Since 2018, the PRRI Public Fellows Program has convened mid-career, interdisciplinary scholars studying religion, culture, and politics who are committed to deepening public understanding of religion’s role in society.
This 11-month, non-residential program equips scholars to translate their academic research for wider audiences. Fellows receive communications support to place public-facing work in top-tier media outlets, along with training to enhance their op-ed writing and media appearances. Additional support is provided to help fellows from qualitative backgrounds learn to integrate public opinion survey data into their work and all fellows conduct original, collaborate research-based projects.
Fellows come from diverse backgrounds, disciplines, research methods, and institutions across the United States, offering a rich exchange of insights and ideas.
Eligibility and Application Overview
The 2025-2026 PRRI Public Fellows Open Call is now live!
Application deadline: Friday, July 25, 2025
To qualify for the program, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Be authorized to work in the United States;
- Hold a Ph.D. or comparable terminal degree earned at least three years ago but no more than 12 years ago;
- Maintain a formal affiliation with an accredited college, university, seminary, or research institute in the United States;
- Have demonstrable academic expertise at the intersection of religion and one of the key areas of PRRI’s research:
- Racial justice and white supremacy
- Immigration and migration studies
- Reproductive health and rights
- LGBTQ rights
Fellowship Details
PRRI Public Fellows receive support including a stipend, microgrants to foster original, collaborative scholarship and professional relationships among the cohort, access to PRRI data, monthly virtual meetings including trainings and workshops, and an expenses-paid, in-person convening in Washington, D.C.
![In an op-ed for @thehill, PRRI CEO Melissa Deckman, Ph.D., examines the narrative that Gen Z men are experiencing a “religious resurgence” — and why that may not hold up to the data.
Drawing on findings from the latest PRRI Census of American Religion, Deckman finds no evidence that Gen Z men are becoming more religious. In 2013, 32% of Americans aged 18 to 29 identified as religiously unaffiliated, which rose to 38% last year — an increase driven mainly by young women’s departure from religion. In 2013, just 29% of young women were religious “nones,” yet by 2024, it was 40%.
“If they [young men] are increasingly drawn to traditionalist churches, it could create yet another space where young women and men no longer spend time together, further widening what appears to be a growing gender divide across multiple fronts in society and politics.”
📖 Read more at thehill.com and explore the data at PRRI.org.](https://prri.org/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
