Every year, OC offers fellowships to exceptional individuals who represent diverse communities from around the globe. Fellows are exceptional social entrepreneurs and innovative nonprofit leaders building sustainable solutions to poverty around the world.
The purpose of the Fellowship is to open doors, minds and networks for emerging social entrepreneurs and nonprofit executives; enrich OC with new, emerging leaders; and infuse OC in-person and online discussions with a diversity of perspectives.
At the Opportunity Collaboration, I honestly learned more in the past few days than in a semester in business school. - Cynthia Koenig, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Wello, USA.
Eligibility Criteria
Like all OC Delegates, Fellows are catalytic leaders who, by their actions and accomplishments, evidence pragmatic vision, passionate tenacity, multi-sectoral thinking, adaptive leadership skills, non-ideological activism and a strong ethical grounding.
Successful OC Fellow applicants typically have not yet received similar global Fellowships or awards.
Individuals must:
- Be high-impact, innovative, entrepreneurial for-profit and nonprofit executives with a demonstrated commitment to social justice and poverty alleviation
- Not have attended a previous OC in-person summit
- Be available to attend OC Sunrise & OC2024 on October 13-17, 2023 in Ixtapa, Mexico
- Be able to engage in OC’s offerings that are primarily in English
Organizations must:
- Be actively working to alleviate poverty with at least one year of organizational operations
- Not have anyone in their organization that has attended a previous OC in-person summit
- Demonstrate financial need for Fellowship with a budget below $1 million USD
- A web presence (either an active website, Instagram page, Facebook, etc.)
From my learnings at Opportunity Collaboration I felt confident that it was time to start sharing my story, so I’m now sharing it across a variety of mediums. Thank you so much once again for the OC opportunity, it really was a personal and professional game changer. - Adam Braun, Founder & Executive Director, Pencils of Promise, Cambodia.
OC Fellowship Terms & Conditions
Fellows selected from non-OECD countries (developing economies) receive a $3,490 award (fully covering their OC Sunrise, OC2024, & OC365 registration), and pay a refundable $295 administration fee, which is refundable after the non-OECD Fellow attends OC Global.
Fellows from OECD countries (developed economies) receive a $2,995 award (partially covering their OC Sunrise, OC2024, & OC365 registration) and pay a $895 registration fee.
The OC Fellowship provides:
- All-inclusive room-sharing accommodations for 5 nights and 4 days, including meals, internet fees, onsite recreation and resort fees
- Full access to leadership programs and capacity building opportunities
- Opportunity to facilitate sessions for OC365 & OC2024
- Access to working discussion groups
- Organizational showcasing opportunities
- Networking concierge services
- Transportation to and from Zihuatanejo International Airport (ZIH)
- Most importantly, 4 days connecting with hundreds of the world’s most passionate social impact leaders.
OC Fellows are encouraged to come prepared to share their successful practices, illuminate partnership opportunities, and/or reveal an innovative idea!
OC Fellows are responsible for:
- Financing their own roundtrip airfare. (OC is actively seeking partnerships with international airlines to support the airfare of Fellows. If you know of partners who may be interested, please email: topher@ocimpact.com.)
- Obtaining all necessary travel documents, including a travel visa from the Mexican government, if required. The OC provides Fellows with a formal invitation letter to use with immigration authorities.
The Opportunity Collaboration was absolutely stunning! I was awestruck by the great insights on leading a superior management team and how to have good relations with donors, tackled in a brief, concise way. For the first time in my life, I flew in a plane, visited a foreign nation and attended a high-profile conference. It was a life-changing experience. Long live Opportunity Collaboration! – Wiclif Otieno, Director, Kito International
Application Process & Deadlines
Applications for 2023 OC Fellowships are no longer being accepted.
Fellowship applications for OC2024 will be available later in 2023.
To ensure you receive updates from us regarding the Fellowship application process, as well as other important OC news, please sign up for our newsletter here.
Questions about your application or applying? Email jessica@ocimpact.com.