• Applications for organizations: The application period for organizations interested in hosting a 2025-2027 Emerging Leader Fellow will open in Fall 2024.
• Applications for individual candidates: The application period for candidates for the 2025-2027 Emerging Leader Fellowship will open in Spring 2025.

The Emerging Leader Fellowship lasts for two years. The 2025-2027 Emerging Leader Fellowships will begin on October 15, 2025 and continue through October 14, 2027.

1. Organizations submit an application form and a two-page summary describing the project they are interested in pursuing with an Emerging Leader Fellow.
2. Stoneleigh notifies organizations about whether they are invited to submit a full proposal.
3. Invited organizations submit full proposals to Stoneleigh.
4. Stoneleigh notifies organizations about whether they are approved to enter the next phase of the application process, which involves recruiting potential Fellows.
5. Approved organizations publicize the project and Fellowship opportunity broadly through their networks. Stoneleigh also advertises the projects. Fellowship candidates apply directly to—and are interviewed by—the host organization.
6. Organizations then submit information about their final proposed Fellowship candidate to Stoneleigh.
7. Stoneleigh interviews Fellowship finalists and their proposed supervisors.
8. Stoneleigh staff present recommended candidates and projects to the Board for approval.
9. Organizations and candidates are notified about whether they have been approved for funding.

Overall, Stoneleigh is looking for projects that not only help advance the host organization’s work, but also have the potential to add value to the field more broadly.

The Fellowship award goes directly to the host organization and includes funds for the Fellow’s salary, benefits, and taxes. Salary is $60,000 in Year 1, with a 3% increase in Year 2. Stoneleigh also provides up to $2,500 for professional development expenses annually. All final budgets are approved by Stoneleigh.

Emerging Leader Fellow supervisors play a unique and critical role. They not only directly oversee the Fellow’s work, but also serve as mentors and provide connections to professional development opportunities. Specifically, supervisors are expected to:

• Collaborate with the Fellow to develop a work plan and support project implementation
• Meet regularly with the Fellow to supervise the project and provide mentorship
• Support the Fellow’s professional development and identify opportunities to build leadership skills
• Work with the Fellow to finalize project deliverables, identify opportunities to share findings, and support the project’s overall impact and sustainability

We closely examine the capacity of each proposed supervisor to fulfill these obligations through detailed questions in the project proposal and an in-person interview.

The Emerging Leader Fellowship is intended to provide individuals with the opportunity to lead a project and gain valuable hands-on experience. Unlike a staff position, which includes day-to-day tasks related to the ongoing operations of an organization, a Fellowship is a focused project with discrete goals. Furthermore, opportunities for professional development are built into project goals and pursued throughout the Fellowship. These opportunities may include attending conferences, presenting, and networking with leaders in the field.

While we do not have a set number of awards, we awarded 5 Fellowships for the 2023-2025 Emerging Leader Fellow cohort.

Yes. We’d be happy to review revised proposals and/or new ideas from organizations whose projects were not previously advanced.

Yes, organizations may submit more than one abstract per Fellowship cycle.

Projects must have an impact on policy and practice that affects young people in Greater Philadelphia. Typically, our Fellows work directly within or alongside systems in Philadelphia that serve these youth. However, we also consider projects that focus on systems change in Greater Philadelphia; seek to effect change at the state level in Pennsylvania; or work on a national policy that affects young people in Philadelphia.

We recognize that advancing change in policy and practice is often best accomplished when organizations work in collaboration. As such, we welcome proposals that are developed collaboratively; however, only one organization may serve as the designated host and the fiscal agent for the Fellowship funds.

Yes, however, organizations that are currently hosting a Fellow are ineligible to apply.