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Emerging Leader Fellowship

Applying for an Emerging Leader Fellowship

ABOUT THE FELLOWSHIP

The Stoneleigh Emerging Leader Fellowship is a two-year, full-time, hands-on position for early career professionals. Fellows work collaboratively with a host organization and the Stoneleigh Foundation to execute a project that advances the missions of these organizations and enhances Fellows’ professional skills and leadership development. The Fellowship provides salary, benefits, and a stipend for professional development. See our Frequently Asked Questions for more information.

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2025-27 SOLICITATION OVERVIEW

The Stoneleigh Foundation is seeking unique and well-developed applications from nonprofit, academic, and public sector organizations interested in hosting an Emerging Leader Fellowship project that focuses on the prevention or reduction of gun violence in Philadelphia through the lens of the youth justice, health (including behavioral health), education and/or child welfare systems or that addresses the social-ecological underpinnings contributing to gun violence.

Host Organization Letter of Interest Due: Friday, November 8, 2024 (closed)

On June 25, 2024, United States Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released an advisory on firearm violence in the United States, citing it as an urgent public health crisis. Defining firearm violence as a public health crisis necessitates solutions that go beyond traditional law enforcement responses and embrace comprehensive, cross-system prevention and intervention strategies. Nationally, in 2022, when looking at the cause of death among young people (ages 1-19) across racial groups, Black youth experienced homicide-related firearm deaths at a greater rate (86%) as compared to Hispanics, all races (76%) and Whites (29%).[i] In Philadelphia in 2023, there were 1,291 non-fatal shootings and 375 fatal shootings. The data demonstrate significant racial disparities, with Black individuals representing 77% of all victims, as compared to Hispanics (15%), Whites (7%), and Asians (1%). The majority of victims are male (87%) and 30 years of age or younger (55%).[ii] As of July 23, 2024, there have been 494 non-fatal and 139 fatal shootings in Philadelphia.[ii] Another area of growing concern is the use of firearms in suicides. In 2022, for the first time on record, the national rate of firearm suicides among Black young people (ages 10-19) surpassed that of White youth. [i]

Beyond the physical and mental consequences for victims and survivors, firearm violence has a significant impact on the surrounding communities that bear witness to these incidents. This includes the social-ecological context in which gun violence exists, as well as its subsequent effects on people and communities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) use a social-ecological framework to address violence prevention that considers the complex interaction among individuals, relationships, communities, and societal factors.[iii] In the case of gun violence, social-ecological factors can include, but are not limited to: social isolation due to fear of neighborhood-based violence; the adoption of health-risk behaviors such as smoking and drug use to manage emotional distress; parental incarceration and/or substance use; and a lack of green space or safe communal gathering places to play games and socialize. Addressing these very complex and intertwined dynamics requires a cross-system, collaborative approach.

[i] https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/priorities/firearm-violence/index.html
[ii] https://controller.phila.gov/philadelphia-audits/mapping-gun-violence/#/
[iii] https://www.cdc.gov/violence-prevention/about/index.html

To that end, the Foundation is seeking project proposals that focus on the prevention or reduction of gun violence in Philadelphia through the lens of the youth justice, health (including behavioral health), education, and/or child welfare systems or that address the social-ecological underpinnings contributing to gun violence. Projects may address one specific system/focus areas or cut across several.

The types of projects the Foundation will consider include, but are not limited to:

  • Projects that emphasize a public health and/or policy change approach to gun violence prevention and/or research that evaluates the impact of related programs.
  • Projects that explore the neighborhood-based and social and ecological variations of gun violence and how this context influences firearm violence and its effects.
  • Community-level gun violence prevention projects that are evidence-informed, trauma-focused and create a shift in social environments and nurture healthy social and emotional development for young people.
  • Projects that meaningfully engage and center the perspectives and voices of communities and individuals with lived experience of gun violence and its effects.
  • Projects that identify and address the primary drivers of gun violence.
  • Projects that explore and address motivations and barriers to gun ownership and possession among youth.
  • Projects that incorporate perspectives across disciplines and develop new and unique approaches for gun violence intervention and prevention.

Examples of project ideas across focus areas could include:

  • Youth Justice: An initiative for legal system-involved young people that provides emotional, social, and other supports; helps youth graduate out of legal supervision; and minimizes recidivism.
  • Health/Behavioral Health: An initiative that improves how a school system identifies and responds to the behavioral health needs of young people to prevent gun carrying or usage.
  • Education: An initiative that addresses the built environment for young people and/or contributes to a safe environment in school settings (ex: after school, weekends, and/or summer).
  • Child Welfare: An initiative that increases child welfare organizations’ ability to identify protective factors that mitigate the impact of gun violence exposure and improve healthy transitions to adulthood.
  • Social-ecological: An initiative that examines the impact of trauma-informed green spaces on the ability of young people to play and socialize safely.

These are simply examples to help applicants understand how to frame a proposed project. Stoneleigh looks forward to new and unique project proposals in these and other subject areas that prevent gun violence.

GUIDELINES

Letters of Interest should be limited to two pages, single-spaced, 12-point font. The letter should include the following sections:

  • About Your Organization: In a paragraph, describe your organization, its mission, and how the mission relates to the problem you are seeking to solve.
  • Problem Statement: In a paragraph, please describe which aspect of gun violence your project will address.
  • Project Description: Tell us about your project. Include goals, activities, key stakeholders, and project partners who will help with the execution of the project. Explain how the project provides a solution to the problem statement, whether your strategy differs from the previous work of your organization, and how the project will add value to firearm violence elimination efforts in Philadelphia. Please include in your project description any approaches you plan to use and list at least two realistic outcomes you will achieve within the 2-year project period.
  • Emerging Leader Fellow: Indicate who will supervise the Fellow and what experience they possess related to the project focus. (Note: Stoneleigh encourages organizations to consider someone other than the Executive Director as the supervisor, due to the multitude of responsibilities these individuals typically have. We realize that in some organizations, the Executive Director may be the best option, but applicants are encouraged to use this option only if necessary). Describe the role the Emerging Leader Fellow will play in the development and execution of the project and what support the Fellow will be provided inside the organization to help ensure their success and the success of the project. Share the primary qualities you will look for in a Fellow for this project.

Host Organization Letter of Interest Due: Friday, November 8, 2024 (closed)

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Who We Are

The Stoneleigh Foundation was founded in 2006 by John and Chara Haas to improve the life outcomes of our community's youth. We meet our mission by awarding Fellowships to exceptional leaders who advance change in the systems that serve these young people.

Our Priorities

We seek to improve the life outcomes of our community’s youth by advancing change in the systems that serve them. Because we believe that youth are best served when systems work together to holistically address their needs, Stoneleigh prioritizes work designed to strengthen coordination between or among these systems.

Our Projects

We award two types of projects that catalyze change within, alongside, and outside of youth-serving systems. Our Fellowship Projects enhance how systems work together, improve practice, shift narratives, and generate new knowledge through action-oriented research. Our Youth Partnership Projects support youth-centric organizations that build the leadership and advocacy skills of young people.

Advancing The Field

We are pragmatic and have a bias toward action. We advance the field by hosting public events, publishing policy-relevant research and reports, and elevating the work of our Fellows and grantees in the media.

Apply

We award two types of Fellowships to exceptional individuals who work within and alongside youth-serving systems to catalyze change. Our Fellows undertake projects that enhance how systems work together, improve practice, and generate new knowledge through action-oriented research.