Fellowships

SEE’s Independent Professional (INP) initiative supports collaboration among U.S. and Russian social experts in Arctic and Environmental Conservation, Indigenous Peoples’ Empowerment, Disability and Inclusion, and Public Health. Past participants have worked to: 

• Reduce violence against women in Seattle and Samara;  
• Increase the capacity of mentors in Tyumen, Los Angeles, and Phoenix; 
• Launch an educational course on volunteer fundraising in Richmond and Moscow; and  
• Many more projects in the U.S. and Russia!  

Selected INPs travel individually to their host country (Russia or the U.S.) to collaborate for 2-3 weeks with partner organizations, which they have independently contacted and selected prior to applying, to seek new solutions for social challenges. Upon their return home, independent professionals implement activities to convey and apply their new knowledge and expertise for the benefit of their colleagues and local communities.  

The INP initiative offers a unique opportunity for applicants to expand their professional networks and gain international perspectives on their social projects. 

Our Impact

Increasing Educational Access

“When I did this fellowship, I was several years out of school and a Master’s program, and I was thirsty for new educational opportunities. There was no way I could have afforded to take off as much time for a degree because of student debt. Two weeks time off to learn from Russian colleagues was ideal.”

Julie Gehring, 2016-2017 Fellow

Catalyzing Strategic Thinking

“After my fellowship, my professional life took an absolutely new turn. When I applied, my biggest passion was diversity and inclusion, namely providing equal employment opportunities to people with disabilities. With the knowledge I gained from the fellowship, I came up with a crystal clear and structured vision of how D&I efforts should be implemented properly to make sure I’m moving in the right direction.”

Veronika Ivanova, 2016-2017 Fellow

Developing Practitioner Capacities

“During my fellowship, I saw good examples of how to train volunteers effectively and, moreover, that this job is quite feasible- I can do it too. This gave me great inspiration to implement what had been missing in Samara- a volunteer training course.”

Anastasia Babicheva, 2016-2017 Fellow

Information about new fellows and projects for 2021 program year will be updated once the selection process for the current round of independent professionals is complete.