Churchill Fellowship 2027 | International Travel Fellowship

The Churchill Fellowship 2027 is an international learning and travel fellowship for UK citizens who want to research practical solutions to issues affecting society. Fellows are supported to learn from leading practitioners and innovative projects around the world, then bring that knowledge back to the UK and use it to contribute to positive change.

Applications for the 2027 Fellowship awards opened on 1 September 2026 and close at midday on 20 October 2026. Successful applicants can begin their Fellowships from 1 August 2027.

What Is the Churchill Fellowship?

The Churchill Fellowship is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to investigate a practical issue you care about by learning from experts and organizations overseas or through online research.

The Fellowship generally supports 4–8 weeks of learning, with Fellows choosing the people, organizations and countries from which they want to learn. Research can take place through international travel, online learning or a hybrid approach.

The programme is designed around a simple idea:

Learn from the world. Inspire change in the UK.

After completing their learning, Fellows are expected to share their findings and, where possible, help turn their ideas into practical action in their communities or sectors.

Who Can Apply?

The Churchill Fellowship is open to all UK citizens aged 18 or over, regardless of:

Educational qualifications
Professional background
Age
Employment history
Socioeconomic background

The organization funds individuals rather than organizations and emphasizes future potential rather than current status.

An important requirement is that the proposed project should provide a practical benefit to UK society.

Your Fellowship idea does not necessarily have to be connected to your current occupation. The organization states that applicants can base projects on personal experience or interests, provided they can demonstrate active involvement in the topic.

2027 Churchill Fellowship Programme Areas

For Fellowships awarded in 2027, applicants can apply under a number of programme themes, including:

Building a society that cares
Building prosperous and resilient economies
Caring for our natural environment
Climate change
Civic and democratic engagement
Making space for the arts
Promoting lifelong health
Supporting engagement in education
Tech for all

There is also an open category for strong Fellowship ideas that do not fit neatly into one of the listed programmes but meet the organization’s general criteria.

The 2027 cycle also introduces Civic and democratic engagement as a new programme area.

What Does the Fellowship Fund?

The Churchill Fellowship provides an individually calculated grant based on the Fellow’s project, destinations and length of learning.

The organization aims to cover the costs of the overseas or online research period for up to approximately two months.

For international travel Fellows, funding can include:

Travel: Economy return flights or train journeys to and from the UK, as well as relevant travel within destination countries.

Accommodation and food: The grant covers accommodation and living costs during the period of overseas learning.

Insurance: Churchill Fellows receive travel and medical insurance.

Visa and vaccination costs: These can be covered where applicable.

Interpreters and translators: Funding may be available where language assistance is necessary.

Conference fees: Overseas conference fees may be funded on a case-by-case basis, subject to the Fellowship’s conditions.

The exact amount of funding varies between Fellows rather than being a single fixed scholarship amount.

International Travel Opportunity

One of the major attractions of the Churchill Fellowship is the opportunity to learn directly from leading practitioners internationally.

Fellows can select overseas destinations based on where the most relevant expertise and best practice can be found. The organization supports active engagement with people and projects outside the UK.

The Fellowship can therefore be useful for people researching areas such as:

Climate change and sustainability

Education and skills

Healthcare and lifelong health

Technology and innovation

Arts and culture

Community development

Democracy and civic participation

Environment and natural resources

The subject is ultimately shaped by the applicant’s own idea and the practical change they want to help create in the UK.

What the Fellowship Does Not Fund

The Fellowship is intended specifically for overseas or online learning.

The organization does not fund time or travel for learning solely from people or projects within the UK. It also does not fund UK-based planning time or overseas research that does not involve active engagement with people or projects overseas.

This makes it important for applicants to clearly explain who they need to learn from, where those people or projects are located and why international learning is necessary.

How Long Does the Fellowship Last?

The Fellowship learning period generally lasts 4–8 weeks.

For the 2027 Fellowship cycle, successful candidates can begin their Fellowships from:

1 August 2027

The organization allows Fellows to undertake their learning anytime between 1 August 2027 and 30 September 2028.

A Fellow may normally complete the learning in one trip, although the organization can support two trips where personal or professional circumstances make that appropriate.

Application Timeline

The official 2027 timetable is:

Stage	Date
Applications open	1 September 2026
Applications close	20 October 2026 at midday
Longlisting	December 2026
Shortlisting	February 2027
Interviews	April/May 2027
Fellowship awards	June 2027
Public announcement	July 2027
Fellowships can begin	1 August 2027

Late applications will not be considered, and applicants are encouraged to submit before the deadline so they have enough time to review their application.

Selection Process

The application process begins with an online application.

Applicants who progress to the longlist are informed in December 2026. Those who reach the shortlist are informed in February 2027. Shortlisted candidates complete a further form, and their referees are contacted at that stage.

Interviews are scheduled for April and May 2027 and may take place in person in London or online.

Successful candidates are notified in June 2027, with the new Fellows publicly announced in July.

What Makes a Strong Fellowship Idea?

A strong application should demonstrate a clear connection between the applicant’s proposed learning and a practical issue affecting UK society.

The Churchill Fellowship encourages projects that identify useful ideas, innovations or best practice overseas and consider how those insights could be adapted or applied in the UK.

Applicants should be clear about:

The problem: What issue are you trying to address?

The learning goal: What do you need to discover?

The international element: Which overseas experts, projects or organizations do you need to learn from?

The UK benefit: How could the knowledge contribute to meaningful change in the UK?

Your involvement: Why are you well placed to pursue this project?

The Fellowship does not require applicants to have an established academic or professional profile. The organization’s approach is deliberately inclusive and focused on potential.

How to Apply

Applications are submitted through the official Churchill Fellowship application system.

Official Churchill Fellowship:
The Churchill Fellowship

Application Timeline:
Churchill Fellowship 2027 Application Timeline

Application deadline: 20 October 2026 at midday.

Important Eligibility Note for International Applicants

Unlike many international scholarships, the Churchill Fellowship is not a scholarship open to applicants from every nationality.

It is specifically open to UK citizens aged 18 and over. The purpose is to enable UK citizens to learn internationally and bring that knowledge back for the benefit of UK society.

Therefore, applicants outside the UK who are looking for a fully funded international fellowship should not assume that the Churchill Fellowship is open to them.

Quick Facts

Category	Details
Fellowship	Churchill Fellowship
Fellowship year	2027
Type	International learning and travel fellowship
Eligibility	UK citizens aged 18+
Study/research format	Overseas, online or hybrid
Typical learning period	4–8 weeks
Funding	Individual grant based on project
Travel	Funded where applicable
Accommodation	Funded during learning
Food/living costs	Funded during learning
Insurance	Provided
Visa costs	Can be covered
Vaccinations	Can be covered
Fellowship starts	1 August 2027
Applications open	1 September 2026
Application deadline	20 October 2026 at midday
Awards announced	June 2027

Final Thoughts

The Churchill Fellowship 2027 is a distinctive international travel and learning opportunity for UK citizens who want to investigate practical solutions to issues affecting the country.

Rather than providing a conventional academic scholarship for a degree programme, the Fellowship funds 4–8 weeks of focused learning from leading practitioners, projects and organizations around the world. The grant can cover major costs such as travel, accommodation, food, insurance, visas and vaccinations, depending on the approved project.

The 2027 Fellowship application deadline is 20 October 2026 at midday, with applications opening on September 1, 2026.

The programme is particularly suited to applicants with a compelling practical idea and a clear explanation of how international learning could lead to positive change in the UK.

SEO Keywords

Churchill Fellowship 2027, Churchill Fellowship 2027 application, Churchill Fellowship deadline 2026, Churchill Fellowship international travel fellowship, Churchill Fellowship fully funded, Churchill Fellowship UK, international travel fellowship UK citizens, funded travel fellowship 2027, UK international fellowship, Churchill Fellowship eligibility, Churchill Fellowship application 2027, Churchill Fellowship funding, overseas research fellowship UK, international learning fellowship, funded international research UK, Churchill Fellowship programmes 2027, Churchill Fellowship travel grant, UK citizen fellowship opportunities, Churchill Fellowship deadline 20 October 2026, international fellowship opportunities UK.

APPLY NOW