Most creative fellowships want a pitch. A fresh idea. A compelling vision for something that does not exist yet.
The Mycelia Fellowship wants the opposite.
If you are a storyteller, artist or civic engagement practitioner who already has a project underway, this eight week remote fellowship was designed specifically for that moment in your work.
Social Resonance Lab SRL is accepting applications for the inaugural Mycelia Fellowship 2026. Two fellows will be selected globally. Each receives a $2000 stipend, direct advisory support and access to a community of practitioners working at the intersection of ethics, storytelling, arts, technology and civic participation.
The deadline is 13 September 2026 at 11:59 PM.
At a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Fellowship | Mycelia Fellowship 2026 |
| Organizer | Social Resonance Lab SRL |
| Fellows selected | 2 globally |
| Stipend | $2000 per fellow |
| Duration | 8 weeks |
| Format | Fully remote |
| Eligibility | International no country restriction stated |
| Tracks | Arts as a Civic Tool / AI and the Digital Landscape |
| Key requirement | Must have an existing project underway |
| Deadline | 13 September 2026 |
What Social Resonance Lab Is Building
Social Resonance Lab describes itself as a collaborative research studio exploring how ethical storytelling can foster human connection.
The Mycelia Fellowship is SRL’s first cohort program. There is no alumni network yet. No decade of track record to point to. What exists is a clear organizational focus and a structured eight week framework built around the specific kind of support independent practitioners often struggle to find. Advisory guidance, visibility, support and a peer community alongside the financial component.
For practitioners who have been working on something meaningful in relative isolation that combination can matter more than the stipend alone.
What the Fellowship Provides
- $2000 stipend paid to each selected fellow to support their participation and project development
- Advisory support from SRL throughout the eight weeks
- Visibility and audience growth help connecting existing work with wider audiences and potential collaborators
- Peer community of practitioners interested in ethical storytelling and social resonance
Given that this is an inaugural cohort the community is small and genuinely connected. Two fellows plus SRL’s extended network rather than a large diffuse group.
The One Requirement Most Applicants Will Miss
You must already have a project underway.
This is not a grant for new ideas. It is not a development fund for something you have been thinking about. The fellowship is specifically designed for practitioners who are already doing the work and need support to strengthen, document, refine, extend or scale what they have built.
If your project exists only in a proposal document, this is not the right moment to apply. Come back when the work has started.
If you have something running, even something small even something still finding its shape and it connects with storytelling, civic engagement, arts or technology ethics then this fellowship is worth your serious attention.
Two Tracks Two Different Directions
Applicants choose one of two thematic tracks. They are meaningfully different so pick the one that genuinely fits your work rather than the one that sounds more impressive.
Track A: Arts as a Civic Tool
This track is for practitioners exploring how creative work contributes to civic participation and community life. Projects might examine how storytelling encourages dialogue, how artistic expression addresses social questions or how cultural work strengthens communities.
Think documentary storytellers, community theater practitioners, participatory art projects, oral history initiatives and creative work that sits at the border between culture and civic engagement.
Track B: AI and the Digital Landscape
The second track is for practitioners navigating the ethical dimensions of artificial intelligence and digital storytelling. This includes people exploring how emerging technologies change how stories are created and shared how online communities form around narratives and what ethical responsibilities come with digital creative practice.
The track is deliberately broad. A practitioner using AI tools in their storytelling work and grappling with what that means ethically fits here as naturally as a researcher examining digital misinformation or platform dynamics.
Who Should Apply
The fellowship is open internationally with no stated country restriction. SRL notes that the opportunity may be particularly relevant to practitioners across the Global South using storytelling arts, digital tools or civic participation to create community impact.
Practitioners who fit this fellowship tend to be working in spaces like:
- Community based storytelling and oral history
- Socially engaged art and participatory creative practice
- Civic tech and digital storytelling
- Documentary and narrative journalism
- AI ethics and creative technology
- Cultural work focused on dialogue and community building
The common thread is not a specific medium or discipline. It is an existing project with real momentum and a genuine connection to ethical questions in storytelling, arts technology or civic life.
Before You Apply Two Things Worth Considering
First be honest about your project’s stage. The strongest applications will clearly explain what already exists what has been learned so far and specifically how the fellowship’s support would move the work forward. Vague descriptions of ongoing work will not distinguish a strong application from a weak one.
Second think carefully about which track fits. Do not choose Track B simply because AI sounds timely. If your work is fundamentally about community arts and civic participation, Track A is the honest choice. Honest alignment with the program’s focus tends to produce stronger applications.
The fellowship selects two people. Reviewers are looking for practitioners whose projects have genuine potential for social, civic, artistic or community impact not the most impressive credentials in the applicant pool.
Key Takeaways
- Mycelia Fellowship 2026 is the inaugural cohort from Social Resonance Lab
- Two fellows selected globally each receiving a $2000 stipend
- 8 week fully remote program
- Must already have a project underway not a new idea
- Two tracks Arts as a Civic Tool and AI and the Digital Landscape
- Includes advisory support, visibility help and peer community
- Open internationally with particular relevance to Global South practitioners
- Application deadline is 13 September 2026 at 11:59 PM
- Strong applications clearly show existing work progress and how the fellowship will advance it