The Human Rights Advocates Program at Columbia University has been running since 1989, and in that time more than 350 advocates from nearly 100 countries have passed through it. It’s run by Columbia’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights (ISHR) and based in New York City, and it exists to give grassroots human rights leaders the training, contacts and academic grounding to strengthen their own organisations back home.
Understand clearly who this is for, because it is not a student scholarship. HRAP is designed for people already doing the work — lawyers, journalists, doctors, teachers, social workers, community organisers and other activists currently employed by NGOs. Full-time students, academics and government officials are explicitly not considered. If you are looking for funding to do a degree, this isn’t it. If you are running or working in a grassroots organisation and want to come back sharper and better connected, it’s one of the strongest programmes of its kind.
One honest warning before you invest weeks in an application. Several scholarship sites list HRAP as “fully funded.” Columbia’s own FAQ says something different: only a very limited number of full scholarships are awarded, and other admitted applicants will be asked to cover expenses such as living costs and stipend. ISHR does try to secure funding for shortlisted advocates, but where it cannot, those advocates may be asked to raise the money themselves. Plan on that basis, not on the aggregator headline.
Scholarship benefits
- A semester-long residency at Columbia University in New York City, built around four pillars: graduate-level coursework, skills-building workshops, networking and faculty mentoring.
- Academic coursework tailored to your interests, with seminars available across the University — the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia Law School, Barnard College, the Mailman School of Public Health and Teachers College.
- Skills workshops taught by practitioners, including a six-week course on research, documentation and reporting led by senior Human Rights Watch researchers, video advocacy training from WITNESS, media training with videotaped mock interviews, editorial writing that ends with a publishable op-ed, fundraising and organisational sustainability, oral history, and stress management covering trauma and PTSD.
- An intensive networking and advocacy trip to Washington, D.C., plus meetings with New York organisations and opportunities to lobby representatives from the United Nations, the US government and the World Bank.
- Faculty mentoring from academics across the Mailman School of Public Health, SIPA, the School of Social Work and Columbia Law School.
- Entry to an alumni network of more than 350 advocates in around 100 countries, with continued support afterwards — since 2010, ISHR’s advice on alumni grant proposals has helped secure roughly $3 million in funding for projects including pro bono legal services for women in Ghana and Uganda.
- Donor funding earmarked for Africa: ISHR states that funder generosity enables it to admit qualified advocates working on LGBT, disability and/or sexual and reproductive health rights in Latin America and/or Africa.
Eligibility checklist
✔ You are currently employed by an NGO and working at the grassroots level. Advocates who plan to join an NGO but haven’t yet are not eligible.
✔ Your work falls in areas such as sexual and gender-based violence, minority rights, LGBTQI+ rights, labour rights, indigenous peoples’ rights, migration, health, social exclusion, environmental justice, disability rights or corporate social accountability.
✔ You are not a full-time student, an academic or university professor, or a government official — these applications are not considered.
✔ You are not from a high-income country as classified by the World Bank, unless you represent a marginalised community.
✔ You are fluent in English, and can complete the entire application and all attachments in English.
✔ You can provide proof of institutional endorsement from your organisation and commit to returning to it after the programme.
✔ You are the only applicant from your organisation. If more than one application comes from the same organisation, all of them are disqualified.
✔ You can demonstrate the ability to pursue graduate-level study. A bachelor’s degree is preferred but not required.
✔ Advocates with disabilities are eligible, and you may reapply if you were rejected in a previous year.
Application tips for African students
- Build a funding plan before you apply, not after you’re admitted. Only a very limited number of full scholarships exist, and other admitted advocates are asked to cover living expenses and stipend. Talk to your organisation and its donors early about what they could contribute if you’re accepted but not fully funded.
- If your work fits the earmarked Africa funding, make that explicit. ISHR names LGBT rights, disability rights and sexual and reproductive health rights in Africa as areas where donor support enables admissions. If that is genuinely your field, don’t leave the selection committee to infer it.
- Coordinate inside your organisation first. This one quietly destroys applications: only one person per organisation may apply, and if two do, every application from that organisation is disqualified. Agree internally who is going forward before anyone starts writing.
- Get signed letters, and start early. You need two signed letters of recommendation in English from people who can speak to your work as an advocate. Unsigned letters mean your entire application is removed from consideration. Electronic signatures are accepted, and recommenders must supply a phone number and email — ideally a work address.
- Keep the institutional letter separate from your two references. Your supervisor’s letter of support is a third, distinct document and cannot count as one of the two recommendations. If you are the director of your organisation, the chair of your board should sign it instead.
- Ask a donor to write for you if you can. Where your organisation receives external funding, ISHR strongly recommends obtaining at least one letter from a donor. It carries weight and takes time to arrange.
- Prepare for genuinely thorough due diligence. Shortlisted applicants are interviewed by HRAP alumni from their own country or region, finalists interview with ISHR’s Director of Capacity Building, and ISHR contacts your recommenders as well as any partners or donors you name. Make sure everyone you list knows to expect the call.
How to apply
Applications for the Fall 2027 and Spring 2028 cohorts are open now, and the deadline for both is 15 October 2026 at 11:59 pm Eastern Time. One application covers both intakes: the on-campus programme runs from September 2027 to mid-December 2027, and again from January 2028 to early May 2028, and you indicate your preferred term on the form. ISHR notes these dates are subject to change.
You apply through a Google Form linked from the ISHR admissions page, or by completing a fillable PDF version and emailing it in. If you use the online form, log in with a Google account so your progress saves; drafts are held for up to 30 days. Uploaded documents must be under two megabytes each and PDF is strongly preferred. Alongside the form you’ll submit two signed recommendation letters, your institutional letter of support, and a copy of your university diploma or transcript for your highest qualification. Once you submit, neither you nor HRAP can change anything, and the system closes automatically at the deadline — ISHR will not accept late applications even if the technical problem was at your end. All applicants are notified of the outcome by late February 2027. Full instructions and the application link are on the official HRAP admissions page.
Frequently asked questions
Is HRAP fully funded?
Not for most participants. Columbia states that only a very limited number of full scholarships are awarded, and that other admitted applicants will be asked to cover expenses such as living costs and stipend. ISHR makes every effort to secure funding for shortlisted advocates, but where it cannot, those advocates may be asked to raise the funds needed to attend.
Can students or university lecturers apply?
No. Full-time students, academics and government officials are not considered, and ISHR states that students and university professors are not encouraged to apply. The programme is only open to advocates currently employed by a grassroots organisation.
When is the deadline and how long is the programme?
The deadline is 15 October 2026 at 11:59 pm Eastern Time. The two on-campus options are September 2027 to mid-December 2027, or January 2028 to early May 2028, and you choose your preferred term on the application. Outcomes are announced by late February 2027.
Do I need a university degree?
A bachelor’s degree is preferred but not required. You do need to demonstrate the ability to pursue graduate-level study, and you must upload a copy of your diploma or transcript for your highest qualification if you hold one.
Is there a separate scholarship form?
No. There is no separate form for full funding — all funding questions are contained within the HRAP application itself, and no additional documentation is needed.
Can two people from my organisation apply?
No, and this matters: only one application per organisation is accepted, and if more than one is submitted, every application from that organisation is disqualified. It is up to you to confirm you are your organisation’s sole applicant.
Have African advocates taken part?
Extensively. Past advocates include Sylvester Uhaa, who works on prisoners’ rights in Nigeria, Susan Aryeetey of Ghana — both of whom went on to receive scholarships to Oxford University with ISHR’s support — Delphine Djiraibe of Chad, Samuel Kofi Woods of Liberia, and Dr. Roger Luhiriri, who spoke in New York and Washington about violence against women in the Congo.