The Inuit Self-Determination Fellowship
Uplifting and Strengthening Inuit Leaders
Fellowship Program
Virtual meetings
In-person gatherings
A self-directed project
Fellowship Duration
18 months
January 2027-June 2028
Fellowship Grant
$120,000.00 USD
Paid in installments
How to Apply
By phone
By email
Online
Apply by
October 16, 2026
When Inuit hunters, language teachers, rights advocates, and cultural knowledge practitioners have their financial needs met and a strong support network, their work and growth positively changes lives, families, and communities across and beyond Inuit Nunaat.
Though Inuit ways of being have long been disrupted, Inuit continue to lead and strengthen their communities, often without pay, by drawing on Inuit cultural values and a sense of community responsibility and care.
In response to that, we have created the Inuit Self-Determination Fellowship. Our Fellowship will uplift and strengthen individual Inuit who are already reclaiming, revitalizing and celebrating Inuit culture and self-determination by investing in them to continue and advance their work on their own terms.
Every two years, the Inuit Self-Determination Fellowship will empower nine Inuit Fellows from across Inuit Nunaat to explore and deepen their knowledge in their chosen fields within three categories that incorporate Inuit Nunaat Fund’s Strategic Goals.
Over the course of eighteen months, our Fellows from across Inuit Nunaat will learn and work together through regular online communication and two in-person international gatherings.
With the support of one another, and a Fellowship grant of $120,000.00 USD each, this program will help to advance individual efforts that further the collective self-determination of Inuit for years to come
Fellowship Principles
Accessible.
Supportive.
Engaging.
Eligibility
To qualify for the Inuit Self-Determination Fellowship, you must:
Apply as, or nominate, an individual:
- Fill out an application or nomination form
- Provide a support letter from a trusted person not related to you/the nominee
- Provide a support letter from your/the nominee's community or a local organization
Be 18 years of age or older
Be a resident of Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland), Denmark, Canada, or the U.S.A.
Be an Inuk with family and cultural roots in Inuit Nunaat
‘Inuk’ (singular) and ‘Inuit’ (plural) are inclusive terms for Kalaallit, Inuvit, Inivit, Iivi, Inughuit, Inuit, Inuinnait, Inuvialuit, Inupiat, Yupiit, Sugpiat, Unangan, Cup’iit, and other names Inuit have for themselves throughout Inuit Nunaat
Be actively reclaiming, revitalizing, celebrating or otherwise advancing Inuit culture and self-determination
Be able and willing to participate in the Fellowship program over 18 months, including international travel, regular online meetings, and a self-chosen and directed project
How to apply
Apply to the Inuit Self-Determination Fellowship by submitting an application form or nomination form, providing a support letter from a trusted person, and providing a support letter from a community or a local organization.
Click this link to fill in your form and submit your application online. Please ask your supporters to send their support letters by email to fellowship@inuitnunaatfund.org
Apply onlineNominate onlineDownload the application or nomination form, fill it in, upload your filled in application or nomination form and two support letters as attachments in the email and send to: fellowship@inuitnunaatfund.org
Call one of the phone numbers below based on your preferred language to ask for help or to have an Inuit Nunaat Fund associate fill in an application on your behalf. Please ask your supporters to send their support letters by email to fellowship@inuitnunaatfund.org
Important dates
September 16, 2026
The Inuit Self-Determination Fellowship application period opens
October 16, 2026
The Inuit Self-Determination Fellowship application period closes
October/November, 2026
Interviews with potential Fellows and Selection Committee. At interview, applicants/nominees will be asked to apply for, or send, passport and criminal record history
November 2026
Applicants/nominees notified of selection as Fellows
December 2026
Fellows sent Fellowship Package
January 2027
Fellowship starts
Apeqqqutigineqakkajuttut.
Yes, the fellowship is open to any adult. Employment status does not matter, as long as they are able to participate in the fellowship.
It is not a requirement. There is a question in the nomination form asking whether you will be able to assist, if needed, but that is only for our information. INF will assist all fellows however needed throughout the program.
This is a flexible grant, provided through the fellowship as a way for Inuit to determine themselves how the funds would be most helpful to their lives and work. Details on grant uses will be shared with fellows at the start of the program.
Yes, this grant is taxable income, and it will need to be reported on your taxes in the next tax year. INF will assist with the process and provide any relevant forms.
You do not need to have a passport to apply. A passport is required for international travel, and there are two in-person gatherings included in the Fellowship, which will be in an Inuit Nunaat community or city in Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland), Canada, or the U.S.A. If you do not have a passport, INF can assist in your application for a passport by sharing the process in your region and providing the relevant information and forms.
After applications are received, there will be an interview stage. Applicants selected for the interview stage will be asked to provide, or apply for, a criminal record history from the relevant organization in their region. Applicants with criminal histories will be considered on a case-by-case basis, but a criminal history will not prevent acceptance into the fellowship. Due to the nature of this program though, those with violent histories will not be accepted into the Fellowship.
INF can direct applicants to where they need to apply for criminal record histories in their particular regions.
Attaveqarfigtigut.
Apeqqutit? INF-rmiut attavigikkit.
Paaseqqaakkit.
Pilersaarutit nutaat pillugit paasisaqarit, ullussaliussat, aammalu INF-mut attaveqarnissamut Inuit ingerlataannut periarfissaqarit.
