About the Bellagio Center/

The Bellagio Center Residency Program

Applications for the 2027 Bellagio Center Residency Program will open on March 3.

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 26-day 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:

  • 26 days 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

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

What We Seek

The Bellagio Center Residency Program supports leading thinkers, doers, and creators from any discipline whose projects demonstrate clear social impact and works toward the betterment of humanity. We seek work that offers novel solutions, generates new knowledge, or inspires change for those who need it most — focusing on advancements for the public, scholarship, and/or charitable beneficiaries over private or for‑profit gains.

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

  • Unlocking solutions for vulnerable populations as a result of engaging unlikely partners
  • Developing solutions that empower people and communities
  • Driving solutions at scale for those who need it most through innovative financing and technological advances

Learn About the Application Themes

The Bellagio Center Residency Program includes an interdisciplinary mix of scholars, artists, and practitioners. We select leaders for this program through two channels:

General Open Call: Our general open call welcomes exceptional leaders from any field or area of practice.

Thematic Open Call: In addition, The Rockefeller Foundation prioritizes residencies aligned with the themes outlined below.

  • Universal Energy Abundance
    Expanding access to abundant, reliable, and affordable clean energy can transform opportunities for billions of people, especially in communities historically underserved by current energy systems. Accelerating innovation in renewable technologies, storage, and distribution can unlock new pathways for economic growth, climate resilience, and universal well-being.
  • Food Systems and Nutrition
    Every person deserves healthy, nutritious food that is grown sustainably. While our food system delivers extraordinary benefits, it’s also one of the largest contributors to environmental destruction today. At the same time, people are becoming sicker from what they eat and from not having enough food, while farmers face increasing challenges from extreme weather events, water availability, and food insecurity. Together, we must work to create a food system that benefits all consumers, producers, and the planet on which we all depend. We know this is possible by evolving how we grow, produce, purchase, distribute, and consume food.
  • Economic Mobility
    Economic mobility is the ability for people to move into stable, better‑paying work and build lasting financial security. It’s shaped by the quality of jobs available, the practical pathways that help people access and keep those jobs, and the conditions in their communities, including childcare, training, transportation, employer practices, and local investment, that make work possible and advancement real.
  • Health
    Global health is entering a period of significant strain as long‑standing systems confront growing pressures from climate change and other 21st‑century challenges. Extreme heat, now one of the most visible and costly climate‑driven health threats, is exposing system vulnerabilities, affecting livelihoods, and reshaping where people can live and work safely. Addressing these impacts will require reimagining health approaches and advancing science, coordination, and community‑informed action to support resilience in a rapidly warming world.
  • Artificial Intelligence for Good
    The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence presents both significant opportunities and complex risks for societies everywhere. Harnessing AI responsibly can accelerate progress on global challenges — from education to public health — while ensuring transparency, equity, and accountability in its deployment.
  • Catalytic Finance
    Meeting today’s global challenges requires new financial tools capable of mobilizing resources at scale for underserved communities and climate vulnerable regions. Innovative financing mechanisms — such as blended capital, catalytic investments, and outcomes-based financing models — can unlock funding for solutions that create long-term, equitable impact.
  • Climate and Development
    Climate change is altering development trajectories worldwide, putting decades of progress in poverty reduction, infrastructure, and economic growth at risk. By embedding climate resilience into development strategies, we can strengthen communities, safeguard ecosystems, and secure sustainable, long‑term progress in an increasingly unpredictable environment.

Application Timeline

All applications and participation are subject to the Bellagio Center Residency Program Terms and Conditions. Applications for the 2027 Bellagio Center Residency Program will open on March 3. Sign up below to receive updates and be notified when applications go live.

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Our Bellagio Center Residents

On average, we welcome approximately 100 residents to the Bellagio Center annually. Coming from all over the world and representing a wide cross-section of expertise, these residents are some of the most ambitious, innovative, and committed leaders of our time.

Meet Our Residents
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