The inaugural Bridging Ecosystems (BE) Fellowship runs April through November 2026. We will bring together 16 participants – representing 8 organizations – to form a cohort. Organizations who are current HFJ grantees are eligible to apply for the program. Each participant commits to attending four sessions throughout the program that focus on fundraising, narrative organizing, and healing justice.  

Through this participatory, cohort-based pilot, leaders have the opportunity to strengthen their own work while helping shape an ecosystem that supports others doing the same. The BE Fellowship will support both the individuals in the cohort, and the organizations they represent.  

The BE Fellowship is open to current Headwaters grantees from the following programs: Fund of the Sacred Circle; Giving Project; Justice and Liberation Fund, and the Wellspring Fund.

Please note: Rapid Response Fund grantees may be eligible if space allows. 

Your organization should apply if: 

• You want to build organizational capacity in the areas of fundraising, narrative organizing, and healing justice. 
• You are looking for space to reconnect with your purpose and strengthen your organization’s ability to thrive. 
• You are committed to building relationships that make your work more sustainable and strengthening your organization’s connections to others in the movement ecosystem. 
• You are open to learning from others and interested in contributing to the collective wisdom of the cohort.  

In selecting cohort membership, we will be prioritizing organizations that:  

• Have organizational budgets under $1,000,000  
• Are located throughout the state, especially greater Minnesota  
• Represent a mix of focus areas in their work  
• Are BIPOC-led 

The Bridging Ecosystems Fellowship is a multi-month cohort-based experience that requires a meaningful commitment of time and talent from participating leaders and their organizations throughout the experience.  

There are four required in-person convenings throughout the duration of the program, along with coaching sessions between those gatherings.  

The 2026 schedule for in-person convenings is as follows: 

• Friday, April 10-Sunday, April 12, 2026 (April 10 – 6:00-8:00 p.m.; April 11, 10:00 a.m. - April 12, 1:00 p.m.) 
• Saturday, July 18, 2026 (10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.) 
• Saturday, October 3, 2026 (10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.) 
• Friday, November 13, 2026 (6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.) 

Coaching sessions occur between in-person convenings (these will mostly likely be remote):

• Kickoff session between April 12-30
• 2 coaching sessions May – June
• 2 coaching sessions Aug – Sept
• Wrap up coaching session between Oct 3 - Nov 13

We ask you to: 

• Commit to the entire program by attending all cohort and coaching sessions. The commitment is about 60 hours total.  
• Come ready to learn from one another and contribute what you’re able during discussions, activities, and group experiences.  

If you are feeling unsure about the ability to fully commit to this program, we encourage you to consider applying for a future cohort. 

Organizations selected to participate in the BE Fellowship will learn about fundraising, narrative organizing, and healing justice via: 

• Interactive workshops from expert facilitators  
• Coaching sessions personalized to your organization’s needs and circumstances 
• Peer-to-peer sharing of experiences and real-time learnings 

In addition, participants who complete the program will come away with: 

• A fundraising plan tailored to your organization’s capacity, addressing the current financial constraints around fundraising  
• Clarity around and practice telling your organizational story  
• Healing justice practices that support the health and sustainability of individuals and groups involved in your work 
• A $10,000 grant to further support your organization’s capacity-building efforts 

Only one application should be submitted per grantee organization, but two people from an organization will participate in the fellowship. There are short-answer essay questions towards the end of the form. We encourage the two people hoping to participate in the fellowship to work collaboratively in answering these questions. Grantee organizations can access the application packet here and the application directly here. 

Applications for the BE Fellowship open on December 15, 2025 and close on January 22, 2026. Applicants will be notified of their status by February 16, 2026. 

If you are a rapid response grantee ONLY (meaning you are not also a grantee of another program), and are interested in the Fellowship, please do not submit an application by the January 15, 2026 deadline. Instead, please send an email to Kate Vickery, Senior Program Officer (kate@headwatersfoundation.org). If space in the program is available, we will reach out to invite you to apply after the priority deadline. 

Two people from an organization will participate in the fellowship. It would be helpful for the two people representing your organization in this Fellowship cohort to include: 1) someone who holds visioning and strategic direction for your organization, and 2) someone who is close to the day-to-day implementation of the work of your organization.  

We name these criteria not to enforce hierarchy or a power imbalance. We are taking an expansive view of leadership and want to resource multiple facets within your organization. Your Executive Director (or anyone in a similar position) is not required to participate if that doesn’t make sense for your organization. We are more interested in the people that participate, as opposed to the titles or positions they hold. We trust organizations to know who is best suited to participate in a cohort learning experience like this one.  

This Fellowship will be primarily taking place in person and content will be offered in English. All in person sessions will be supported by our practices of radical hospitality and collective care. 

Headwaters is committed to supporting individuals who would otherwise not be able to participate by offering reimbursements for childcare and travel costs. We will ask you about this in the application. 

We hosted an information session on Wednesday, December 17 where interested organizations learned more about the program and the application process. The recording of the information session can be viewed here. 

For general questions about the program contact: 

• Kate Vickery, Senior Program Officer, at: kate@headwatersfoundation.org, or 612-400-6264