At our 20th Anniversary in April, we announced the launch of Cadre, a coordinated, strategic intervention that equips equity-driven leaders and organizations with the tools, support, and collective infrastructure they need not only to withstand this moment but also to shape what comes next. Cadre represents our conviction that hope is still possible, and necessary, even in the face of strategic disorientation, organizational fatigue, leadership burnout, and deepening isolation.
A key component of Cadre is Aya, Cadre’s unique fellowship program. The Aya Fellowship is a dynamic, 12-month consultancy-based program crafted to empower nonprofit and philanthropic leaders with strategic resilience. Participants gain essential frameworks to sustain equity and justice efforts amid legal and political adversity, practical tools to manage risks, navigate crises, and future-proof DEI initiatives, and access to leading experts and a robust peer network for collective support and action. To learn more about Aya and the additional Cadre suite of offerings, visit the website.
We just launched the Aya Fellowship application! Apply by October 31st to join our inaugural cohort.
CLICK TO APPLY
FELLOWSHIP ELIGIBILITY
Aya is designed for teams of leaders from nonprofit organizations who are doing their part to create a world where all people can thrive—where communities are inclusive and everyone has access to the resources, rights, and recognition they need to prosper. Ideal fellows are organizational leadership teams that:
- Are navigating political, legal, or narrative threats to their work;
- Believe that institutional resilience and collective leadership are essential to advancing long-term change;
- Are committed to building organizations where all people—staff, constituents, and communities—can show up with dignity and power;
- Envision a democracy where everyone has the ability to participate, contribute, and shape our shared future.
FELLOWSHIP TRACKS
- Strategy Track: Future-Proofing Equity + Justice Work
- Defense Track: Legal, Policy, and Crisis Navigation
- Support Track: Peer Learning & Collective Action