Applications For Our 2021-2022 Fellowship
Please note that applications for the 2021-2022 fellowship cohort are now closed. For more information about our fellowship click here.
June 16, 2020 — Nathan Cummings Foundation is accepting applications for the sixth cycle of our fellowship program. The program provides three individuals with up to $150,000 over 18 months to turn an inspired idea that advances social justice into a reality. Fellows also receive hands-on training, resources, and leadership development to scale the impact of their work.
“Amid the coronavirus crisis, anti-racism uprisings, and a pivotal election year, we have a chance to promote extraordinary progress,” said Vice President of Programs Leticia Peguero. “The moment calls for bold and visionary leaders who are building a better future. Our fellows are those leaders.”
Our fellowship is designed for emergent leaders in the U.S. who have limited access to institutional philanthropy and whose work is traditionally underfunded. The topic of a fellow’s project should generally align with the foundation’s focus on climate change and inequality. It should aim to transform systems and mindsets that hinder progress towards a more sustainable and equitable future for all people, particularly women and people of color. The foundation is also interested in innovative approaches that cut across topics.
Our current fellows are engaged in groundbreaking work that builds power in their respective communities for the long-term. Chas Moore is helping cities across the United States renegotiate police union contracts and reinvest dollars in communities through Better Before More and the Austin Justice Coalition. Wahleah Johns is bringing solar energy to Native communities while training the first generation of Navajo solar installers through Native Renewables’ Navajo Clean Energy Program. Jonathan Lykes is providing healing and training systems operators in trauma-informed, Black, queer, and feminist approaches to care and policymaking through the Keeping Ballroom Community Alive Network (KBCAN).
Applications must be received by 11:59 pm EST on September 1, 2020. Fellows will be selected within eight months of the application deadline. The 2021-2022 Fellowship cohort will officially begin in June 2021.
We strongly encourage movement builders, disruptors, and system thinkers from all backgrounds and fields to apply. Applicants should demonstrate a deep understanding and clear analysis of the field in which they work. They should also have a history of success in this field but be positioned to benefit from the Foundation’s support.
Learn more about the program and apply at nathancummings.org/our-fellows.