Closing Date: 01 September 2024
Check out the Movement Leader Fellowship 2025 cohort (Funded to New York)
What is the Movement Leader Fellowship?
Leadership for Democracy and Social Justice at the Colin Powell School and CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies invites applications for the 2025 cohort of the Movement Leader Fellowship, a program designed to give established professionals in the social justice sector an opportunity to hone their leadership skills, immerse themselves in theory and practice, and expand their community in movement work. This year-long program provides an intensive cohort experience, granting people the chance to connect and build relationships across issues, take space for reflection, and prepare themselves for the next level of leadership. The program offers a unique combination of academic coursework to expose practitioners to relevant fields in political economy, policy, and organizing with practical skills such as management, power analysis, and strategy development
The Movement Leader Fellowship is for leaders in base-building, labor and community organizing with approximately 10-15 years of experience in social justice work. They strongly encourage applicants from historically marginalized backgrounds such as Black Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), women and nonbinary people, LGBTQ+ people, and people from low-income, working class, and immigrant backgrounds.
Priority Application Deadline: September 1, 2024
Final Application Deadline: September 21, 2024
The Movement Leader Fellowship offers:
- Three In-Person week-long retreats across the country. Travel, meals and lodging are covered by LDSJ. Exact locations will be provided to participants after their acceptance.
- Retreat Dates:
- Week 1: February 24-28, 2025
- Week 2: July 21-25, 2025
- Week 3: November 17-21, 2025
- Retreat Dates:
- An Advanced Certificate in Organizing and Social Change from the City University of New York
- The Certificate includes two virtual academic classes (1 per semester) over the course of the year:
- A virtual, 3-credit, graduate-level academic class on Power & Strategy through the CUNY School of Labor & Urban Studies. The semester begins on January 25, 2025 and ends May 22, 2025. This class meets once per week from 6:15-8:45pm ET. See here for CUNY’s academic calendar.
- The Fall 2025 semester (August 2024-December 2024) course is TBA, and will also meet once/week from 6:15-8:45pm ET.
- The academic class requires about 2 hours of work time each week in addition to class time. It’s crucial that Fellows work with their organization to make sufficient time to commit to the class.
- The Certificate includes two virtual academic classes (1 per semester) over the course of the year:
- 360 Leadership Assessment
- 1-1 Executive coaching
- Meaningful connection amongst a cohort of peers organizing and enacting social change throughout the country
- Access to a national alumni network of movement leaders
- Virtual touchpoints in between retreats for workshops, mentorship, and coaching
Join an Info Session to learn more about the Movement Leader Fellowship
They are hosting virtual information sessions for potential applicants on:
Can’t make it to either session? Please reach out to Riki for any questions or concerns
Fellows in the Movement Leaders Fellowship will receive training and development on:
- Power & Strategy
- Management
- Leadership + Personal Ecology
- Cohort Community + Connection
- Movement History + Worldview Local and National
- Career Empowerment
Ideal candidates for the Movement Leader Fellowship are:
- Social justice leaders with 10-15 years of experience
- Currently occupying roles at base-building, labor, and community-based organizations with a focus on supporting historically oppressed communities
- Engaged in full-time work with direct oversight of a team, budget, campaign, etc.
- Committed to building power
- Able to fully commit to ALL components of the fellowship
- We encourage applicants from marginalized communities such as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC); women and nonbinary people; LGBTQ+ people; in addition to people from low-income, working class, and immigrant backgrounds
- Interested in deep study and learning in a community of their peers
How much does the fellowship cost?
Applicants do not have to pay to apply or participate in the fellowship. Their employers or host organizations will be asked to make a contribution on a sliding scale. Contributions are suggested – not mandatory – and do not carry weight in the application or interview process. They have robust scholarships available to all applicants.
- Organizations with an annual budget of $5+ million = suggested amount of $10,000 per participant
- Organizations with an annual budget between $2-5 million = suggested amount of $5,000 per participant
- Organizations with an annual budget less than a $2 million = suggested amount of $2,500 per participant
Application Process:
Applicants selected for interviews will be notified via email. Interviews will be held via Zoom in October. Any applicant selected for an interview must submit a form indicating their organization’s support for their participation in the program by October 25th. The final cohort will have up to 24 fellows. Invitations to join the cohort will be sent via email in early November.
Click Here To Apply
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