The Bellagio Center Residency Program

Where else could an economist, a painter, an astrophysicist, and a poet work together to address the most pressing issues of our time? The Bellagio Center supports leaders to advance novel solutions and develop partnerships that may at first seem unlikely — unlocking breakthroughs essential to humanity’s well-being.

The Rockefeller Foundation believes good ideas can come from anyone, anywhere. For more than 60 years, our Bellagio Center Residency Program has supported innovators, trailblazers, changemakers, and champions to advance specific breakthrough projects. Bellagio seeks to inspire collaboration across sectors and professions, political affiliations, and national borders. In sharing their knowledge, approaches, and perspectives, residents strengthen their work and collectively transform the issues that define our present and shape our future.

Based in Lake Como, Italy, the four-week residency offers participants the opportunity to unleash their creativity and advance groundbreaking work. Residents can take advantage of focused, uninterrupted work time in this unique environment while participating in an interdisciplinary, cross-cultural cohort. They form lasting bonds and stay connected to The Rockefeller Foundation long after their residency ends as members of the Bellagio Network.

The Bellagio Center has hosted some of the most ambitious, innovative, and committed leaders of our time — including more than 85 Nobel Laureates. Previous guests include economists Amartya Sen and Milton Friedman, United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, former Deputy Chief Justice of South Africa Dikgang Moseneke, former United States Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, renowned author Maya Angelou, former President of Ireland Mary Robinson, and more.

Our Residents Are

• Leaders with significant achievement and recognition in their field
• Forward-looking, with a track record of advancing breakthrough ideas or actions that have had tremendous impact
• Aligned with The Rockefeller Foundation’s mission to promote the well-being of humanity
• Curious and collaborative — open to giving and receiving feedback from a diverse group of fellow residents
• Excited to remain active in the Bellagio Network after their residency

Our Program Offers

• Up to four (4) weeks at The Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center in Lake Como, Italy
• Room and board with a private studio for working
• A shared community of up to 14 scholars, artists, and practitioners from around the world
• Travel funding
• Future participation in an international network of Bellagio Center alumni, united in the shared purpose of creating a better world

2026 Residency Application Now Open

All applications and participation are subject to the Bellagio Center Residency Program Terms and Conditions, which should be reviewed in their entirety before applying.

The Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center has a proud history of spurring action and impact to address pressing global challenges. Every year, we seek candidates from a broad range of fields, areas of practice and expertise, backgrounds, and perspectives.

PROJECTS AND THEMES

Application Themes

The Bellagio Center Residency Program is for thinkers, doers, and dreamers working in any discipline or area of study. Projects can be based on any topic but must demonstrate clear social impact and charitable purpose. We look for applications that produce novel solutions and approaches, as well as new knowledge and art that inspires change.

We encourage applications that include at least one of these dimensions:

• Unlocking solutions as a result of engaging unlikely partners, including policymakers
• Developing solutions that empower people, communities, and nations to adapt
• Driving solutions at scale through innovative financing and technological advances

Learn About the Application Themes

Our general open call accepts applications from exceptional leaders in any field or area of practice. In addition, The Rockefeller Foundation is especially interested in supporting residencies aligned with the themes outlined below.

Food is Medicine

Access to affordable, nutritious food is crucial for good health, yet many Americans, particularly those in under-resourced communities, face barriers. Integrating nutrition into our healthcare system would enable doctors to prescribe healthy food and use food-based interventions to help prevent, manage, and treat diet-related diseases while lowering healthcare costs.

Artificial Intelligence and The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Advances in artificial intelligence have accelerated dramatically over the past two years. There is an opportunity to deploy AI for social good to help accelerate breakthrough progress on The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

Women, Girls, and Climate

It is estimated that 158 million more women and girls, particularly in low-income and rural communities, will be pushed into extreme poverty because of climate change. At the same time, women and girls have a critical role to play in advancing solutions that make opportunity universal and sustainable. Reimagining the lives of women and girls amid climate change can unlock new opportunities to advance better social, financial, and climate outcomes for the whole of society.

Migration and Climate

An estimated 143 million individuals in the Global South — primarily Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America — are projected to be internally displaced by 2050 due to the impacts of climate change, such as rising sea levels, extreme weather, and resource scarcity. Accurate modeling and forecasting of migration dynamics can inform solutions that create economic opportunity and effective policy responses that strengthen the resilience of the displaced populations and host communities.

Water and Climate

In the face of climate change, increasing water scarcity and pollution threaten lives and livelihoods in communities across the world. As climate change exacerbates these issues, the risks to public health and sustainable food production intensify, threatening the resilience of communities and their ability to thrive. Investments in water infrastructure, governance, and conservation will help address disparities, support resilient ecosystems, and foster inclusive growth.

Energy Systems and Climate

840 million people still lack access to electricity and more than 3 billion people cannot access the Modern Energy Minimum of 1,000 kwh per year– even when the power sector is the biggest contributor of greenhouse gases. There is an opportunity to increase access to clean and renewable energy, supporting a just transition by creating new jobs, diversifying economies, and boosting revenue, with a stable and durable supply of responsibly mined minerals to power the energy transition.

Health Systems and Climate

One in four deaths today can be attributed to preventable environmental causes that are exacerbated by climate change, such as heat, air pollution, infectious and vector-borne diseases, mental health, and others. Strengthened community-level health systems can help ensure that communities are better prepared to understand, predict, and respond to the impact of climate change on health and well-being.

Food Systems and Climate

Hundreds of millions of people around the world still go to bed hungry. Sustainable and climate-friendly ways exist to produce enough nutritious food — such as expanding alternative proteins, reducing food waste, and improving agricultural practices. There is an opportunity to explore additional innovative solutions to feed the world's poor and hungry, including school children, while also enhancing the sustainability and resilience of our food system.

Climate Finance

The annual climate finance gap is projected to reach $2.7 trillion by 2050, highlighting the urgent need for new financial tools to mobilize capital at scale for the benefit of underserved groups. Traditional financing models have struggled to keep up with the speed of climate change. Innovative instruments like blended finance, green bonds, and outcome-based financing can attract investors, reduce risks, and unlock critical funding for people and planet. Developing flexible and scalable financial solutions is key to driving the investments needed for a sustainable and resilient future.

Who Should Apply and Types of Projects

The Bellagio Center Residency Program is available to a range of leaders including:

• Academics and ScholarsUniversity- and think-tank-based academics, researchers, professors, and scientists working in any discipline. These projects frequently advance a scholarly discipline or field of study and often lead to a published book or article.
• ArtistsArtists and writers — including but not limited to composers, fiction and non-fiction writers, playwrights, poets, video/filmmakers, dancers, musicians, and visual artists — who share in the Foundation’s mission of promoting the well-being of humanity and produce work that inspires change and action. Art projects can be in the research, production, and/or post-production stage.
• PractitionersSenior-level policymakers, nonprofit leaders, journalists, private-sector leaders, and public advocates in a variety of fields and sectors. These projects can take many different forms, including books, articles, organizational plans, and policy briefs.

Selection Process

Bellagio Center residents are selected through an annual open call for applications, as well as an internal referral process. In both cases, individuals must submit an application and go through a competitive review process.

The first step in the application process is a Pre-Application Questionnaire to verify eligibility. Eligible applicants can then complete an online Expression of Interest to share more about their professional background and proposed project. The Rockefeller Foundation will invite a shortlist of candidates to submit a full application. An external review panel will inform the selection of finalists to proceed to the interview stage. Final decisions will be made by the end of December 2025.

To apply for the 2026 residency and find more information on the process, including application forms, evaluation criteria, and frequently asked questions, click the button below.

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