What is required to apply to the open call?
First, applicants must complete the pre-application questionnaire. This questionnaire will help determine if prospective applicants are eligible to hold a Bellagio Center convening and provide insight on how the application may be evaluated against our convening selection criteria found in Elements of a Successful Bellagio Convening. After completing the pre-application questionnaire, eligible applicants are provided an application to download.
The application includes background information (e.g., applicant, convening organizer, and project manager background information) and five short-answer questions. The completed application must be submitted via the online submission portal in a DOC.
The Program Team will contact select applicants for a virtual interview, typically six to nine months before the proposed convening date. Applicants will be provided additional questions to submit ahead of the call.
How will my application be evaluated, and what convenings do you prioritize?
Please see the Elements of a Successful Bellagio Convening page to read more about what we consider when selecting Bellagio convenings, and Application Themes for the 2025 thematic focus areas. Please note we also accept applications outside of these thematic focus areas. All applications must demonstrate a charitable purpose. The open call process is highly competitive. Please understand that even strong applications may be declined.
When is the 2025 open call application deadline?
Applications must be submitted via the online portal by June 14th, 2024, by 5:00 pm EDT.
What are the eligibility criteria?
The following conditions must be met to organize a Bellagio Center convening:
- All Applicant Individuals must be over the age of 18
- Applicant Individuals cannot be a U.S. Government Official
- Applicant Individuals cannot currently be running for public office, or planning to run for office during the convening
- All Applicant Individuals cannot be Rockefeller Foundation Personnel or a Related Party
- The convening must have a clear social benefit and charitable purpose
The Rockefeller Foundation Personnel or Related Party Definition:
- “Personnel” includes all trustees, officers, and staff of the Foundation, as well as non-trustee members of the Investment Committee.
- “Related Party” includes any living spouse, domestic partner, parent, sibling, child, or other family member or individual with whom there is an intimate personal and/or economic relationship.
- For Foundation trustees, directors, officers, key employees, and persons exercising the power of such positions, “related party” includes the following living relatives:
- Spouse or domestic partners;
- Parents and step-parents;
- Grandparents and step-grandparents;
- Siblings and half-siblings and their spouses;
- Children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and their spouses; and
- Other family members or individuals with whom there is an intimate personal and/or economic relationship
When will I hear back?
Applications are evaluated every quarter and either approved, waitlisted, or declined. We strive to notify applicants if they are approved, waitlisted, or declined at least four to six months before the requested convening date.
When do convenings take place?
The Bellagio Center typically hosts convenings from February through December.
Can I specify specific dates for my convening?
If approved, we will provide available dates. While we try to accommodate the applicant’s requested timeframes, we cannot guarantee specific dates will be available.
How long are convenings?
Convenings at Bellagio occur over five days (Monday through Friday or Tuesday through Saturday). The first day is reserved for participant arrivals, followed by three working days, and the final day is reserved for departures. While we can accommodate convenings shorter than five days, we cannot accommodate requests longer than five days.
How many participants can I have?
The maximum number of participants (including all staff and security personnel) is 21 or 22, depending on the facility. We generally cannot accommodate convenings with more than 22 participants.
Can I invite more participants to my convening if they stay in a hotel rather than at the center?
No. All convening participants (including support staff and security, if needed) must stay onsite at the Bellagio Center.
Does the Rockefeller Foundation provide funding for travel to the Bellagio Center?
The Rockefeller Foundation provides convening facilities, meals, accommodations, and ground transportation for all convenings held at the Bellagio Center. Convening host organizations, or their participants, are expected to cover international travel costs to reach Milan, Italy; however, travel support awards are available to help organizations defray expenses for individuals who would not otherwise be able to participate.
In general, we do not defray costs for individuals from well-resourced organizations, such as philanthropic institutions or corporations, nor for participants in convenings hosted by well-resourced organizations. The Rockefeller Foundation cannot support the travel costs for US Government Officials or High-Net-Worth Individuals.
Can my organization submit multiple applications?
Organizing, planning, and executing a successful convening takes significant time and resources. While we do not limit the number of applications an organization submits, it is discouraged. We recommend carefully considering the bandwidth necessary to support, organize, and resource multiple convenings in a single year and prioritize the most promising work.
Where can I go if I still have questions?
Email the Bellagio Program Team at bellagioapplicant@rockfound.org.