From a fully funded UN–Nippon Foundation fellowship training ocean-policy experts at the United Nations in New York and a £18,000 grant to write your first book, to a regional fellowship empowering young women to lead climate-and-migration solutions across West Africa, a three-year salaried postdoctoral fellowship at a UK university, and the chance to join a 60,000-strong volunteer crew staging the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games — this batch of 5 global opportunities is about money, mentorship and platforms that can change the shape of a career.
These aren't volunteering placements or internships: they're fellowships, a writing scholarship and a once-in-a-generation Olympic role, several worth serious funding and most open to applicants worldwide. Two are open "as soon as possible," and the rest close between 19 July and 30 September 2026.
What's in this batch:
3 Fellowships · 1 Writing Scholarship · 1 Global Volunteer Programme · Funding up to £18,000, Salaries & UN Platforms
🏆 Fellowships
🌍 Global — Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea with the UN and the Nippon Foundation ⚖️
📅 Deadline: As soon as possible!
Become an expert in ocean policy and the law of the sea with the UN–Nippon Foundation Fellowship. A fully funded, 9-month programme at the United Nations in New York and a leading academic host institution, training professionals from developing States to shape ocean policy and implement UNCLOS — a UN-level platform for anyone serious about the future of the oceans.
🌍 West Africa — Women Leaders on Human Mobility and Climate Change ♀️
📅 Deadline: 19 July 2026
A fully funded regional fellowship empowering young women across the ECOWAS region to lead gender-responsive solutions to climate-driven migration. Get training, mentorship, a pilot project grant, and a platform in regional and global climate and migration dialogues. Open to applicants from 🇳🇬 🇸🇳 🇬🇭 🇹🇬 🇸🇱 and 7 more — training, a grant and a seat at the table on two of the region's biggest challenges.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom — British Academy Postdoctoral Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences 📚
📅 Deadline: 30 September 2026
Lead your own independent research project at a UK university with the British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship. A three-year, salaried opportunity for outstanding early-career researchers in the humanities and social sciences to complete significant publishable research and build toward a permanent academic post — three salaried years to build the body of work a career is made of.
✍️ Writing Scholarship
🌍 Africa — The Miles Morland Foundation Grant to Write Your First Book 📖
📅 Deadline: 22 September 2026
Have a book in you but no time to write it? The Miles Morland Foundation Writing Scholarship gives writers born in Africa a £18,000 grant, paid over twelve months, to produce the first draft of a full-length book. Fiction or non-fiction, judged purely on literary merit. For writers born in Africa, or with both parents born in Africa — a year's income to finally write the book that's been waiting inside you.
🏅 Global Volunteer Programme
🇺🇸 United States — The LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games Crew 🎟️
📅 Deadline: As soon as possible!
A once-in-a-generation chance to help stage the biggest Olympic and Paralympic Games in history. Join a 60,000-strong LA28 Volunteer Crew across ceremonies, sport, medical, tech, driving and more, and make memories that last a lifetime. Open worldwide, no experience needed for many roles — a front-row seat at history, and a story you'll tell forever.
Five global opportunities, and each one opens a different kind of door. A UN fellowship shaping ocean policy from New York, a £18,000 grant to write your first book, a West African fellowship putting young women at the centre of the climate-and-migration conversation, a three-year salaried postdoc at a UK university, and a place in the 60,000-strong crew staging the LA28 Games — these are not opportunities you'll see grouped together again. Three are fully funded fellowships, one is a writing grant paid across a year, and one is the volunteer opportunity of a generation. The UN–Nippon fellowship and the LA28 crew move as soon as possible; the West Africa women's fellowship closes 19 July, and the Miles Morland scholarship and British Academy fellowship in late September. Choose yours.
