DLF 2025 Application

Dalai Lama Fellows, founded in 2010 with the inspiration and encouragement of the 14th Dalai Lama, is reimagining leadership by cultivating and supporting an international movement of young changemakers to meet global challenges in locally adapted ways as they promote our planet’s flourishing. We award year-long fellowships to changemakers who are working in local communities to address one or more of the following areas: Health and Well-being, Education and Youth Development, Social Justice, Environment, Cultural Understanding, and Contemplation. The program is non-sectarian and inclusive of all backgrounds.

We provide each Fellow with:

  • Immersion in our distinctive yearlong Head, Heart, Hands online leadership curriculum
  • One-on-one and small-group coaching to support their personal development and leadership in social innovation work
  • Participation in the Contemplative Leadership Assembly with Fellows from around the world and dynamic faculty
  • Lifelong affiliation in our global learning community and support system.

In order to fulfill the minimum requirements, through the application a candidate must demonstrate:

  • Age requirements: 20-36 years old as of April 1, 2025
  • Fluency in written and spoken English
  • Current engagement with or well-articulated plans for a social change project and sustained engagement with the project throughout the fellowship year
  • In-depth knowledge of the community and the issue that the project is seeking to address, preferably with at least one year of previous experience working with the community
  • Interest in learning and engaging in contemplative practices throughout the year
  • Commitment to participating in all dimensions of the program (online learning platform, 1-on-1 coaching calls, group learning calls, etc.)
    • We estimate full participation in the fellowship requires about 12 hours per month, not including Fellows’ work on their projects
  • Attendance at the Contemplative Leadership Assembly in July 2025 (DLF will cover all costs for travel, lodging, and meals for the Assembly)