For more than 60 years, the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center Residency Program has supported innovators, trailblazers, changemakers, and champions to advance specific breakthrough projects. Bellagio seeks to inspire collaboration across sectors and professions, political affiliations, and national borders. In sharing their knowledge, approaches, and perspectives, residents strengthen their work and collectively transform the issues that define our present and shape our future.
Based on your responses to the Pre-Application Questionnaire, you have been identified as eligible and a potential fit for the Residency program. This Expression of Interest (EoI) is the next step in the application process, and will help to further identify those prospective applicants whose professional background, expertise, and proposed project align with the program’s overarching goals.
Please note all expressions of interest must be submitted in English. For technical support, please email bellagioapplicant@rockfound.org. Completed expressions of interest are due no later than Monday, March 24, 2025 at 5:00 PM U.S. Eastern Time.
Please note that this EOI will be evaluated by The Rockefeller Foundation application review team with the support of an AI tool to complement and better manage human review resources. For more information on how your application data will be used and protected, please see our privacy policy here.
Based on your responses in this EOI, you may receive an invitation to formally apply to the Bellagio Center Residency Program. Invitations will be issued in mid-May of 2025. Should you receive an invitation to complete a Residency application, please note that all application materials are due no later than Thursday, June 5, 2025, at 5:00 PM U.S. Eastern Time. The content of this application and detail on required materials are available here.
Note: All questions will be required, unless otherwise noted
1. Please choose a title that easily identifies and distinguishes your project. (up to 10 words)
2. Your full name
3. Your personal email
4. Please enter your current title/position. If not applicable, enter “N/A.”
5. Please enter the full name of the organization where you work. If not applicable, enter “N/A.”
6. Please identify the type of organization for which you work.
7. Please describe your professional background including primary area(s) of expertise and major accomplishments to date. (up to 200 words)
8. At what stage would your project be at the start of a 2026 residency? (Select one)
9. Please select which theme best aligns with your project. (Select one)
10. How would you characterize the solution your project seeks to advance? (Select one)
11. Select one category that best aligns with the topic or focus of your project.
12. Please succinctly summarize the intended impact that will result from your residency project by completing the following sentence: “Because of this Bellagio residency, _______________________.” (up to 30 words)
13. Please provide an ‘executive summary’ description of your project, why it’s important, and how it will address a specific issue/problem or create positive change in the world. This should be a stand-alone statement that does not require any other context to clearly explain what you propose to accomplish. (up to 250 words)
14. Please select the option that best describes the specific outcome or deliverable you will accomplish by the end of your residency. (Select one)
15. Please select the region of the world that would be most directly impacted by your project. (Select one)
16. In what country were you born?
17. How did you learn about the Bellagio Residency Program?
For more than 60 years, the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center Residency Program has supported innovators, trailblazers, changemakers, and champions to advance specific breakthrough projects. Bellagio seeks to inspire collaboration across sectors and professions, political affiliations, and national borders. In sharing their knowledge, approaches, and perspectives, residents strengthen their work and collectively transform the issues that define our present and shape our future.
Based in Lake Como, Italy, the four-week residency offers participants the opportunity to unleash their creativity and advance groundbreaking work. Residents can take advantage of focused, uninterrupted work time in this unique environment while participating in an interdisciplinary, cross-cultural cohort. They form lasting bonds and stay connected to The Rockefeller Foundation long after their residency ends as members of the Bellagio Network.
The residency application is divided into the following sections:
As you work on your application, please refer to the criteria contained in the Evaluation Rubric to ensure that your application is aligned with the program goals.
Please note all applications must be submitted in English to ensure consistency across all submissions during the evaluation process and reduce the risk of translation errors or misinterpretation. You may submit your video in another language if it is subtitled in English, and leave organization names and other items in the original language if they have no direct translation to English.
The form saves automatically and you may return to complete your application later. The status of your application is available to view on your dashboard. For questions, please consult the FAQ. For technical support, please email questions@rfbellagio.org.
When you have completed all the required fields, you will be able to submit your application. Once you submit your application, you will no longer be able to make changes. Therefore, before submitting your application please be sure to:
1) Confirm all information provided on the Registration Form is correct (select Registration Form from the Submissions menu), and
2) Preview your application to view it as it will appear after it’s submitted (select Preview before Submit).
You have the option to request an automated confirmation email after clicking Submit – be sure to click the checkbox opting into this email when the confirmation message appears. To confirm submission, check the Application Status on your dashboard.
Completed applications are due no later than Thursday, June 5, 2025 at 5:00 PM U.S. Eastern Time.
Note: All questions will be required.
1. Project title | Please use the same easily identifiable title that you used during the expression of interest phase of the application process. (up to 10 words)
2. Breakthrough Potential | How will your project lead to a breakthrough (i.e., in a field, system, or discourse)? (up to 250 words)
3. Next Steps | What will be your next steps to make progress towards this breakthrough after the residency? (up to 200 words)
4. Impact |Within one year of the residency, what will be different because of your project? What public benefit will result from your project? (up to 200 words)
5. Residency Focus | Please describe how you will spend the four weeks of the residency. What will you accomplish during that time, and how will that contribute to the overall progress or fruition of your project? (up to 250 words)
6. Pre-Residency Milestones | Are there project milestones that will be completed prior to the residency? If so, please outline these milestones, including how they will help position your residency for success. (up to 200 words)
7. Why You | Why are you uniquely suited to do this project? (up to 200 words)
8. Audience | Who is the specific audience for this project and what you are trying to get them to do differently? (up to 200 words)
9. Influence | Do you have an existing relationship with this audience and/or access to networks necessary for your project’s success? If so, please describe in detail. If not, please describe how you intend to build those relationships. (up to 200 words)
10. Project Fit | Please describe how your project will be enriched by an interdisciplinary cohort of other residents from around the world. (up to 200 words)
11. Cohort Experience | Curiosity, collegiality, and collaboration are vital to make the most of the interdisciplinary, cross-cultural nature of a Bellagio residency. Please describe an experience with someone very different from you and how it influenced your work. (up to 200 words)
All applicants must submit a brief video of no more than 90 seconds that introduces you, your project, and why 2026 is the ideal time for a Bellagio residency. Your video should not be professionally produced – an informal video created on a smartphone is expected.
The video is an opportunity to introduce yourself and share your vision in a way that is different from the written application. In creating your video, you may consider including the following elements:
Please note your video must adhere to the following guidelines, or else it will render your application ineligible:
After you record your video, upload it to YouTube, copy the URL, and paste it in the space provided below. If you need instructions on how to create and upload your video, see our Video Instructions. For questions or technical support, please email questions@rfbellagio.org.
Please paste your video’s full YouTube URL here.
13. Resume / CV (file upload)
Please upload a single PDF of your Curriculum Vitae or Resume below.
This PDF should be no more than five pages total and should not exceed 10MB. Please be sure to review our CV Guidelines before uploading your submission.
14. References
If you are selected for an interview, we will require you to submit two completed references. These references should come from individuals familiar with your work and capable of providing insights into the merit of your project. Details on how to submit reference forms will be provided if you advance to the interview stage.
For now, please enter your references' name and organization information below, keeping in mind that they will not be contacted unless you progress to the interview stage.
Reference 1
Full Name (up to 5 words)
Title/Position (up to 10 words)
Organization (up to 10 words)
Reference 2
First Name
Title/Position
Organization
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Key dates to consider can be found on the Timeline.
Due to the high volume of applications received, we cannot provide feedback on any individual application.
We understand that projects may shift and evolve over time. Those who move on to later stages of the selection process will have opportunity to share any updates during the interview stage. If you are selected for a residency and your project outputs or other key project components have changed, you can inform the Bellagio program staff at that time and they will evaluate whether the changes are acceptable.
Each cohort includes a maximum of 14 residents. Residents can bring a spouse or partner to join them for all or part of their residency. We are not able to accommodate children, other family members, or friends. If awarded a residency, you will receive four weeks of room and board at the Bellagio Center in Lake Como, Italy. This includes meals, a private studio for working, access to laundry facilities, and ground transportation to/from the Center upon arrival and departure.
Travel funding to and from your home country is also available when there is financial need.
English is the official language of the program. Many residents speak multiple languages but are encouraged to speak English as the common language to help facilitate community interaction and engagement.
Review our FAQ and other pages of our website for more information.
