Quick Overview
PeaceJam has opened applications for its 2026 Billion Acts of Peace Changemaker Fellowship, a year long programme for young people who have already started a peacebuilding project and want to grow it further.
The fellowship pairs mentorship built around the six PeaceJam competencies, developed with input from PeaceJam's Nobel Laureates, with direct funding and access to a global network of changemakers.
This is not a start from scratch grant. The programme is explicit
that it wants fellows somewhere between just started and gaining traction, not yet scaled but serious about the work.
Key Details
Selected fellows receive up to $5,000 in project funds, plus a year of monthly mentorship sessions, invitations to PeaceJam conferences and virtual events, and connections to other opportunities in the network. Applicants must be between 18 and 30 years old, and specifically must fall within that range as of November 2026.
Applications close on 28 September 2026 per the fellowship landing page, though the application form itself lists 1 October 2026 at 12:00 PM EST, 5:00 PM BST, 7:00 PM EAT, 10:30 PM IST as the deadline, so applicants should confirm the exact cutoff before submitting. Questions can be sent to idel@peacejam.org.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicants need to be actively leading or building a project, initiative or organisation focused on peace, justice, equity or social change, falling under one of the fellowship's 10 key issue areas: advancing women and children, alleviating extreme poverty, clean water for everyone, conflict resolution, education and community development, ending racism and hate, global health and wellness, human rights for all, non proliferation and disarmament, and protecting the environment.
The project can take almost any form, an emerging nonprofit, grassroots organising, activism or mission driven entrepreneurship among others. What matters most is stage. The programme wants people ready to be challenged, supported and held accountable, and willing to show up as themselves throughout the year.
What It Covers
Beyond the $5,000, the core of the fellowship is a yearlong mentorship structure of nine monthly sessions mixing networking, skill building and project workshopping, built around six competencies: positive power and purpose, creating inclusive communities, compassionate leadership, peacebuilding, global citizenship and interconnectedness, and being a change agent. Applicants confirm on the form whether they are genuinely available and excited to commit to all nine sessions.
Fellows also become part of a wider community that includes other Billion Acts fellows, PeaceJam participants, Nobel Laureates and network members, with additional invitations to PeaceJam conferences and events layered on top of the monthly programme.
Application Process
The application runs through a Google Form and covers how the applicant wants to be addressed, contact details and country of residence, the project name, a 200 word description of the peace project, why the applicant wants to be a Changemaker Fellow, how long the project has been running and its current stage, and up to two issue areas it addresses.
There is no formal budget required at this stage. Instead applicants describe what they think they could achieve with the $5,000 in funding, what success looks like for the project a year from now, and what is hardest right now as a peacebuilder. The form also asks for links to the applicant's work, how they heard about the fellowship, their time zone, and any accessibility or participation needs, from captions to low bandwidth video options to scheduling around work or caregiving.
Notably, the programme states directly that it is scoring for substance and fit rather than polished answers or English skills, and asks applicants not to rely on generative AI so the fellows' own voice comes through.
Major Considerations
Because the fellowship is explicit about wanting authentic, unpolished answers over generative AI assistance, this is one application where applicants are better served drafting in their own words from the start rather than refining an AI generated draft. The age cutoff is also fixed to November 2026 specifically, not the general application window, so anyone close to turning 31 should check the exact date carefully.
Should You Apply?
A strong fit for young people aged 18 to 30 who are already running something real in one of the 10 issue areas and want structured mentorship, community and modest but flexible funding to push it further, rather than a large grant to launch something new. It suits someone past the idea stage but before major scale, who values the coaching and network as much as, or more than, the money itself.
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