Sponsor a Fellow on Your Team

Employer Sponsorship Guide.

What is Civic Leaders?

Civic Leaders is the leadership community where mission-driven leaders come to be sustained. Designed for mid-career leaders in government, nonprofits, and social enterprises, Civic Leaders hosts curated cohorts over eight expertly-facilitated, evidence-backed virtual sessions and a one-day in-person retreat to build the skills, support, and peer network that help them lead well over the long haul.

Led by MIT graduates with deep experience in public innovation and program implementation, Civic Leaders was incubated at MITdesignX, recently named one of TIME's best accelerators in the country, alongside Y Combinator and Techstars.

Why does sponsoring a fellow involve?

  • $2,000 per fellow, payment plans available

  • 8 Saturdays, 11 am to 1:30 pm ET, biweekly, plus a 1-day in-person retreat

  • 15 peers, maximum cohort size

  • January 9 to April 17, 2027

What will my team member bring back?

  1. The Inner Leader. Clear boundaries and tools for hard conversations.

  2. Navigating Organizations. Ways to map power and lead change from any seat.

  3. Voice and Strategy. Storytelling, facilitation, and strategies that earn buy-in.

  4. Integration and Legacy. An in-person retreat, a personal practice map, and a lifelong peer network.

  5. A verifiable credential. Fellows who complete the curriculum receive a credential they can display on a resume, portfolio, or LinkedIn.

Why should we sponsor?

  • Keep your strongest people. Sponsorship shows a mid-career leader you see their future with you.

  • Grow your bench. Fellows practice leading change without formal authority, alongside peers with a median of 10+ years of experience who have led teams.

  • Multiply the return. Facilitation and strategy tools travel back to their teams.

  • Keep the workweek intact. Virtual sessions meet on Saturdays.

Who is the fellowship for?

  • 5 to 15 years in government or social impact

  • Has managed at least one direct report

  • Drives change inside their organization

  • Committed to inclusion and their community

What is Civic Leaders track record with past fellows?

  • 90% completion

  • 4.7/5 overall rating

  • 8 of 8 sessions rated 4.5+

  • 100% want to stay connected

What does tuition cover?

$2,000 per fellow covers eight facilitated virtual sessions, a closing one-day in-person retreat, the cohort's digital community, and lifelong alumni status. For the retreat, we cover the venue, activities, and meals; travel and lodging are the fellow's or sponsor's to arrange. Payment plans are available.

Nominate a team member who fits the criteria, or offer the fellowship to your staff and sponsor those accepted.

How do potential fellows apply?

Applications close Monday, November 30, 2026 at 11:59 pm ET.

Please apply at civicleaders.us/apply

For questions, reach us at fellowship@civicleaders.us

How do I show my current or future employers the value of Civic Leaders? How do I prove I was a Fellow?

We Civic Leaders is unique among fellowship programs where we are intentionally peer-led by practitioners while pairing the best of evidence-based research and authentic community building to ensure that fellowships are sustained while making making sizable impacts to their organizations.

How do I prove I was a Fellow?

We provide all fellows that have completed the curriculum a verifiable credential utilizing that Certifier platform. This credential is able to be displayed on resumes, portfolios, or on LinkedIn.

I’m an employer - how do I know whether Civic Leaders is worth the investment?

Civic Leaders is led by two MIT alums with deep experience in public innovation and program implementation and was incubated at MITdesignX which was recently named one TIME’s best accelerators in the country next to major players such as Y Combinator, Techstars, and more.

By sponsoring a fellow to participate in Civic Leaders employers:

  1. Show their strong mid-career leaders that you’re investing in them and their future at the organization.

  2. The intentional program design builds participants skills in leading change without formal authority.

  3. Every session provides participants with actionable frameworks and tools to drive change when they log back in on Monday.

  4. The Fellowship intentional takes place on Saturdays to not interrupt the work week.

  5. Fellows are surrounded by a cohort of peers with a median of 10+ years of experience who have led teams; this peer learning is critical to the professional development and growth of participants.

To learn more about how employers can benefit from sponsoring a member of their team to join Civic Leaders, please visit civicleaders.us/employers