LeadingAge members can participate in a new Leadership Fellowship pilot program, funded by the Next 50 Foundation. Deadline is March 27.
A $250,000 grant from the Next50 Foundation will allow LeadingAge to establish a Leadership Fellowship pilot program to help high-potential individuals enter the field of aging services. LeadingAge provider organizations are invited to participate in the program by hosting a fellow.
The provider recruitment process is underway and will continue through March 27, 2025.
A group of up to 10 fellows will participate in the Leadership Fellowship pilot program during its first year. The fellows, recruited by LeadingAge partner United Negro College Fund (UNCF), will be master’s program graduates or mid-career professionals with experience in nonclinical positions such as finance, human resources, or data analytics.
Funds from the Next50 Foundation will cover the costs of recruiting fellows and developing the pilot program’s mentoring and education elements, including curricula on aging services and cultural competencies.
HOW LEADINGAGE MEMBERS CAN PARTICIPATE
LeadingAge members participating in the Leadership Fellowship pilot program will be asked to employ a fellow for one year. Host organizations will provide fellows with a full-time salary and benefits. They will also be asked to:
- Support fellows as they participate in training and mentoring programs funded by the grant.
- Help the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston evaluate the program.
There’s still time to join the Leadership Fellowship pilot program as a host organization. Here’s the timeline for participating:
- Provider Recruitment:The provider recruitment process is currently underway and will continue through March 27, 2025. Interested providers are asked to commit their organizations to participating in the program and submit a position description for the prospective fellow as soon as possible. UNCF will recruit prospective fellow candidates during February and March.
- Fellow Interviews and Offers:In March-April, each participating provider will interview prospective candidates for the fellowship program and make its hiring selection.
- Fellow Transition to New Work Location: May
- Fellowship Launch: The fellowship program will launch in June.
For more information about the fellowship program and to begin the application process, please contact LTSS Center team members Adrienne Ruffin (aruffin@leadingage.org) or Natasha Bryant (nbryant@leadingage.org)
Learn more about recruitment of fellows by reading this interview with Mary Williams, director of outreach and recruitment at UNCF.
AN INNOVATIVE MODEL AND A STRONG PARTNERSHIP
The Leadership Fellowship pilot program will follow a cohort learning model. This model emphasizes collaboration, interaction, and discussion among fellows who progress together through the program. The shared learning experience is designed to support the development of future professional relationships and career success.
In addition to UNCF and LeadingAge, the program team includes these partners:
- The Erickson School of Aging Studies at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) will develop the program’s aging services curriculum and deliver training to help fellows learn about the field of aging and develop their leadership skills.
- Mentorship and cultural competency expert Nzinga Shaw, founder of Attack the Glass, will develop workshop programming for fellows and preceptors. The workshops will focus on creating a culture of belonging.
- Fellows will be matched with a mentor who can guide them through the fellowship.
- The LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston will evaluate the program to assess its impact and inform future efforts to scale and sustain it.
“We are so excited to bring together this amazing group of partners,” said LTSS Center Co-Director Robyn Stone. “UNCF, the UMBC Erickson School, Zinga Shaw, LeadingAge, and LeadingAge providers are each making an important and unique contribution to building a remarkable program that will become a model for fellowships in our field. We’re thrilled to work with all of these partners to address our sector’s workforce issues and bring new talent to aging services.”
ABOUT NEXT50
Next50 is a Colorado-based national foundation working toward a society that values aging and makes growing older an empowering, fulfilling experience. The foundation invests in innovative and equitable programs that create economic opportunity for older adults, especially in low-income communities and communities of color. It funds programming in three key areas: ending age-related bias and discrimination, advancing digital equity so technology is available to all, and making it possible for people to age where they want to live.
“Inclusivity in the aging services workforce is more important than ever,” said Peter Kaldes, president & CEO of Next50. “We’re pleased to take action and partner with innovators like LeadingAge, who will change the status quo and help to make America a better place to grow old.”