10 Fellowships Supporting Social Entrepreneurship and Community Engagement

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Social entrepreneurship entails the development, funding, and implementation of solutions to cultural, social, or environmental issues for the benefit of the community. Sometimes, profit-making social enterprises may be created to help solve the problems an organization is trying to achieve in a community, however, profit-making isn’t the end goal in itself. For instance, an organization might establish a restaurant in a community to provide employment opportunities for eligibles there. While the restaurant will make a profit, the major goal is the job provision for residents in that community. If you are a social impact worker seeking to address societal issues by employing various means like social entrepreneurship and community engagement, we have listed fellowship opportunities that can help you enhance your career. However, do not forget to subscribe to our newsletter for more updates on fellowship opportunities.

Read also: 10 Fellowships That Support Career Development And Advancement 

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10 Fellowships in Supporting Social Entrepreneurship and Community Engagement

We have listed out ten fellowship opportunities aimed at supporting social entrepreneurship and community engagement: 

1. Ashoka Fellowship

The Ashoka Fellowship is open to passionate individuals who are interested in championing new ideas targeted at transforming society’s systems, providing benefits for everyone, and improving the lives of millions of people. Selected participants are often viewed as role models. They proffer solutions and strategies to areas that require major change in society. Additionally, gellows also have access to a network which will in turn increase their chances of deepening their social impact. 

Benefits: Some of the support of the Ashoka fellowship include:

  • Customized engagement opportunities that accelerate their impact
  • Increased visibility
  • Stipend for up to 3 years 
  • A global community of peers

Application criteria:  To know more about the requirements, click here.

2. Echoing Green Fellowship

Another fellowship that is targeted at supporting social entrepreneurship and community engagement is the Echoing Green Fellowship. The fellowship aims to support leaders all around the globe to make a positive impact. Applicants are expected to be passionate about changing their community. They must be able to identify the problems they face in their locality whilst also creating workable solutions to those problems. The fellowship lasts for 18 months. 

Benefits: The benefits of the fellowship include:

  • Access to leadership development programs
  • A stipend to last for 18 months.
  • Opportunities to connect with experienced business leaders globally
  • Access to self-care workshops among other benefits. 

Application criteria:  To know more about the requirements, click here.

3. Acumen Fellowship

Additionally, the Acumen Fellowship Program aims to bring together individuals who are passionate about working on problems of poverty and equips them with the knowledge, skills, and community to strengthen their leadership and the capacity of their ventures to scale and create meaningful change. Also, the fellowship is targeted at increasing the selected participant’s ability to lead social change and tackle problems of poverty to create a world based on dignity and the principles of moral leadership. The Fellowship looks for “builders” who are working to solve problems of poverty. Builders include Founders, CEOs, and senior leaders (COO, MD, etc.) at for-profit, nonprofit, or hybrid social enterprises, as well as corporate or government sector intrapreneurs. 

Benefits: Acumen covers all fellowship-related expenses during the fellowship year. This includes all costs associated with the seminars including lodging, food, transportation, and visas.

Application criteria:  To know more about the requirements, click here.

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4. Roddenberry Fellowship

Furthermore, the Roddenberry Fellowship aims to bring together exceptional impact enthusiasts to learn, share, and grow in the pursuit of meaningful, long-term change. However, fellows must be willing to work on a project or initiative targeted at impacting civil rights, environmental protection, immigration and refugee rights, women’s rights, and health and wellness. 

Benefits: The benefits of the Roddenberry Fellowship include:

  • The monetary reward of $50,000
  • One-on-one professional coaching and development opportunities
  • Virtual collaboration sessions to provide ongoing advisement, support, and connections
  • Two required in-person retreats
  • A community of peers and allies who share resources, expertise, and support

Application criteria:  To know more about the requirements, click here.

5. Skoll Scholarship for Social Entrepreneurs

Also, the Skill scholarship is open for social entrepreneurs who desire to pursue their MBA at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. Eligible applicants are expected to have an interest in solving social and environmental challenges. The fellowship provides funding to qualified individuals to enable them to be effective in their pursuit of change.

Benefits: The benefits of the scholarship include coverage of full tuition, partial living expenses, access to the Skoll Scholar community, a group of leaders who are positively impacting the world, and exclusive opportunities to meet with world-renowned entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and investors.

Application criteria:  To know more about the requirements, click here.

6. Obama Foundation Fellowship

The Obama Foundation Scholars Program aims to bring together exceptional young leaders from around the world who have a proven track record of finding solutions to challenges in their communities, countries, and regions. Selected applicants must be willing to take up the challenge of studying at Columbia University and in return contribute to the development of their communities.

Benefits: The benefits include a monthly stipend, a furnished studio apartment close to the school, full tuition, medical insurance, and air flight tickets among other benefits. 

Application criteria:  To know more about the requirements, click here.

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7. Resolution Fellowship

Again, another fellowship aimed at supporting social entrepreneurship and community engagement is the Resolution Fellowship. It is open to young leaders who desire to become change-makers. The fellowship offers advisory support, access to resources, and the benefit. of being in a community. 

Benefits: The benefits of the fellowship include seed funding of up to $5,000 for participants to launch the venture proposed for the SVC, mentorship, and support services. 

Application criteria:  To know more about the requirements, click here.

8. Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation Fellowship

The Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation Fellowship aims to improve the quality of the lives of people by creating innovative strategies, systems-changing approaches, and disrupting technologies. The goal of the program is to locate social entrepreneurs who have dynamic ideas and nurture them at the early stages with maximum leverage and total commitment.

Benefits: The benefits of the fellowship include the provision of unrestricted capital (totaling $300,000), the provision of support by joining their board of directors for the 3 years, and partnering with the leader to help them to build capacity in their organization and scale their impact among other benefits. 

Application criteria:  To know more about the requirements, click here.

9. Halcyon Incubator Fellowship

Also, the Halcyon Incubator Fellowship is open to global impact innovators. It seeks to equip early-stage social entrepreneurs with the resources they need to achieve a visible and lasting impact in society. The types of fellowship programs include: 

  • Halcyon’s Flagship Residential Fellowship
  • Opportunity Intensive Fellowship
  • Africa Intensive Fellowship

Benefits: The benefits of the fellowship include an equity-free stipend, Pro-bono support from Halcyon’s legal, business, consulting, and technical partners, Five months of housing and workspace in Washington, DC, Lifelong community of global impact innovations among other benefits. 

Application criteria:  To know more about the requirements, click here.

10. Cordes Fellowship for Social Entrepreneurs

Finally, the Corders Fellowship for Social Entrepreneurs seeks to provide exceptional social entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders engaged in poverty alleviation and economic justice enterprises the opportunity to participate as Delegates in the Opportunity Collaboration. This is a four-day problem-solving, strategic retreat. Cordes Fellows will have the opportunity to attend the full Opportunity Collaboration and take part in all Delegate sessions. 

Benefits: The benefits of the fellowship include a $4,750.00 full scholarship for fellows from non-OECD countries with no registration fee and a $4,000.00 scholarship for fellows from OECD countries with a $750.00 registration fee. Additionally, fellows will have on-site costs for housing and meals (5 nights lodging, 3 meals per day), gratuities, airport shuttle, etc However, the fellows will pay for their airfare tickets. 

Application criteria:  To know more about the requirements, click here.

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