Children and Family Fellowship

A prestigious leadership program for outstanding executives who can steer and influence organizations serving children, youth and families.

An intensive executive leadership program — now in its third decade — that develops the potential of leaders at the helm of nonprofit, philanthropic and public organizations to improve the life circumstances and prospects of children, youth and families living in low-income communities. The Children and Family Fellowship® strives to increase the pool of diverse, visionary leaders with the confidence and competence to lead and sustain major system reforms and community change initiatives. These leaders understand how race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation and language affect service delivery, policy, practice and advocacy and are committed to achieving equitable results.

Bring together leaders from varied professional backgrounds, geographic regions and racial and ethnic groups that form a powerful learning community.

Provide those who participate in our programs, called Fellows, with a series of professional development opportunities, including executive seminars, peer consultations and individual coaching.

Hone the skills of participants in making data-driven decisions; developing effective strategies; understanding systems; leading through complexity and ambiguity; and collaborating.

Offer 11 four-day seminars that build the competencies of Fellows to achieve results and equitable opportunities for kids and families. The seminars help advance the Fellows' chosen projects, provide opportunities to explore leadership challenges and introduce them to leaders and organizations who are producing measurable results for children and families.

Fellows are working in leadership positions serving children and families in communities around the country:

Three Fellows in Minnesota are collaborating to strengthen family financial stability.
A Fellow is helming the planning effort to eradicate poverty in Washington State in 10 years.
A Fellow is helping Appalachian students succeed by boosting kindergarten readiness in rural communities.
The top-level result for the subsidized and mixed-income housing communities served by a Fellow’s organization is that families are not only stable but thriving.
Two Fellows in the Seattle area are using results-based leadership to achieve housing stability for homeless families of color.
A Casey Fellow used results-based leadership to reduce the number of kids in Baltimore’s foster care system.

An evaluation of the Fellowship found that the intensive leadership program helped social-sector executives transform the way their organizations worked on behalf of children in low-income communities. Fellows were able to embed a data-driven approach into organizational strategies, work practices and equity initiatives and to extend that approach to their partners.

Every three years, the Fellowship accepts nominations and applications.

The Fellowship seeks talented, accomplished and ambitious professionals from across the country who want to strengthen public and nonprofit systems in ways that make them more effective, efficient, equitable and reliable. The Foundation seeks people who strive for excellence and for measurable and equitable results, who want to accelerate their professional and personal development and who want to amplify their effectiveness and make a greater difference.

Candidates typically must have the following:

a minimum of 10 years of professional experience in the social sector, with increasing levels of responsibility serving children and families (for example, directors, deputies, program managers, department heads and executives);
a strong record of achievement and career advancement, with sights on even higher levels of effectiveness and influence;
an appreciation for engaging affected populations in solutions;
an understanding of how race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation and language affect service delivery, policy, practice, advocacy and leadership decisions;
a commitment to closing disparity gaps and achieving equitable opportunities for all children, youth and their families — most specifically those experiencing barriers to their full potential; and
an openness to self-reflection as part of personal growth.

Since launching in 1993, 11 cohorts have participated in the Children and Family Fellowship. Learn more about the leaders who participated in each class.

One of the greatest long-term benefits of the Fellowship is the opportunity for all Fellows to become part of the network of 140 influential Casey Fellows across the country.

The Network does the following:

supports collaborative activities among Fellows and encourages them to take advantage of the wealth of knowledge and expertise of other Fellows;
meets annually and conducts ongoing professional development activities; and
offers ongoing consultation and leadership to the Fellowship program and the Foundation.

From the Blog

Hispanic male sits in a circle of people and talks

Foundation Welcomes Twelfth Class of Children and Family Fellows

The Casey Foundation has selected 15 leaders for the twelfth class of its Children and Family Fellowship. Read who is in the new class.

Applications Welcomed for 2022–2024 Casey Children and Family Fellowship

The Casey Foundation is seeking applications for its signature Children and Family Fellowship, an executive leadership program designed to give more child- and family-serving professionals the confidence and competence to lead system reforms and community change initiatives.

Webinar Explores Casey’s Strategic Coinvestor Approach to Community Change

When the Annie E. Casey Foundation joined local partnerships in three communities, it did so with a new approach called strategic coinvesting. Watch a webinar that explores this approach.

About the Children and Family Fellowship

Webinar for Potential Fellowship Applicants

This webinar reviewed the Fellowship selection process and criteria, as well as featured three recent Fellows talking about their experience and responding to questions.

Two Children and Family Fellows Speak About the Fellowship

This video features two leaders in the nonprofit sector talking about their experience in the Children and Family Fellowship. Learn what led these leaders to apply to the Fellowship, how the Fellowship has helped them focus on results and advice they have for future Fellows.

Perspective on the Fellowship From a Fellow’s CEO

This video features a nonprofit CEO who had a member of her senior leadership team participate in the Children and Family Fellowship. The CEO talks about her experience supervising and supporting a Fellow.