Dalai Lama Fellowship 2026 for emerging changemakers (Fully Funded to Contemplative Leadership Assembly)

Applications are now open for the 2026 Dalai Lama Fellowship. Dalai Lama Fellows (DLF) offers a one-year fellowship program for emerging changemakers aiming to cultivate leadership practices rooted in awareness, compassion, and integrity. The interdisciplinary and deeply contemplative program provides a curriculum, coaching, group learning, and additional forms of support to help Fellows apply what they are learning in the fellowship to their important work in the world. 

WORTH

  • Immersion in the 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
  • Participation in the Contemplative Leadership Assembly with Fellows from around the world and dynamic faculty – May 2026 (DLF will cover all costs for travel, lodging, and meals for the Assembly)
  • Lifelong affiliation in our global learning community and support system

ELIGIBILITY

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

  • Age requirements: 20-36 years old as of April 1, 2026
  • 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 (NOTE: due to the difficulty of launching a social innovation project from scratch, we give preference to applicants who have ongoing projects, but each year we have selected Fellows who have a concrete vision for a project and plans to launch during the fellowship year, given they have the adequate expertise, resources, and community connections at the time of applying) 
  • 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, including 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) 
  • Attendance at the Contemplative Leadership Assembly in May 2026 (DLF will cover all costs for travel, lodging, and meals for the Assembly)

DEADLINE: November 12, 2025.

To apply and for more information, Visit here  

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