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The Mycelia Fellowship 2026 is now accepting applications from individuals in the United States who are already working on storytelling, arts, humanities, and creative projects grounded in intersectional practice.
Organized by the Social Resonance Lab (SRL), the Mycelia Fellowship is designed to support practitioners who are already advancing projects rather than individuals starting completely new initiatives. The fellowship provides a $2,000 stipend per fellow, direct advising, consultancy support, increased visibility, and opportunities to share work with other practitioners and the public.
Only two fellows will be selected for the inaugural Mycelia Fellowship cohort.
The Mycelia Fellowship application deadline is September 13, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.
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Mycelia Fellowship 2026 Overview
The Mycelia Fellowship is an 8-week remote fellowship running from November 1 to December 31, 2026.
The fellowship focuses on ethical storytelling and explores how stories move through communities, how narratives change when they are retold, and the responsibilities that come with adapting or sharing other people’s stories.
Mycelia Fellowship Details
| Fellowship Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Fellowship Name | Mycelia Fellowship |
| Organizing Organization | Social Resonance Lab |
| Cohort Size | 2 fellows |
| Fellowship Duration | 8 weeks |
| Fellowship Dates | November 1 – December 31, 2026 |
| Stipend | $2,000 per fellow |
| Format | Remote |
| Location | United States |
| Application Deadline | September 13, 2026 |
| Application Opens | August 31, 2026 |
| Final Selection Announcement | October 23, 2026 |
What Is the Mycelia Fellowship?
The Mycelia Fellowship supports individuals who are already engaged in storytelling or arts-humanities work grounded in intersectional practice.
Rather than providing funding for projects that are only at the idea stage, the Mycelia Fellowship 2026 is intended to help practitioners deepen, refine, document, or scale work that is already underway.
The fellowship combines financial support with advising and opportunities for fellows to share their work.
The program is inspired by mycelium, the underground fungal networks that connect and nourish ecosystems. Similarly, the fellowship considers storytelling as an interconnected process in which narratives spread, change, and influence different communities.
The Mycelia Fellowship therefore places emphasis on questions of attribution, relational ethics, community accountability, and sustainable storytelling practices.
Mycelia Fellowship Stipend
Each selected fellow will receive a $2,000 stipend.
The $2,000 stipend is intended to support the selected practitioners during the fellowship period. In addition to the financial support, fellows will receive direct advising from the Social Resonance Lab team.
The Mycelia Fellowship stipend is $2,000 per fellow, with only two fellows selected for the inaugural cohort.
Mycelia Fellowship Benefits
Selected fellows will receive several forms of support throughout the 8-week fellowship.
1. $2,000 Fellowship Stipend
Each of the two selected fellows will receive a $2,000 stipend.
2. Direct Advising
Fellows will receive direct advising from the Social Resonance Lab team.
The advising may cover areas including:
- Project management
- Evaluation
- Communications and design
- Community storytelling
- Development of ongoing projects
3. Increased Visibility
The fellowship provides fellows with opportunities to share their work and learning with practitioners and the public.
4. Professional Learning
Fellows will participate in conversations and activities focused on ethical storytelling, intersectional practice, power dynamics, and the changing digital landscape.
5. Platform to Share Work
Selected fellows will contribute to SRL’s storytelling and public engagement activities, including a written piece, podcast participation, and a workshop/presentation.
Mycelia Fellowship Required Deliverables
Applicants should understand that the Mycelia Fellowship 2026 includes several required deliverables.
Selected fellows will be expected to complete the following:
Written Piece
Each fellow will produce one written piece for the Social Resonance Lab Substack.
Podcast Participation
Each fellow will participate as a guest in one episode of SRL’s upcoming podcast series on ethical storytelling.
Workshop and Presentation
Fellows will co-lead a workshop and deliver a 30-minute presentation about their work.
The presentation will also involve dialogue with other Social Resonance Lab practitioners and the public.
Mycelia Fellowship Thematic Tracks
The Mycelia Fellowship application asks applicants to identify the thematic track that best fits their project.
There are two thematic tracks:
- Arts as a Civic Tool
- AI & the Digital Landscape
Both tracks focus on power dynamics, ethical storytelling, and intersectional practice.
Track A — Arts as a Civic Tool
The Arts as a Civic Tool track is designed for projects that use art and narrative practices as forms of civic participation.
Projects may examine ongoing forms of injustice, resistance, and disidentification without reducing complex experiences to a single resolved event.
Examples of projects that may fit Track A include:
- Phygital civic activities connecting democracy and artistic practice through hyperlocal community engagement
- Projects addressing local issues through artistic and humanistic approaches
- Digital campaigns focused on creative placemaking in clearly defined geographic areas within the United States
Applicants interested in the civic dimensions of storytelling should consider whether their existing project aligns with the Arts as a Civic Tool track.
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Track B — AI & the Digital Landscape
The AI & the Digital Landscape track focuses on ongoing projects examining how digital infrastructures, algorithms, and emerging technologies affect storytelling, collective memory, and political agency.
The fellowship is interested in projects that examine the real-world effects of data-driven power rather than treating technology simply as a neutral tool.
Examples include:
- Digital archives and oral-history initiatives documenting community histories
- Projects addressing automated content suppression
- Counter-surveillance documentation tools
- Community-led data and narrative preservation projects
- Creative storytelling platforms that support narrative autonomy
- Projects examining algorithmic erasure and digital oversight
The AI & the Digital Landscape track may be particularly relevant to practitioners whose existing work explores AI, social media, digital archives, surveillance, algorithms, or technology and narrative power.
Mycelia Fellowship Research Questions
The Mycelia Fellowship is built around research questions concerning power, storytelling, technology, and ethics.
The central research question is:
How do power dynamics shape who gets to tell stories, and how those stories are received?
For the Arts as a Civic Tool track, applicants are encouraged to consider:
What methods can organizations and creators use to practice ethics in their storytelling?
For the AI & the Digital Landscape track, the fellowship asks:
How does the digital landscape, including social media, AI-generated content, and virality, complicate or enable ethical storytelling?
These questions form an important part of the fellowship’s research agenda and thematic focus.
Who Can Apply for the Mycelia Fellowship?
The Mycelia Fellowship 2026 is designed for individuals who are already active in storytelling or arts-humanities work grounded in intersectional practice.
Applicants should ideally demonstrate existing work that can be deepened, documented, extended, or scaled through fellowship support.
The program is looking for:
- Strong writers
- Skilled researchers
- Movement builders
- Practitioners interested in nuance and creativity
- Individuals working with communities
- People already advancing relevant projects
Mycelia Fellowship Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for the Mycelia Fellowship, applicants must meet the program’s stated requirements.
Applicants must:
- Already be active in storytelling or arts-humanities work grounded in intersectional practice
- Have an existing project or body of work that can be scaled, documented, or extended
- Be a resident of the United States or its territories
- Have activities based domestically within the United States or its territories
- Be able to file a W-9 form
- Be able to receive stipend payments through a domestic U.S. bank account
Important Eligibility Requirement
The Mycelia Fellowship is currently open only to United States residents.
Applicants must therefore carefully review the residency and payment requirements before submitting an application.
Who Is the Mycelia Fellowship Suitable For?
The Mycelia Fellowship may be suitable for practitioners who already have an active storytelling, arts, humanities, civic, archival, digital, or community-based project.
It is particularly relevant to applicants who want to:
- Develop an existing project
- Document ongoing work
- Scale an existing initiative
- Explore ethical storytelling
- Examine power and narrative
- Connect artistic practice with civic participation
- Investigate AI and digital storytelling
- Preserve community histories
- Explore narrative autonomy
- Share their work with wider audiences
This is not primarily a start-from-scratch funding opportunity. Applicants should demonstrate evidence that their work is already underway.
Mycelia Fellowship Selection Criteria
Applications for the Mycelia Fellowship 2026 will be evaluated according to several criteria.
Creativity
The selection team will consider the originality of the applicant’s approach and voice.
Leadership
Applicants should demonstrate the ability to independently lead and advance their project.
Evidence of Prior Execution
Applicants should show evidence of completed or ongoing work.
Understanding of SRL’s Research Agenda
Applicants should demonstrate an understanding of the Social Resonance Lab’s research agenda and thematic focus.
Thematic Track Fit
The proposed or existing project should demonstrate a strong fit with one of the two Mycelia Fellowship thematic tracks.
Mycelia Fellowship Application Timeline 2026
Applicants should pay close attention to the application timeline.
| Date | Application Stage |
|---|---|
| August 31, 2026 | Application window opens |
| September 13, 2026 | Application deadline |
| September 14–27, 2026 | Application review |
| Late September – Early October | Interviews |
| October 23, 2026 | Final selections announced |
| October 27, 2026 | Fellow onboarding |
| November–December 2026 | Fellowship period |
The Mycelia Fellowship application deadline is September 13, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.
Applicants are encouraged to submit their applications before the deadline rather than waiting until the final hours.
Mycelia Fellowship Format
The Mycelia Fellowship 2026 will be conducted remotely.
The fellowship will include:
- A lightweight virtual kickoff
- Semi-regular virtual check-ins
- Advising from the SRL team
- Fellow presentations
- Workshop participation
- Public engagement activities
The fellowship lasts 8 weeks, from November 1 through December 31, 2026.
About Social Resonance Lab
The Social Resonance Lab (SRL) is a collaborative research studio exploring how ethical storytelling can foster human connection.
Through partnerships, creative inquiry, and shared experimentation, Social Resonance Lab examines ways stories can be told that build empathy and trust.
The Mycelia Fellowship forms part of this broader exploration of ethical storytelling and the relationships between narratives, communities, technology, and power.
How to Apply for the Mycelia Fellowship 2026
Applicants should review the full program overview and eligibility requirements before completing the application.
The application requires applicants to provide information including:
- Email address
- City or town of residence
- U.S. state or territory of residence
- Information relevant to their existing work and fellowship application
Because the Mycelia Fellowship is limited to U.S. residents, applicants should ensure they meet the residency and payment requirements before applying.
Mycelia Fellowship Application Deadline
The final deadline to apply for the Mycelia Fellowship 2026 is:
September 13, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.
Applicants should complete and submit the application before the stated deadline.
Final Thoughts
The Mycelia Fellowship 2026 offers an opportunity for U.S.-based storytelling, arts, humanities, and community practitioners to receive financial and professional support for work that is already underway.
With a $2,000 stipend per fellow, direct advising, public engagement opportunities, and an 8-week remote fellowship structure, the program is particularly suited to practitioners interested in ethical storytelling, intersectional practice, civic participation, AI, digital narratives, community histories, and narrative power.
Only two fellows will be selected for the inaugural cohort, making the Mycelia Fellowship application a competitive opportunity for eligible applicants.
If your existing project aligns with one of the two thematic tracks, review the requirements carefully and submit your Mycelia Fellowship 2026 application before September 13, 2026, at 11:59 p.m
Application Deadline: September 13, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.
