing breakthrough ideas or actions. They should be curious, collegial, and collaborative—open to giving and receiving input and feedback from a diverse group of fellow residents. Strong applicants will also demonstrate willingness and excitement to remain active in the Bellagio Network after the residency.

Please be sure to review the Application Rules for eligibility requirements, and the Evaluation Rubric for more information on how applicants will be evaluated.

Applicants must have a specific project they want to advance during the four-week residency and demonstrate how their project will be catalyzed by this unique opportunity. Projects must be bold and compelling, with significant positive social impact and breakthrough potential. Projects can include scholarly research, applied practice, or a work of art. There should be a specific output or deliverable that is meaningfully advanced during the residency period and likely to be highly influential. Projects should be timely and well-suited to benefit from the unique cross-cultural, cross-disciplinary environment of the Bellagio residency.

Applicants may submit projects that align with one of three themes: Addressing Climate Change, Reinventing Capitalism, and Promoting Well-being. A General Open Call is also available for projects in any discipline or field of study. All projects must demonstrate clear social impact and charitable purpose.

Note that projects that require access to research libraries, specialized equipment, or offsite excursions are not a good fit for this program. Residents must bring any materials needed for their project with them to the Bellagio Center.  

Please be sure to review the Evaluation Rubric for more information on how projects will be evaluated.

We recommend reviewing the residency program application before you create your account to fully understand what is required. The application includes a number of narrative questions where you will describe your professional background, your proposed project, and its intended social impact. You must submit a brief video, work samples, and two references as part of the application.

Applicants should note the following two deadlines:

• The deadline to register is Wednesday, April 26, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time
• The deadline to submit your application is Wednesday, May 17, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time

Applications will first be reviewed for completeness, eligibility, and general fit with the program. Should it pass administrative review, your application will move to an expert panel for review.  

During the expert panel review, your application will be evaluated on the following four dimensions:

• Impact: Does the project feel like it could be a breakthrough, for example yielding fresh insights or significant progress, on an important issue facing our world?
• Clarity: Is there enough specificity to the project, its output, and the plan for achieving it? Is the project poised to be meaningfully advanced during a four-week residency?
• Expertise: Does the applicant demonstrate mastery suitable to their project? Are they a recognized leader with evidence of significant contributions to their field?
• Influence: Is the applicant well-positioned to influence change related to their project? Do they have access to audiences and networks that will ensure their project takes root?

We strongly recommend reviewing the Evaluation Rubric before you apply.

Based on the results of the expert panel review, a subset of applicants will be invited to interview with Rockefeller Foundation staff.  

Each application must include two professional references as PDF uploads. Individuals providing a reference must answer the questions contained in the Reference Form and sign the document before returning it to you. Note that individuals providing a reference should be prepared to be contacted should you advance to the interview stage.

Your references should:

• Know you and your work well—individuals in your field who are not familiar with your previous work and/or experience are not recommended
• Be informed of and comment on the merit and substance of your proposed project

Editors, agents, or others that have a financial interest in you being invited for a residency, and who might benefit financially from your residency, are not eligible.  

You are responsible for coordinating with your references to secure their letters in advance of the May 17 application deadline and uploading them with your submission.

Each application must include a brief video of no more than 90 seconds that introduces you, your project, and why now is the ideal time for a Bellagio residency. Your video should not be professionally produced – an informal video created on a smartphone is expected.

Your video must adhere to the following guidelines, or else it will render Your Application ineligible:

1. No more than 90 seconds in length;  
2. Must be in English or, if in another language, subtitled in English;  
3. Should not include images of identifiable children;  
4. Should not include copyrighted material (including, but not limited to, music) for which You do not have a license;  
5. Your video’s privacy settings should be set to “Unlisted” (not private).

After you record your video, you will need to upload it to YouTube, copy the YouTube URL, and then paste the URL in the space provided in the application. If you need technical support, you can contact us.

Each application must include a brief video of no more than 90 seconds that introduces you, your project, and why now is the ideal time for a Bellagio residency. Your video should not be professionally produced – an informal video created on a smartphone is expected.  

The following are instructions for recording and uploading your video on YouTube:

1. Record a video using your smartphone’s camera app
2. Download and open the YouTube app
3. Sign-in or create an account on YouTube
4. In YouTube, select “Create” > “Upload a Video”
5. Select your video and press “Next”
6. Title your video:  “Bellagio Center Residency Project – [your first and last name]”
7. Set your video’s visibility to “Unlisted,” which will allow only those with the URL link to view your video (do not set to private or public)
8. Select “Upload Video”
9. Once your video is uploaded, select “Share,” then copy the URL and paste it into the space provided in your application.

If you need technical support, you can contact us.

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As part of your application, you must submit a single PDF that includes two (2) work samples that best reflect your capacity to execute your proposed project. PDFs cannot exceed 10 MB and a total of five pages. Each sample should include a 2-3 sentence description of the sample and why you chose to include it. You may opt to include writing samples, project summaries, images, or links to external video or audio content.  

Work samples must:

• Be reflective of the work you are proposing for the residency.
• Be no more than five years old; forthcoming publications or productions do not meet this requirement.
• For video or audio links, be no more than five minutes in length, or include a specified time code for the five-minute selection to be reviewed.

Please see the Application Rules for more information on work sample requirements.

Each Application must include a CV or resume of no more than five pages that includes the following information as applicable: 

• Degree(s) (degree-granting institution(s), field(s) and date(s) of degree(s) awarded);
• Current position (location, dates of employment, professional title, and responsibilities);
• Previous positions (in chronological order, including locations, dates of employment, professional titles, and responsibilities);
• An abbreviated list of publications that demonstrates the Applicant’s expertise in the area of published work especially in the past five years (articles, books, chapters, reports, exhibitions) including full citations with the name of the publication, title of work, date of publication;
• Relevant work: For academics this may include supervision of master’s and PhD theses, conference presentations, grants, honors, or awards, and professional affiliations. For practitioners this may include service on boards, grants, honors, or awards, and professional affiliations. For artists this may include exhibitions, presentations, public performances, grants, honors, etc.;
• Other relevant contributions that demonstrate professional achievement.

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Applicants may apply through one of the following themes:

• Addressing Climate Change
• Reinventing Capitalism
• Promoting Well-being
• General Open Call (any subject)

For more information about each of these, we invite you to visit the main Bellagio Center Residency Program site.

Applicants must select one of the following Project Types that best describes the work you plan to bring to Bellagio if awarded a residency:

• Scholarly Research: This type of project will advance a scholarly discipline or field of study and often leads to a published book or article. 
• Applied Practice: This type of project comes from a professional domain outside of the arts and academia (e.g., private sector, public sector, civil society) and can take many different forms including a book, article, communications plan, strategic assessment, etc. 
• Art: This type of project will advance an artistic practice through the creation of a new work of art (may be in a research stage, a production stage, or a post-production stage of work). Artists may work in a single discipline, or their work may be multi-disciplinary. All artistic disciplines are eligible (including but not limited to visual arts; literary arts; music composition; dance, theatre, and other performing arts; architecture; culinary arts; film/video).

Each applicant can only submit one proposal.

The Bellagio Center Residency Program is predominately designed for individuals but accepts applications from teams of two people working on a collaborative project in special circumstances. Teams that bring people together from different geographies, institutions, or disciplines are welcome to apply.  

When applying as a team, please note:

• Each team member is required to submit a unique application and will be evaluated separately.
• Each team member must submit their own application. We are not able to accept applications submitted on behalf of another person.
• Each team member must indicate the same Project Type, Project Theme, and Project Category in their application.
• The role of each team member should be clarified in each application.
• Team members should have comparable experience and backgrounds, and each team member’s credentials will factor into the evaluation.
• Applicants may list the same professional references only if those references are familiar with each applicant and they submit a unique reference for each applicant.
• Team members can use the same answers in the Overview and Project sections of their application.

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We invite you to visit our Bellagio Center Residency Directory.

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We invite you to visit the main Bellagio Center Residency Program site.

The two programs are quite different. The residency program centers on advancing the specific output/project of each resident during their four-week stay. It also focuses on the potential for exchange between each cohort, which is relatively small (approximately 15 people). Convenings are typically 5 days long and accommodate up to 22 participants. They are geared towards a specific goal that requires a concentrated group. Which program is best for you depends on what you are trying to achieve. Both programs require clear impact following the stay at Bellagio, but the residency program is intended for focused, reflective, primarily individual work on the part of each resident.

The full application materials and guidelines for the convening program will be posted on the Rockefeller website in May 2023. To better get a sense of the distinction, we recommend reviewing information on past residents and their projects as well as reviewing the information about the convening program.

The Rockefeller Foundation welcomes applications from qualified individuals over the age of 18 years from anywhere in the world. Successful applicants must demonstrate significant professional accomplishment and influence. Officials of the United States government and related parties of The Rockefeller Foundation are not eligible to apply. For more information on eligibility, please see the Application Rules.

The Rockefeller Foundation issues a general open call and thematic-based residencies annually. Check our website for information about the latest open call when you are ready to apply.

If you have additional questions beyond what is listed here, you may email us.

Those who registered for the program by 5:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on Wednesday, April 26, 2023 and complete the registration form on the online platform will have access to the application form and Forums with helpful information, FAQs, and important reminders.

We strongly recommend completing and submitting your online application on the platform ahead of the deadline of 5:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on Wednesday, May 17, 2023. This deadline is firm and will not be extended. Please email us with questions and requests for technical support.