Apply: Eisner Foundation Fellowship Program: $50k Funds
There are not many fellowship programs in the United States that combine meaningful financial support with a clear mission to reshape how different generations relate to one another. The Eisner Foundation Fellowship Program is one of them. Known formally as the Eisner Prize Fellowship, this program offers up to $50,000 to individuals across the United States who are developing new, innovative approaches to intergenerational connection. The 2026-27 application cycle is now open, with a deadline of May 10, 2026.
If you are a researcher, program developer, community organizer, technologist, or changemaker who is passionate about bridging generational divides, this fellowship was designed with you in mind. It is not a scholarship for students in the traditional sense. It is a leadership award for people who have real ideas about how to bring different generations together in meaningful, lasting ways, and who need the financial resources, mentorship, and professional recognition to make those ideas a reality.
This article covers everything you need to know about the Eisner Foundation Fellowship Program: its history, its funding structure, who can apply, what makes a strong project proposal, how the selection process works, and what the fellowship experience looks like from start to finish. If you are considering applying, read this carefully. And if you are not familiar with the program yet, by the end of this article, you will understand exactly why it matters.
What Is the Eisner Foundation Fellowship Program?
The Eisner Foundation Fellowship Program, officially titled the Eisner Prize Fellowship, is a year-long fellowship that awards five individuals each year with a total of $50,000 to develop and execute new intergenerational projects in the United States. The fellowship was launched in 2023 as an evolution of the Eisner Prize, which the Eisner Foundation has awarded since 2011 to recognize exceptional intergenerational work across the country.
The transition from an award to a fellowship was intentional. Where the original Eisner Prize recognized work that had already been done, the Eisner Prize Fellowship is forward-looking. It invests in people who have fresh ideas and perspectives and who have not yet had the resources to bring those ideas to life at scale. The Foundation made a deliberate choice to shift from celebrating past achievements to incubating future innovations, and the fellowship reflects that commitment fully.
Each $50,000 award is broken into two distinct parts. The first is a $10,000 personal stipend that the Fellow can use however they see fit. This money is meant to be paid in addition to the Fellow’s existing salary, not as a replacement for it. The second portion is $40,000 designated for project execution. This funding supports the new, clearly defined intergenerational initiative that the Fellow proposed as part of their application. The Foundation encourages Fellows to use these project funds directly on their work rather than on administrative overhead costs.
The History of the Eisner Foundation and the Eisner Prize
To fully appreciate what the Eisner Foundation Fellowship Program represents, it helps to understand where it came from. The Eisner Foundation is a private foundation that has been investing in intergenerational programs across the United States for many years. Its core belief is simple and well supported by research: when people of different ages are connected in meaningful ways, they become happier, healthier, and more engaged members of their communities. Intergenerational programs do not just help the individuals directly involved. They strengthen entire communities and contribute to broader social cohesion.
The Foundation focuses its grantmaking specifically on programs in Los Angeles County and New York City, two of the most diverse and densely populated urban areas in the country. Through its grant programs, the Eisner Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that are actively fostering connections across generations in these cities, funding initiatives that unite young people and older adults in programs built around shared learning, creative work, mentorship, volunteering, and civic engagement.
The Eisner Prize, launched in 2011, was the Foundation’s way of recognizing and celebrating the best of this work at a national level. Over the years, it honored hundreds of individuals and organizations doing exceptional intergenerational work from coast to coast, shining a spotlight on a field that often operates quietly without broad public recognition. By 2023, the Foundation decided to take that recognition further by evolving the prize into a fellowship that actively incubates new ideas rather than simply honoring existing ones. The Eisner Prize Fellowship was born from that decision, and it has already produced three cohorts of Fellows whose projects are advancing intergenerational connection in creative and meaningful ways across the country.
Why Intergenerational Connection Matters Right Now
The Eisner Foundation Fellowship Program is not just a funding opportunity. It is a response to something that has been building across American society for several decades: the growing separation between generations. In previous eras, extended families lived closer together, communities were more tightly knit, and the natural rhythms of daily life created regular contact between young people and older adults. Schools, workplaces, neighborhoods, and public spaces all created organic moments of intergenerational exchange.
That has changed dramatically. Age-segregated housing, schooling, and social environments have become the norm. Young people often have little meaningful contact with older adults outside their immediate families, and older adults frequently experience isolation and disconnection from the energy and perspectives of younger generations. The social and health consequences of this divide are significant. Research consistently shows that social isolation among older adults is associated with serious health risks, including cognitive decline, depression, and even shortened life expectancy. At the same time, young people who lack connections to experienced mentors and community elders miss out on guidance, perspective, and support that can shape the trajectory of their lives.
Intergenerational programs address these issues directly and simultaneously. When older adults and young people engage in shared activities, both groups benefit. Older adults report feeling more purposeful, more connected, and more optimistic. Young people gain access to wisdom, mentorship, and a sense of historical continuity that their own peer networks cannot provide. Communities become more cohesive, more empathetic, and more resilient. The work the Eisner Foundation supports, and the projects it funds through the Fellowship, sit at the intersection of aging policy, youth development, community building, and mental health. Few areas of social innovation have the potential to generate impact across so many different dimensions at once.
Who Is the Eisner Foundation Fellowship For?
The Eisner Prize Fellowship is deliberately broad in terms of who it welcomes. The Foundation has made a point of opening the program to anyone in the United States who is working to innovate in the area of intergenerational connection, regardless of their professional background, academic credentials, or career stage. This is not a fellowship for academics only, or for established nonprofit leaders only, or for any single type of professional. It is designed to find the best ideas and the most capable people to execute them, wherever those people happen to be.
That said, there are some specific eligibility requirements you need to meet, and understanding them is important before you invest time in preparing an application.
You Must Be Based in the United States
The fellowship is open to individuals based in the United States. International applicants, or those based outside the US, are not eligible for this particular program. The Foundation’s focus on intergenerational innovation is grounded in the American context, and the projects funded through the fellowship are expected to have their primary impact within the United States.
You Must Be Affiliated with a 501(c)(3) Organization
All applicants must be affiliated with a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, either as a direct employee or through a fiscal sponsorship arrangement. This requirement ensures that the project funds can be properly administered and accounted for as required for philanthropic giving. Students who have a fiscal sponsor that meets the 501(c)(3) requirement are also eligible to apply, which opens the fellowship to a wider range of applicants than many people initially assume.
You Must Propose a New Project, Not an Existing One
This is one of the most important eligibility requirements to understand. The Eisner Prize Fellowship is designed to fund new intergenerational innovations, not to support ongoing programs that are already up and running. If you are a nonprofit staff member who wants to apply, that is completely fine, but the project you propose must be something new that you have developed and intend to lead yourself. It should be distinct from your organization’s existing programming. The fellowship is funding your idea and your initiative, not your organization’s existing work.
Individuals and Co-Leadership Teams Are Welcome
While the fellowship is designed for individuals, co-leadership teams can apply. If you and a partner want to develop an intergenerational project together and share responsibility for its execution, you may apply as a team. However, the application system requires one person to be designated as the primary contact, and the total award amount does not increase for team applications. Both the $10,000 stipend and the $40,000 project fund remain the same regardless of whether a fellowship is awarded to one person or to a team of two.
Priority Groups
The Eisner Foundation particularly encourages applications from people of color and from those working with historically marginalized communities. This priority reflects the Foundation’s commitment to equity and its understanding that intergenerational connection looks different across different cultural, racial, and socioeconomic contexts. Innovations that are designed with and for communities that have been historically underserved represent exactly the kind of fresh perspectives the program is trying to lift up.
What Kinds of Projects Does the Fellowship Fund?
The Eisner Foundation is intentionally open about the types of projects it will consider. The Fellowship is designed to support innovations across a range of fields and approaches, and the Foundation does not want narrow definitions to discourage creative thinking. At the same time, there are clear principles that successful proposals tend to share.
New Programs That Bring Generations Together
The most common type of project funded through the fellowship involves creating a new program that connects older adults and young people in a meaningful, structured way. Past fellows have launched youth leadership initiatives in aging-related settings, intergenerational storytelling and civic engagement programs, and community-based events that create regular contact between generations. The key is that the program must be new. If you are running an after-school program that occasionally involves senior volunteers, that existing program would not qualify. But a new component of that program designed to deepen intergenerational relationships in a focused way very well might.
Research That Advances the Field
The fellowship also funds research projects that generate new knowledge about intergenerational connection. If you are a researcher who has identified a gap in the literature or an unexplored question about how intergenerational programs work, this fellowship can provide both the funding to pursue that research and the network of practitioners and experts to make it more impactful. Research proposals should be designed to produce findings that are relevant and useful to people working in the intergenerational field, not just to academic audiences.
Technology Innovations
Technology represents one of the most exciting and underexplored frontiers in intergenerational connection. Apps, platforms, digital tools, and tech-enabled programs that create new pathways for young people and older adults to connect are exactly the kind of forward-thinking innovation the Fellowship wants to support. If you are a technologist or designer with an idea for how digital tools can reduce intergenerational isolation or facilitate meaningful cross-generational exchange, the Eisner Foundation wants to hear from you.
Other Creative Approaches
The Foundation is open to proposals that do not fit neatly into any of the categories above. Storytelling projects, arts-based intergenerational programming, policy advocacy initiatives, community organizing models, training frameworks for professionals who work across generations, and many other types of projects have succeeded in the fellowship. What matters is that the project is new, innovative, intentional about connecting different generations, and executable within a year and with a $40,000 project budget.
The Fellowship Award: Breaking Down the $50,000
Understanding exactly how the fellowship funding works is important for anyone considering applying, because it shapes how you should think about your project proposal.
The full $50,000 award is divided into two distinct components. The $10,000 personal stipend is paid directly to the Fellow and can be used completely at their discretion. This might mean putting it toward housing costs, professional development, travel, or simply building a financial cushion that allows you to dedicate more time and energy to your fellowship work. The only requirement is that the stipend must be paid in addition to any salary the Fellow already receives. It cannot be used by an employer to reduce the Fellow’s compensation. This protection ensures that the fellowship genuinely improves the Fellow’s financial situation rather than simply shifting the source of existing income.
The $40,000 project fund is specifically designated for executing the intergenerational initiative that the Fellow proposed. The Foundation encourages Fellows to focus these funds on direct project costs rather than organizational overhead. This means things like event costs, hiring of temporary staff or contractors directly involved in the project, technology development, materials, travel related to the project, and other expenses that are directly tied to bringing the initiative to life. An itemized budget is not required at the point of application, but the scope of your proposed project should clearly fit within what $40,000 can realistically support within a one-year timeline.
The Application Process for the 2026-27 Cycle
The application window for the 2026-27 Eisner Prize Fellowship cycle opened on April 13, 2026, and closes on May 10, 2026. This is a short window, so if you are interested in applying, you should begin preparing your materials as soon as possible.
Step 1: Attend or Watch the Showcase and Info Session
The Eisner Foundation hosts a Showcase and Info Session each year that gives prospective applicants an inside look at the program, including presentations from current or recent Fellows about their projects. The Foundation strongly recommends that prospective applicants attend this session or watch a recording of it before submitting their application. It gives you a much clearer picture of what the Foundation is looking for and what kinds of projects have succeeded in previous cycles. You can register for the Showcase and Info Session through the official fellowship page.
Step 2: Develop Your Project Proposal
Your project proposal is the centerpiece of your application. This is where you describe the new intergenerational initiative you want to create during your fellowship year. Your proposal needs to clearly explain what the project is, who it will connect across generations, why it is needed, and how it will be executed within the year and within the $40,000 budget. The Foundation is not asking for an itemized budget at the application stage, but your proposal should reflect a realistic understanding of what $40,000 can accomplish.
Strong proposals share several characteristics. They introduce something genuinely new, not a repackaging of existing programs. They clearly describe how different generations will be actively connected through the initiative, rather than simply placing people of different ages in the same room. They are achievable by the Fellow themselves, without requiring the Foundation to serve as an ongoing partner in project execution. And they reflect a genuine understanding of the community or context the project will serve.
Step 3: Complete the Application Form
The application is submitted through the Eisner Foundation’s online application system. It will ask for basic personal and professional background information, details about your proposed project, and your explanation of why you are the right person to execute it. You will also have the option to include supplementary materials, either through a text box within the application or through a file upload.
Supplementary materials are completely optional, but the Foundation encourages applicants to include them if they genuinely strengthen the application. Useful supplementary materials might include links to previous relevant work, letters of support from community partners, recommendation letters, or any other documentation that demonstrates your capacity to execute the proposed project. The Foundation advises that supplementary materials be curated carefully given the volume of applications they receive. More is not necessarily better. Only include supplementary materials that add meaningful evidence of your ability to deliver on your proposal.
Step 4: Finalists Conversation with the Foundation
After the application window closes, the Foundation reviews all submissions and identifies finalists. Finalists are invited for a short conversation with The Eisner Foundation team. This conversation gives the Foundation a chance to get to know you better, ask follow-up questions about your proposal, and assess your ability to carry out the project you have described. It is also an opportunity for you to demonstrate your communication skills, your passion for intergenerational work, and your understanding of the field.
Step 5: Notification
All applicants are notified of their status following the finalists’ conversations. Whether you are selected as a Fellow or not, you will receive confirmation. Selected Fellows are announced and the year-long fellowship begins in July.
What the Fellowship Year Looks Like
Being selected as an Eisner Prize Fellow is not just about receiving funding. The fellowship year is a genuinely immersive experience that connects you with a cohort of peers, a network of experts, and ongoing support from the Eisner Foundation team.
July Convening in Los Angeles
Fellows typically gather in Los Angeles in late July for a multi-day convening that marks the official beginning of the fellowship. This in-person gathering is designed to build community among the cohort, introduce Fellows to the Eisner Foundation team and its network, and set the stage for the year of collaboration ahead. For many Fellows, this convening is one of the most valuable parts of the entire experience, providing a chance to connect deeply with peers who share a passion for intergenerational work and to begin building the relationships that will sustain and support their projects throughout the year.
Regular Virtual Meetings Throughout the Year
After the July convening, the cohort meets regularly over video calls throughout the fellowship year. These sessions are designed to be collaborative and responsive to what the cohort actually needs. Fellows share progress updates, discuss challenges, learn from guest experts in the intergenerational field, and offer feedback and ideas to one another. The Foundation explicitly describes the meeting content and frequency as tailored to and co-created with each cohort, which means these sessions feel relevant and useful rather than obligatory check-ins.
Individual Check-Ins with the Foundation
In addition to group meetings, each Fellow also has occasional individual check-ins with the Eisner Foundation team. These one-on-one conversations give Fellows a chance to discuss the specific progress and challenges of their projects in more depth, to seek guidance, and to connect with the Foundation’s broader network of contacts where that can help move the work forward.
Blog Post Contribution
Each Fellow is asked to write a short blog post for the Eisner Foundation’s website at some point during their fellowship year. This is a meaningful contribution because it helps document the work of the fellowship, shares insights and lessons with the broader intergenerational field, and gives Fellows a platform to communicate their work to a wider audience. For many Fellows, the blog post also serves as a useful exercise in articulating what they have learned and achieved during the year.
Examples of Past Fellows and Their Projects
Looking at who has been selected in previous cycles and what projects they have pursued is one of the best ways to understand what the Eisner Foundation is looking for. The diversity of backgrounds and project types among past fellows is striking.
One recent fellow launched KinConnect Circles, a year-long pilot program designed to strengthen emotional bonds, cultural identity, and system navigation among grandfamilies and kin care families, specifically connecting grandparents raising grandchildren with networks of support and with younger family members in meaningful structured ways.
Another fellow developed a pilot program to strengthen intergenerational infrastructure across peacebuilding efforts in the United States. Through a series of place-based gatherings, established and emerging peacebuilding leaders nurtured intergenerational relationships through wisdom exchange and collaborative dialogue, with the journey documented through a public storytelling project aimed at creating a scalable framework for intergenerational connection within the peacebuilding movement.
A fellow from the University of Vermont Center on Aging launched a statewide youth leadership program for Vermont high school students to build lasting relationships with older adults through multigenerational volunteer experiences in senior living communities. The program aimed to reduce ageism among young people, introduce them to careers in gerontology and geriatrics, and create reciprocal bonds between Vermont’s younger and older generations.
Another fellow created The Legacy Project Intergenerational Changemakers, a program that brought together pairs of older and younger individuals from across the country to turn shared storytelling into civic action. After months of bridge-building through storytelling, pairs co-designed and co-implemented micro-initiatives in their communities, ranging from food pantries to multigenerational civic dialogues, supported by mentorship and small grants.
And one fellow executed a large-scale intergenerational street play initiative across New York City, engaging elders to teach traditional street games to children and youth to teach games to elders, developing the initiative in collaboration with local institutions capable of continuing and replicating the program after the fellowship year ended.
These examples illustrate how varied, creative, and community-centered successful proposals can be. None of them follow the same formula. All of them share a clear, active commitment to connecting different generations in ways that are intentional, meaningful, and built to have lasting impact.
Tips for a Competitive Application
Because the fellowship is highly competitive and the application window is short, preparation matters. Here are some practical tips to help you build the strongest possible submission.
Start with a Specific, Clearly Defined Problem
The most compelling proposals identify a specific gap or challenge in intergenerational connection and explain clearly why addressing it matters. Avoid broad statements about wanting to “bring generations together.” Instead, pinpoint the exact disconnect you are seeing in your community, your field, or your research, and describe precisely how your project will address it. The more specific your diagnosis, the more credible and focused your proposed solution will appear.
Design for Active Connection, Not Passive Proximity
The Foundation has noted that historically, projects that actively foster connections during the fellowship period have been most successful. This means designing a project where the intergenerational contact is structured, intentional, and leads to genuine relationships, not just programs where young people and older adults happen to be in the same space. Think carefully about the mechanisms through which connection will happen in your proposed initiative and articulate them clearly in your application.
Be Honest About What You Can Accomplish
The fellowship is for one year and $40,000. Projects that are scoped realistically within those constraints are far more credible than proposals that promise too much. Showing the Foundation that you understand the limits of what is achievable, and that you have designed your project to succeed within those limits, is a sign of good judgment and strong project management ability. You do not need to change the world in one year. You need to launch a credible, well-designed innovation and demonstrate its value.
Use Supplementary Materials Strategically
If you include supplementary materials, make sure each item serves a specific purpose. A letter of support from a community partner that confirms their commitment to collaborating on your project is genuinely valuable. A random collection of past work that does not connect to your proposal adds noise rather than signal. Be selective and purposeful about what you include.
Watch Recordings of Past Info Sessions
The Eisner Foundation makes recordings of its Showcase and Info Sessions available, and these are genuinely useful tools for prospective applicants. Hearing current fellows describe their projects and their experiences in the program gives you a much richer understanding of what the Fellowship actually looks like in practice, and it often sparks ideas about how to frame your own proposal more effectively..
How to Apply for the Eisner Foundation Fellowship Program
The application for the Eisner Foundation Fellowship Program is submitted online through the Eisner Foundation’s official application portal. The 2026-27 cycle application window is open from April 13 to May 10, 2026.
To apply, visit the official Eisner Prize Fellowship application page on the Eisner Foundation website, where you will find the online application form, the option to register for the Showcase and Info Session, and links to past fellow cohorts to help you understand the program better.
If you want to explore the Foundation’s broader work, learn more about the intergenerational field, or review the Foundation’s grant programs for organizations, visit the Eisner Foundation homepage for a full overview of their programs and resources.
Final Thoughts
The Eisner Foundation Fellowship Program stands out in the American philanthropy landscape for several reasons. It funds innovation rather than existing work. It invests in individuals rather than institutions. It comes with genuine community in the form of a cohort, mentorship, and ongoing support, not just a check. And it is grounded in a cause that matters deeply: restoring and strengthening the connections between generations that modern life has eroded.
If you are working somewhere at the intersection of youth development, aging, community building, research, technology, or social change, and if you have an idea for how different generations can be brought together in a new way that has not been tried before, this fellowship is worth your serious attention. The deadline is May 10, 2026. The funding is real, the community is valuable, and the work you will be joining has the potential to ripple outward far beyond your individual project.
Start developing your proposal today, register for the Showcase and Info Session, and submit your application through the Eisner Prize Fellowship application portal before the window closes.
