The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University is accepting applications for its 2026–27 Visiting Fellows Program. The program brings leaders, scholars, practitioners, and artists into an academic community that is based at Johns Hopkins but extends well beyond it.
The Visiting Fellows Program supports the institute’s mission of strengthening global democracy by expanding the variety of voices and expertise involved in its work. Each year, SNF Agora recruits a cohort drawn from outside of JHU but embedded in civil society, government, industry, media, academia, the arts, and other fields to pursue discrete projects that advance the institute’s mission. Past fellows have examined democratic resilience, media and public trust, and the role of art and performance in civic life.
Visiting Fellows receive a stipend of up to $25,000 to support their projects and are expected to participate in workshops, seminars, and other institute programming. While the fellowship is nonresidential, fellows are expected to spend time in Baltimore during the academic year.
Applications for the 2026–27 Visiting Fellows Program are due March 2, 2026. For full eligibility information and application details, visit snfagora.jhu.edu/vf.
For the 2026–27 cycle, the institute invites proposals connected to the Democracy and the Media focus area. As the distinctions between journalism, digital creators, and other forms of public communication continue to blur, the program seeks fellows who will examine how media shapes civic life, public trust, and democratic norms. Practitioners and researchers from traditional and emerging media, as well as those working in adjacent fields, are encouraged to apply.
The program also remains open to proposals aligned with the institute’s broader scholarship in civic education, political polarization, democratic institutions, and the role of technology in public life.
This year marks the second year SNF Agora will host an Artist in Residence as part of the Visiting Fellows cohort. The Artist in Residence participates fully in the program and brings creative practice into democratic inquiry through performance, visual art, storytelling, and other forms of public engagement. To learn more about the current Artist in Residence and their work, visit https://snfagora.jhu.edu/news/snf-agora-artist-in-residence-brings-democracy-to-the-stage/.
