Scholarships and Opportunities

Note: These scholarships and opportunities are not provided by the Acton Institute.

Employment Opportunities

Acton Academy
1106 West Avenue, Austin, TX 78701
Web: ActonAcademy.org
Contact: ActonAcademySearch@gmail.com

Position: Apprentice Guide

Educational Philosophy

The staff at Acton Academy believes that clear thinking leads to good decisions, that good decisions lead to the right habits, that the right habits lead to character and that character becomes destiny.

Job Summary

The Acton Academy is seeking two Apprentice Guides (“guide” being Acton’s word for "teacher") who are ready to change the world of education.

Acton Academy is a new and innovative elementary and middle school that blends state of the art software, projects with real world application, Socratic discussions and the Hero’s Journey in a student-centered, multi-age classroom. Acton exists to move learners"adults and children alike"from receivers of knowledge to self-seekers of knowledge to Socratic Guides who are then capable of leading schools (if they choose). If your goal is to instill your love of learning in others while growing along this continuum, then this is your chance to get in on the ground floor of one of the world’s most promising, new blended models.

Description of job: Modeling our belief that being an apprentice is one of the best ways to learn skills and knowledge, this job entails assisting with the implementation of curriculum in the classroom under the guidance of the Lead Guide and the Project Guide including leading Socratic group discussions, guiding small groups and individual students, mentoring students as they work on software related to their reading, language and math learning, participating in field trips, PE and Art; and filling in as Lead Guide in the absence of Lead Guide. In addition, the Apprentice Guide will assist in maintaining the classroom environment, updating the class website, documenting projects and student growths, archiving class photos, researching new project and curriculum ideas, and accumulating work for portfolios for each student.

Annual Pay (12 months): Though a significant portion of compensation package is the modeling and training one receives in this unique, powerful learning opportunity, the Guide Apprenticeship also includes annual base pay of $25,000 plus an annual bonus of $6,000 paid in quarterly installments if earned. Salary payment is made bimonthly. The bonus will be earned in accordance to the achievement of specific goals agreed upon between Apprentice Guide and Head of School. Candid performance reviews will be held at the end of each quarter. Performance reviews will be conducted by Head of School.

Qualifications: A deep curiosity about life and love of lifelong learning; entrepreneurial spirit; Montessori, project-based and/or experiential learning training is helpful; homeschooling experience is a plus; commitment to free market ideals; proven excellence in guiding children in or out of a school environment; proven excellence in written and oral communication skills; evident passion for being on a Hero’s Journey. This is a position for an independent learner who can take direction, but who can also work with little direct guidance; someone who likes to experiment, evaluate and improve on everything they do; someone who has a deep respect for all children; someone who has empathy for the challenges these children face in their lives.

Next Steps

Candidates should email a resume and thoughtful cover letter that outlines their Hero’s Journey, how their skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position, whether they are interested in elementary, middle school, or both, as well as how they heard about this opportunity (both in Word format) to Lauran Jansma-Grimes at opportunities@actonacademy.org, with the subject line “Apprentice Guide.” Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Find more informationabout the position and application process here.

The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews
P.O. Box 96105
Washington, D.C., 20090-6105

Position: Major Gifts Officer

Are you called to a mission that bridges understanding between Christians and Jews in order to provide humanitarian relief to over a million Jews around the world? Then you may be called to the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.

The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (The Fellowship) is seeking a resourceful and dynamic individual as a Major Gifts Officer to promote our mission and build strong support among major donors. The MGO will engage, cultivate, and solicit current and prospective major donors in the western region of the US (primarily California, Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico). Although our corporate headquarters is located in Chicago, we will consider candidates from the states listed above with preference for California, Colorado, or Arizona.

Key functions of this role will include:

Cultivating major donors through appropriate moves management strategy. Coordinating and conducting donor visits as necessary.
Managing a caseload of approximately 125 – 150 prospects/ donors. Creating and closing proposals with a giving goal of $1 – 3 million annually.
Working closely with the planned giving team in identifying planned giving leads among major donors.
Updating the donor database and reports regularly as required and requested.

Ideal candidates will possess:

Bachelor’s degree in Business or equivalent experience.
CFRE certification preferred.
Ability to travel domestically at least 50% of the time.
Minimum of 5 years of experience in fundraising and cultivating major donors. Sales and customer relation management experience.
Proven ability to build relationships with a wide range of donors and to understand the needs and passions of donors.
Proven fundraising track record in major gifts and planned giving with ability to apply appropriate moves management strategies.
Deep understanding of both the Christian and Jewish communities. Strong understanding of issues related to Israel and the Middle East.
Excellent negotiation and closing skills. Effective and compassionate listening skills. Exceptional presentation skills.
Results-oriented, detail-oriented, highly organized, and excellent follow through.
Basic knowledge of estate planning and planned gifts
Ability to effectively work independently with minimal direction.
Intermediate level proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Power Point) and customer/ donor databases experience.

To Apply:

If you are ready to work with a great team of people and you have the experience, skill and talent to be successful in this exciting role, please submit your resume with your salary requirements. Thank you for your interest in The Fellowship. We are an equal opportunity employer.

Fellowship Opportunities

The Claremont Institute
The Publius Fellowships are awarded to highly qualified college seniors, recent college graduates, and graduate students pursuing careers in politics, scholarship, or journalism. A stipend, travel expenses, and housing are included in the fellowship.

Every summer since 1979, the Claremont Institute has brought together a select group of young conservatives for the Publius Fellowship. These Publius Fellows meet with the Institute's Senior Fellows and other distinguished visiting scholars to study American politics and political thought. In intensive daily seminars and relaxed evening symposia, fellows discuss great American readings—from the Founding, the Civil War, the Progressive Era, and the enduring disputes today between liberalism and conservatism. Fellows also work with the editors and writers of the Claremont Review of Books to hone the craft of political writing.

The Publius program takes its name from The Federalist Papers. Written in 1787-88 as a series of newspaper essays, The Federalist Papers remain the preeminent work of American political journalism. Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay published the papers under the pen name "Publius," a founder of the Roman republic. The Federalist addressed the crucial political question of their day, the ratification of the Constitution and the founding of the American republic. Publius drew on both political philosophy and the experience of statesmen to commend the Constitution as the basis of free and just government.

The Publius Program will be held June 24- July 9, 2011. For more information and to apply, please click here.

Institute for Humane Studies

Humane Studies Fellowships are awarded to graduate students and outstanding undergraduates planning academic careers and engaged in liberty-advancing research. The fellowships support students in variety of fields, such as economics, philosophy, law, political science, history, and sociology.

Awards range from $2,000 to $15,000 and fellowship winners may re-apply for each year of their studies. In 2010, the Institute for Humane Studies awarded more than $650,000 to 180 students.

The program is open to full-time graduate students, including law and MBA students, and undergraduate juniors and seniors with a demonstrated intent to pursue an academic career.

Deadline is January 31, 2013. For more information and to apply, please click here.

Internships

Journalism
IHS Journalism Internships provide a stipend, housing allowance, and travel allowance. Placements are available for spring, summer and fall. The deadline for spring placement is December 1, the deadline for early decision for the summer is November 1. For more information, please visit www.theihs.org/journalism

Newspaper & Print track: Interns are placed at daily newspapers across the country and participate in an opening career building workshop. The internship offers real reporting assignments -- interns this summer averaged 30 clips.
Broadcast Journalism track: Broadcast Journalism internships offer hands-on internships at major media networks or news production houses. Last year we sponsored internships at CNN in Atlanta, ABC's "20/20" in Manhattan, and Fox News in Los Angeles, among others.

Public Policy and Nonprofit Leadership
The Charles G. Koch Summer Fellow Program offers internships for students and recent graduates interested in public policy. All placements offer participation in the Washington DC opening and closing workshops, a $1,500 stipend, travel reimbursement, and housing (or a housing allowance). DC based interns will attend weekly lectures, panels, and small group discussions on current policy topics. Application Deadline: January 31, 2009.

State-based Policy -- Placements available at policy organizations in over 20 states. www.TheIHS.org/statepolicy
Public Policy -- Interns will spend the summer working at think tanks and nonprofit organizations around the Washington, DC area. www.TheIHS.org/policy

Seminars

Foundation for Economic Education
Since 1946, the Foundation for Economic Education has never wavered from its vital mission: to foster liberty and prosperity for everyone by changing the climate of ideas-one mind at a time. The Foundation carries out this mission by continually deepening the understanding of a free society and by passing this knowledge on to individuals everywhere. This year marks the 47th consecutive year of summer seminars at FEE. We invite you to be a part of FEE's mission and to aid in the cause of individual liberty around the world. We offer seminars for both high school and college students. www.fee.org/seminars