What could you accomplish with the community industry's best resources at your fingertips?

It's no secret that TheCR Network is the community industry's top destination for research-backed resources, online training, peer networking, and more.

For community professionals working at an organization with a training, education, professional development, or events budget, it's a no-brainer. But, what about everyone else?

If you answer YES to any of the following questions, the TheCR Network Scholarship might apply to you:

Are you looking for a future in Community or Community Management?
Have you explored membership in TheCR Network but found it cost-prohibitive?
Are you interested in advancing the Community space and/or Community approaches in your specific industry/space?
Do you have a desire to learn and gain skills & experience in the Community space?
Do you work in a lower-resourced industry (i.e. education, non-profits, publishing, gaming) in a community capacity?

WHAT IS THECR NETWORK SCHOLARSHIP?

TheCR Network Scholarship provides recipients a one-year free membership seat in TheCR Network. This includes

Access to all Network resources (research, content, tools, templates, and more)
Access to member training (live and on-demand courses)
Access to all Network content & programming (including weekly calls, archived sessions, and cohort-based peers groups)

SCHOLARSHIP REQUIREMENTS

Scholarship recipients will enter the Network as a class-based cohort (i.e. the class of 2021) at the start of a calendar year and conclude at the end of the same calendar year.

Scholarship recipients must:

maintain an engagement profile of contributor, creator, or collaborator (i.e. needs to actively engage) each quarter
attend at least two Roundtable Calls/other programming events each quarter
make two posts (replies or new threads) each quarter
lead one piece of programming during their class year (including but not limited to: AMA, Roundtable Call, Panel, Blog/Blog series, Podcast, Cohort Lead, etc.)
complete one guided fundamentals training session
share back reflections (via a session, video, interview, etc) on their experience

WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR THECR NETWORK SCHOLARSHIP?

TheCR Network Scholarship was created to provide access to our industry-leading community of practicece to those who may not have the financial flexibility to join at this time.

This includes, but is not limited to:

- People in traditionally lower-resourced industries
  - Non-profits
  - Journalism, Media, & Publishing
  - Gaming, Entertainment
  - Community/Social Organizing
- People looking to get started in Community Management
  - Interns
  - Entry-level workers
  - Students (must be 18+)
- People looking for work, including those:
  - Currently unemployed or between roles
  - Currently in a part-time role, looking for full-time
  - Currently working in another industry but looking to move into Community Management
  - Currently looking for their first job

HOW ARE SCHOLARSHIP RECIPENTS CHOSEN?

Scholarships are assigned with a deliberate emphasis on creating increased diversity inside TheCR Network. Scholarships are:

Open to all industries; priority to traditionally underserved or underfunded industries
Open to international locations (Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, Oceania); priority to traditionally-underserved, -underrepresented, or -underfunded locations
Open to all backgrounds; Priority to those looking to move into Community Management and /or with backgrounds in Community-related roles (Social Media Management, Events Managers, Community Organizing, etc.)
Open to all levels of experience; preference to those with 0-5 years of Community Management experience
Open to and encourage all skillsets to apply, priority to those with Community-related experience/skills (Content creation/management, engagement strategy, technology management, etc.)
Preference to those looking for a future in Community or Community Management
Preference to those looking for (or have pursued) a TheCR Network membership
Open to those looking to advance the Community space and/or Community approaches in their specific industry/space
Open to those with the desire to learn and gain skills & experience in the Community space

The application window for the 2021 Scholarship Class had closed.

Scholarship recipients will be notified no later than January 11, 2021. Scholarship activities kick off on January 18, 2021 and run through December 2021.