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Applications Open

Applications for the 2025 cohort are now open! Please click on the link below to apply for the 2025 program.

Community Leaders Fellowship

The Community Leaders Fellowship is an intensive professional development opportunity for nonprofit and community leaders focusing on a specific capacity challenge in their organization.

program description

  • Program participants apply for the fellowship with one specific capacity issue they would like to address through the fellowship.

  • Participants will be assisted in developing a one year capacity action plan with measurable benchmarks and deliverables that they will make progress toward during the 12 month program period.

  • Participants will attend 8 meetings over 12 months as well as making progress on their action plan in between meetings. Meetings will consist of a combination of learning opportunities on relevant topics to their capacity journey, peer support sessions to brainstorm solutions to challenges, one-on-one assistance developing an action plan to address their capacity issue, connection with experts to provide high-level insight into their capacity issue.

participant commitment

  • Attend 8 meetings over the 12 month program period between January - December 2025

  • Commit to making progress on capacity action plan in between meetings during the program period.

  • Report on benchmark and impact results at the 6 month and 1 year mark.

Application Process

  • Applications will open October 1 - November 15, 2024 for the 2025 Program Period

  • Eligible candidates are those serving in a leadership and decision making role at an organization or community agency for which at least 51% of its programming is focused on serving under resourced communities in Chaffee County.

  • Applicants should apply with a specific, measurable capacity issue for which their organization is committed to taking steps to address over the next year. Capacity issues might include, but are not limited to the following:

    • Revenue Diversification

    • Adoption of new technology that will transform the organization’s capacity

    • DEI Initiatives to increase diversity of communities served and represented

    • Introduction of a new program model

Fellows

2024 Fellows:

  • PJ Bergin, Board Chair, SOIL Sangre de Cristo

  • Jarad Buchan, Community Services Manager, Full Circle Restorative Justice

  • Katie Tilt, Executive Director, Shining Mountains Montessori School

  • Mo Ziemet, Board Member, Chaffee County Hospitality, Inc.

  • Salty Riggs, Executive Director, BETCH

  • Liz Morgan, Executive Director, Buena Vista Chamber of Commerce

  • Bobby Sanghvi, Executive Director, Matt Dangel’s House

2023 Alumni:

  • Andrea Early Coen, Executive Director, Guidestone Colorado

  • Mike Bischoff, Executive Director, Mountain Valley Transit

  • Salty Riggs, Executive Director, BETCH

  • Sarah Dae, Executive Director, Tabor Opera House

  • Megan Strauss, Executive Director, Alpine Achievers