Provide financial assistance in the form of “micro-grants” of $2,000 for law students and new professionals to pursue fieldwork and research on significant issues involving international law, human rights, humanitarian affairs, and related areas.
The fellowships are intended to help cover travel, housing, living expenses, and other costs related to the Fellow’s fieldwork and research.
Eligibilities
The Helton Fellowship Program seeks applicants in the early stages of their academic and professional careers who demonstrate the potential to make significant contributions to the use and study of international law around the world.
Law students, practicing lawyers, human rights professionals, scholars, and other individuals seeking assistance in conducting international fieldwork and law-related research are encouraged to apply.
Applicants can be of any nationality but must be current law students or have graduated from law school (at either the undergraduate or graduate levels) no earlier than December 2017.
In order to ensure the quality and applicability of their proposal, applicants must obtain written support for their fieldwork or research project from a sponsoring organization.
This organization can be an educational institution, international organization, governmental agency, or nongovernmental organization working in international law, human rights, humanitarian affairs, international criminal law, or related areas.
The sponsoring organization must provide a letter of support for the applicant clearly indicating their awareness of the proposed project, the role that they will play in assisting the potential Helton Fellow in completing the project, and the value of the project to the organization’s mission, the surrounding region, and/or the relevant field of
international law.
Individuals pursuing independent research or fieldwork are not eligible for Helton Fellowships.
Applicants should also identify other potential sources of funding to cover costs related to their fieldwork.
ASIL does not assist in securing organizational sponsorship or alternative funding for Fellows.
Fellows must begin their fieldwork between April 2020 and September 2020.
Helton Fellow projects must be completed no later than March 2021.
In acknowledgment of Arthur C. Helton’s commitment to human rights and humanitarian affairs in the field, preferential consideration may be given to applications demonstrating a significant fieldwork component as well as those involving the human rights of refugees, internally displaced persons, and other vulnerable populations.
Applications for fieldwork in the area of international criminal law and international humanitarian law are also encouraged.
Applicants will be considered by the Helton Fellowship Selection Committee on the basis of the written materials included in the application package.
No interviews or any other communications with applicants will be conducted.
