Apply and Become Obama Foundation Fellow 2019. Closes on Tuesday, September 18, 2018.

The Obama Foundation Fellowship supports outstanding civic innovators – leaders who are working with their communities to create transformational change, addressing some of the world’s most pressing problems. The program selects 20 community-minded rising stars from around the world for a two-year, non-residential program, designed to amplify the impact of their work and inspire a wave of civic innovation.

 

OBAMA FOUNDATION FELLOWS ARE

Civic innovators

Fellows are working alongside their communities to solve important public problems in creative and meaningful ways. Living out the Foundation’s values of Imagination and Fearlessness, Fellows are bringing bold ideas to bear on the most pressing problems we face. By engaging their communities in this work, they create stronger and more sustainable solutions.

Discipline diverse

As organizers, inventors, artists, entrepreneurs, and more, Fellows illustrate the power of drawing upon diverse talents and approaches to drive meaningful change. The Fellowship provides a space for leaders across disciplines to learn from one another, ultimately making their own work more impactful.

At a tipping point in their work

Fellows have already demonstrated direct and meaningful impact in their communities, gaining recognition among their peers for their contributions. Now, they stand at a breakthrough moment in their careers. They’re poised to use the Fellowship to significantly advance their work, perhaps by launching new platforms, expanding their footprint, establishing models that others can adopt, or shifting the national or global conversation on a topic.

Talented, but not connected

The Foundation is committed to expanding the circle of opportunity to include new and varied voices. The Fellowship is designed to support leaders who have not already benefited from prestigious opportunities or global attention. We’re excited to lift up civic innovators who are not currently connected to the networks and resources they need to advance their work.

Good humans

Fellows demonstrate the values of the Obama Foundation and are eager to participate in the Fellowship community now and in the future. By bringing strong personal values to the cohort, Fellows build an authentic, inclusive, and collaborative community that provides lasting value.

We encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply for this opportunity.

Apply to be an Obama Foundation Fellow

 

Applications for the 2019 Obama Foundation Fellowship opened Tuesday, August 21, 2018 at 10am Central Time and will close on Tuesday, September 18, 2018 at 10am Central Time.

Click here to apply to be an Obama Foundation Fellow.

 

The 2018 Fellows

When we opened applications for the inaugural Obama Foundation Fellowship, over 20,000 people from 191 countries applied. From that incredible pool, we’ve selected 20 inaugural Fellows who represent 11 countries around the world.

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These Obama Foundation Fellows are powerful examples of the many pathways we can take to improve our communities. These civic leaders bring a variety of disciplines and skill sets to their work – including community organizing, healthcare, technology, and the arts – and they apply those talents to a range of missions, from empowering parents and teachers to improve our schools, to ensuring deaf children have equal access to literacy tools, to bringing trauma-informed care to the criminal justice system and refugee camps, to working with partners across the healthcare system to treat addiction collaboratively.

These leaders are working hand-in-hand with their communities to build better futures. They understand that creating change often requires reaching out across the lines that divide us. And their successes to date show how collaborative, community-driven work can lead to strong, imaginative, and long-lasting solutions – even on some of our most intractable and polarizing problems.

Meet our inspiring class of 2018 Fellows below – and learn more about the Fellowship and how you can apply to our 2019 class here!