Application Rules & Guidelines

Thanks for your interest in applying to the Bellagio Center Residency Program sponsored by The Rockefeller Foundation with application platform support provided by Carrot. The Application Rules & Guidelines are stated here as an extension of the Website Terms & Conditions and the Residency Program Terms & Conditions. The following contain terms that are specific to the application process and/or applicants. Please read these terms carefully before proceeding.

If you pass the Pre-Application Questionnaire and Expression of Interest (EOI) stages of the process and are invited to apply, you may periodically be asked to recognize your acceptance of these Application Rules and the Terms & Conditions by clicking “accept” at various pages on this website. Note that by continuing any use of this website, you expressly consent to all Application Rules & Guidelines and Terms & Conditions. 

SUBMISSION OF AN APPLICATION TO THE RESIDENCY PROGRAM CONSTITUTES FULL AND UNCONDITIONAL AGREEMENT TO AND ACCEPTANCE OF THESE APPLICATION RULES AND THE TERMS. 

1. Eligibility

All applicants must:

1. Be 18 years of age or older;
2. Be conversant in English, consistent with a B1 level or higher in the Common European Framework of Reference (“CEFR”). According to the official CEFR guidelines, someone at the B1 level in English can

1. understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc.;
2. deal with most situations likely to arise while traveling;
3. produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest; and
4. describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes, and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans;

• Submit their Application Materials in English;
• Confirm that they can participate fully in the Residency Program under the laws of the jurisdiction(s) in which they reside.  Any entry received from an Applicant residing in a country where the Residency Program is not legal in all regards shall be ineligible to enter the Residency Program; and
• Own or otherwise have and maintain all necessary rights, licenses, authorizations, and consents with respect to any and all intellectual property and other proprietary rights (including the rights of publicity and privacy) in connection with their respective projects.
• Finalist applicants invited to an interview must also submit two letters of reference.

2. Ineligible Persons & Activities

The following individuals are not eligible to apply:

• Persons appearing on the lists provided by the United Nations, the European Union, Member States of the European Union, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, the United States, and other authorities that maintain economic and trade sanctions that prohibit regulated persons from transacting or dealing, either directly or indirectly (i.e., through a grantee or other third party), with any person on a sanctions‑related list of designated persons that they maintain
• Individuals who reside in, or are governed by, countries that are prohibited by law, regulation, treaty or administrative act (including, without limitation, those promulgated by the United States) from entering into trade relations (including, without limitation, the export of technology) with the United States or its citizens.  
• United States government officials as defined by the Internal Revenue Service;
• Individuals who are or would be officials in public office in countries outside of the United States during the Residency Program;
• Candidates for public office or individuals who are working on a campaign for a political candidate during the Residency Program;
• Individuals who have had a residency at the Bellagio Center within the last five years;
• Individuals who have had two prior residencies at the Bellagio Center. Individuals may not have more than two residencies within their lifetime;
• Employees of the Application Facilitation Partner, and any of their subsidiaries and affiliates, and immediate family members (spouse, parent, child, sibling and their respective spouses, regardless of where they live) or persons living in the same households of such employees.
• Rockefeller “Foundation personnel” including all trustees, officers and staff of the Foundation, as well as non-trustee members of the Investment Committee and their “Related Parties” including any living spouse, domestic partner, parent, sibling, child or other family member or individual with whom there is an intimate personal and/or economic relationship.

• For trustees, directors, officers, key employees and persons exercising the power of such positions, related parties include the following living relatives:

• His or her parents, step-parents, grandparents and step grandparents;
• His or her siblings and half-siblings;
• The spouses of his or her siblings and half-siblings;
• His or her spouse or domestic partner;
• His or her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren;
• The spouse of each of his or her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren;
• Other family member or individual with whom there is an intimate personal or economic relationship.

The Residency Program cannot support activities that constitute lobbying as defined in Internal Revenue Code Section 4945(d)(1) and the regulations thereunder. Such prohibited activities include any attempt to influence any legislation – U.S. or non-U.S. – through communication with any member or employee of a legislative body or any other governmental official or employee who may participate in the formulation of legislation in which reference is made to specific legislation and a view on such legislation is expressed. Legislation refers to legislation that has already been introduced in a legislative body or to a specific legislative proposal that an organization supports or opposes. The regulations also prohibit support of “grass roots lobbying communications,” which are defined as communications that: (1) refer to specific legislation, (2) reflect a view on such legislation, and (3) encourage the recipient of the communication to take action with respect to such legislation. Further, the dissemination of the results of any activity that is designed to be nonpartisan analysis, research, or study may not be limited to or be directed toward persons who are interested solely in one side of a particular issue.

Further, The Residency Program may not be used to influence the outcome of any U.S. or non-U.S. public election, or to carry on, directly or indirectly, any voter registration drive (within the meaning of Internal Revenue Code Section 4945(d)(2) and the regulations thereunder).

3. Teams & Collaborative Projects

The Bellagio Center Residency Program accepts applications from teams of two people working on a collaborative project.

Review the Team Guidelines for requirements.

4. Charitable Purpose

Proposed projects that the Foundation supports through each residency must be in furtherance of its exempt charitable purpose. Projects must satisfy the requirements for charitability set by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, which include such things as provision of relief to the poor, advancement of education or science, preservation of the natural environment, or promotion of social welfare. Projects may promote social welfare through a variety of means, including by eliminating prejudice and discrimination, defending human and civil rights, or combating community deterioration.

Projects cannot have a primary purpose of generating profit or providing a for-profit company with a service or benefit.  Every project must result in a public benefit that outweighs any private benefit, so the charitable impact of the work must result in a benefit to a disadvantaged group or other charitable outcome that outweighs an incidental commercial benefit. When presenting your project, please make sure that you are clearly articulating the direct and significant charitable benefit of the work you will be doing, including who will benefit from the project, and how that benefit will be accomplished through your work.  

Projects that build upon existing programs from an applicant’s place of employment are allowed. However, if the applicant works for a for-profit company, the project must be independent from the duties of the paid job function.

5. Guidance Related to Applications

Video

Each application must include a brief video of no more than 90 seconds that introduces you, your project, and why now is the ideal time for a Bellagio residency. Video requirements are outlined under Section D. of the application. If you need instructions on how to create and upload your video, see our Video Requirements & Instructions. For questions or technical support, review our FAQ.

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Each application must include a CV or resume of no more than five pages that includes the information listed under our CV Guidelines as applicable.

References

On the application, you will be required to include the name and titles of two professional references who are confirmed and available to participate as a reference during interviews (see Timeline). If invited for an interview, each applicant must provide completed reference forms from two professional references.

Individuals providing a reference should:

• Know the applicant and the applicant’s work well - individuals in the applicant’s field who are not familiar with the applicant’s previous work and/or experience are not recommended;
• Be informed of and comment on the merit and substance of the applicant’s proposed project.

Editors, agents, or others that have a financial interest in an applicant’s success in being invited for a residency, and who might benefit financially from an applicant’s residency, are not eligible.

If invited as an applicant:

1. You must complete registration to participate in the application process for the Residency Program.
2. Your application should meet the requirements stipulated on the application page of this website and on the application platform. You are required to register in advance of any deadlines for the submission of an application, and you must comply with all other deadlines posted on this website.
3. You may participate by completing registration of one true and uniform identity; multiple registrations for an applicant using multiple identities are not allowed. The Rockefeller Foundation and/or Carrot reserve the right to disqualify and/or reject any application violating this limitation, regardless of whether all the respective parties had knowledge of such violation. You may only submit one application.

Contact Information 

You may email us with any questions about these Application Rules & Guidelines.