About the RJ fellowship
HEART’s RJ Fellowship is a 6 month long program, and is an opportunity for 10 Muslims to execute a time-bound project related to Muslims and sexual and reproductive health, reproductive justice, global solidarity, gendered violence, or related topics. Fellows will be trained on HEART’s reproductive justice & Islam framework and resources, have access to and be integrated into HEART networks, receive technical and financial support to carry out projects in their own communities to advance reproductive justice. HEART staff and community advocates will provide resources, training on HEART frameworks, and funding for the fellows to carry out their respective projects. Each fellow will receive a $1500 stipend and $1000 programmatic grant over the course of six months. This fellowship is a unique opportunity for Muslims already interested in reproductive justice to go deeper with a values-aligned and faith-inspired community.
This fellowship is an opportunity for Muslim students and young professionals to 1.) build their existing or nascent projects with support from Muslim reproductive justice leaders 2.) receive training, funding, and feedback for their projects 3.) offer their feedback to Muslim reproductive justice leaders to shape the Muslim reproductive justice space. Fellows will also have the opportunity to be integrated into HEART’s network for long-term engagement.
Who we are looking for
- Muslims ages 18-30, including students, young professionals, artists, and so much more.
- Muslims interested in reproductive justice & have some experience with advocacy/organizing/community building. Applicants can be new to reproductive justice/ have limited experience with reproductive justice, but must be interested in applying a reproductive justice lens to their own (ex. You have a prison abolition background, and are interested in looking at how prisons impact maternal health outcomes)
- Muslims looking to advance their understanding of reproductive justice for Muslim communities and from a faith-based perspective
- Muslims looking for peer-mentorship in the field of reproductive justice & Islam
- Muslims seeking to build community with other values aligned Muslims
- Muslims who are self-starters, invested in imagining new realities, and are expansive in the ways they view the world
Examples of fellowship projects
- Archiving stories of reproductive justice from your community
- Creating a podcast series on the intersections of reproductive justice & environmental justice
- Designing & distributing a zine on sexual dysfunction, gender, and Muslim identity
- Hosting a multi-week book club with HEART’s The Sex Talk: A Muslim’s Guide to Healthy Sex & Relationships with your masjid
- Organizing healing circles for Muslims who’ve gotten abortions
- Writing short stories on reproductive justice & the ongoing genocide in Sudan
- Piloting a community-based research project on birth control and Muslim youth
- Creating a zine on reproductive harm in conflict zones
- Getting accessible plan Bs on campus
- Conducting your own mini ethnographies on your own reproductive needs over your lifetime
Timeline
February 2025: Application Opens
April 2025: Application Closes
April 2025: Interviews
May 2025: Final selection & opening meetings with fellows
June 2025: Opening retreat (location TBA)
June – November 2025: Project Implementation
December 2025: Project wrap-up and closing retreat
How to apply:
To apply, please submit an application by April 7, 2025. The application can be accessed here.
