Fellowship Dates: October 2024 - February 2025
STAY TUNED:
Our 2024 cohort will be announced in December!
About the Fellowship
The 2024 Promising Ventures Fellowship (PVF) is rooted in a commitment to boosting the impact of equity-driven, early childhood organizations that are transformative in the lives of children (prenatal to age 5), their families, and their communities. We seek to work with leaders who are a part of the communities they support or are being meaningfully guided by that community’s input, ideas, hopes, and assets.
We offer a 5-month accelerator program, specifically designed for early childhood executives and leaders of growth-stage organizations. In the Promising Ventures Fellowship, early childhood leaders develop a tight-knit, vibrant community of practice. Together, they analyze challenges, share wisdom, explore collaboration, and build lasting bonds. Also, each fellowship team is paired with a team of coaches who work with them to co-design goals and support them in achieving their organization’s aspirations. And, yes, we have plenty of FUN along the way!
As the nation's only accelerator dedicated solely to the critical early childhood stage, the fellowship provides a powerful blend of actionable learning opportunities and connections. The fellowship is designed to meet leaders where there they are. Specifically, we help leaders identify their organization’s highest priority needs and tailor the program to focus on their aspirations.
Best of all, it's FREE! There are no fees or costs to participate in this Fellowship.
Our commitment is expressed in our Justice, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion (JEDI) Statement and is culturally embedded in our Core Values.
Eligibility Criteria
To be considered for the Promising Ventures Fellowship, organizations must meet the following criteria:
USA-focused (primary market)
Organizations may be headquartered outside of the US and/or can operate in other countries in addition to the US, but it must operate in the US in some capacity.
ECD relevance
Organizations must serve children and families in the early childhood stage (prenatal through age 5).
Program Offerings
Community of Practice: Connect, share, and build with fellow early childhood leaders from across the United States.
Customized Coaching: Receive tailored guidance to achieve your venture’s goals from TWO dedicated Promise coaches committed to your success.
Critical Friend Groups & Learning & Development: Explore genuine leadership challenges alongside your cohort of similarly mission-driven experts in the early childhood field.
Connections to External Experts: Gain insights from industry professionals and subject matter experts from Promise’s robust network.
Continuous Support: Benefit from ongoing coaching even after the program ends.
Webinars
Application Resources
Watch the Recording of our Fellow Feature & Fellowship 101 Info Session
Selection Process & Timeline
Our selection process consists of a few simple steps to identify 8-10 organizations for the fellowship.
Apply: Submit an application to share your organization’s story, impact, and hopes for the fellowship.
Review: Our team of Promise reviewers will carefully review each application.
Interview: Select teams are invited to interview with our Promise coaches virtually to discuss their work.
Final Decisions: Hear from our team about next steps to join the fellowship or alternative ways Promise can support your work.
Fellowship Commitment
The Promising Ventures Fellowship thrives on participation from strong leadership teams with active involvement of senior leadership. Fellows participate in one in-person convening, regularly scheduled coaching sessions, and virtual gatherings. Promise covers meals, air travel, and hotel accommodations to attend the in-person convening.
Initial Program Milestones
Virtual Kickoff: October 8, 2024 (90 mins | TBS)
Coffee Chats w/ Coaches: October 7-11, 2024 (30 mins | TBS)
Initial Coaching Session: October 14-18, 2024 (90 mins | TBS)
In-person Convening: October 22-24, 2024 | Chicago, IL
Full program calendar is available here.
The Net Promoter Score (NPS) measures fellow satisfaction by asking respondents to rate their likelihood of recommending our program on a scale from 0 to 10.
Meet Our Alumni
“This is where I became familiar with the term “social entrepreneur.” I believe this program catapulted me on my leadership journey. I was provided a space to learn to swim in the “deep end” of team management.”
“Because of [the Promising Ventures] Fellowship, we’re seeing how to offer our virtual platform to our TA partners. We now have better products and are on a faster timeline.”
“The Promise team is mission-driven with a strong focus on execution. I love the team’s culture of continuous feedback on how to best support entrepreneurs like myself. They have provided support across topics ranging from policy issues to sales negotiations. They are exactly the type of partner I would hope for as we scale our venture. I feel fortunate to have such a strong team in my corner.”
“While there were many valuable aspects of being a Promising Fellow, perhaps the most helpful was having the opportunity to listen to and learn from other fellows. Through discussion and collaboration, we were able to acquire and apply new ideas, and thus, continue to grow! And it was evident that we were also able to make valuable contributions to other teams. By working together, we were able to take positive steps forward.”