AI Fellowship Consultant

AI Fellowship Consultant

This is a program design and management engagement. The consultant will lead program design and management and serve as the research lead for the fellowship, reporting to the Director of the Center for Digital Nonprofit.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities include designing the fellowship structure, criteria, and application; leading recruitment and selection of four fellows, in consultation with a small NetHope review committee; and guiding fellows in shaping their research topics and questions. As research director, the consultant is accountable for the quality and rigor of fellow output, mentoring fellows through their research process and ensuring the final products meet the quality standard agreed in the concept note.

Deliverables

Fellowship concept note. The concept note should include:

Recommended research structure, research period, and focus areas (such as adoption/use case, technical/safety, etc.)

Develop research agendas for each focus area in consultation with the Director, Center for the Digital Nonprofit

Develop a working calendar covering the research period that includes fellow check-in frequency, milestones, and key touchpoints through the engagement

Built-in checkpoints for NetHope subject-matter experts to review progress and weigh in on adjusting research direction as work develops

Define the expected weekly hours for Fellows to commit

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Recommend Fellow profiles (subject matter expertise, career level, etc.)

The consultant's approach to quality control, ensuring writing and analysis meet a high standard throughout

Fellow application form – Develop the form Fellows will use to apply and NetHope will use to assess candidates

Recruitment materials package — list of recommended recruitment channels/sites and finalized selection criteria

Support the fellow recruitment process — this will be managed internally by NetHope in consultation with the AI Fellowship Consultant

Fellow candidate selection — The Contractor will lead the initial review of applications and if appropriate, conduct candidate interviews, presenting a shortlist of recommended candidates to NetHope for final decision-making. The goal is to select at least 4 fellows.

Fellowship onboarding — The Contractor will directly onboard the selected Fellows, covering program expectations, research direction, and the deliverables timeline, in coordination with NetHope staff to ensure ongoing oversight of the Fellows' work throughout the program.

Fellow Research Period —

Finalize research agendas, program goals, and milestones with Fellows and in consultation with the Director, Center for the Digital Nonprofit

Provide research direction and quality oversight on deliverables and progress for all fellows, ensuring the Fellows' work stays aligned with program goals and milestones

Meet regularly with the Director, Center for the Digital Nonprofit that include progress on the research and lessons on the Fellowship pilot for a future program

Final research products — at least one research product per fellow, or per fellow pair if two fellows choose to collaborate on a single product; shape and format determined by the research lead based on topic and fellow preference. All research products must be completed no later than February, 12, 2027

Conduct a Stakeholder Briefing — Minimum of one stakeholder briefing sharing the research and findings. Audience is TBD.

Pilot fellowship reflections product — a document capturing lessons and reflections on each phase of the pilot fellowship and a next-steps proposal for continuing or scaling the fellowship model, based on lessons from this pilot cohort. This must be completed no later than February 26, 2027

Deliverable timing beyond the fixed February 12 and February 26, 2027 deadlines will be proposed by the consultant and agreed with NetHope at contract start. The February deadlines are fixed. A later engagement start compresses the research period rather than extending these dates.

Fellowship Terms

Fellows will receive a stipend. NetHope will confirm the stipend amount and payment mechanism before recruitment materials are published. Stipends are paid by NetHope directly and sit outside the consultant's fee.

Fellows are named authors on the research products they write. NetHope holds publication rights and determines distribution.

Cohort size is a minimum of four fellows.

The research period runs from approximately November 2026 through February 12, 2027.

Qualifications

Required

Demonstrated experience designing and directing AI research programs, ideally within a fellowship or cohort-based model

Program or curriculum design experience, including setting selection criteria and structuring a multi-participant research process

Program leadership experience, with a track record of guiding independent researchers or contributors toward a shared, rigorous output.

Preferred

Prior experience running fellowships or cohort-based research programs

Familiarity with Global South contexts and nonprofit/humanitarian operating environments

Project Timeline

Engagement period: August 31, 2026 – March 15, 2027

Estimated hours: 20 hours/week (560 total). Actual weekly hours may vary by program phase.

Reporting to: Director, Center for the Digital Nonprofit

Compensation

This is an hourly engagement. Proposals should include a proposed hourly rate for the AI Fellowship Consultant

All payments are made in USD. Invoices should be submitted monthly and include: (1) the number of hours worked and (2) description of work completed during the period.

Selection Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria: relevant experience and track record; quality and clarity of proposed methodology and work plan; consultant qualifications and capacity; proposed rate (USD) and overall value for investment; and references and past client satisfaction. Please include your proposed rate in USD in your submission.

Selection Timeline

Proposal deadline: August 17, 2026

Review period: August 18–24, 2026

Decision communicated: August 26, 2026

Engagement start: August 31, 2026

Use of Artificial Intelligence

NetHope takes the responsible use of AI seriously. Selected candidates will be required to comply with NetHope's AI Policy, which governs the use of AI tools in the development of all deliverables, and to complete an AI Disclosure Form as part of the onboarding process prior to commencing work.

General Conditions

NetHope is a fully virtual organization. Our team, Members, and partners are located around the world.

Localisation

We welcome qualified consultants from diverse backgrounds and locations globally.

All contractors must pass an OFAC screening prior to engagement.

All work products produced under this engagement are the property of NetHope.

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