$30,000 Work//Shift Fellowship for Gig Workers

Research to Impact Lab, part of the Los Angeles arts nonprofit Center for Cultural Innovation, is gathering about eight gig workers, freelancers and advocates for a year of learning together about the future of work. Fellows ask how a social safety net could protect people outside traditional employment, from delivery drivers and domestic workers to artists and independent contractors, and build the ideas and relationships to get there. The fellowship starts in January 2027 and pays each fellow a $30,000 stipend.

What you get:

• A $30,000 stipend for taking part across the 12 months
• A cohort of about eight fellows, meeting online and at two in-person convenings
• Sessions with guest practitioners and a curriculum built around four stages: unlearning, sensemaking, envisioning possibilities and building
• Room to develop new ideas and collaborations without arriving with a finished project

What you'll do:

• Give a baseline of about 10 hours a month for 12 months, covering meetings, reading, writing and planning
• Join virtual cohort meetings and work through the curriculum and learning materials
• Attend two in-person convenings, the first in Southern California on January 29 and 30, 2027
• Collaborate with other fellows on ideas for worker protections and a more equitable future of work

Key dates:

• Applications opened September 8, 2026
• Information webinars on September 17, 2026 (9 to 10:30 AM PT) and October 1, 2026 (5 to 6:30 PM PT)
• Applications close at the end of October 26, 2026, Pacific Time
• Interviews from November 2 to 16, 2026
• Decisions announced December 7, 2026
• Fellowship begins January 2027, with the first in-person convening on January 29 and 30, 2027

More information:

• Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and the organisers encourage applying early
• You can take part while working full time
• The stipend pays for participation only; fellows should not expect extra funding for projects that come out of the fellowship
• Questions go to r2i-lab@cciarts.org

• Freelancers, gig workers and other workers without traditional employment protections, or people working in the freelance space
• Organizers, policy advocates, researchers, storytellers, artists and cultural workers, cooperative entrepreneurs, technologists, community leaders and academics working on these issues are also welcome
• A strong commitment to improving conditions for gig workers, freelancers, artists or other unprotected workers
• You do not need to work directly with gig workers, but some first-hand or indirect experience of gig work helps your application
• No fully developed project is needed
• Able to commit about 10 hours a month for a year and attend two in-person convenings