Eligibility Requirements for the Children and Family Fellowship

Every three years, the Fellowship accepts nominations and applications. The last application process ended on September 7, 2018. The Foundation is not seeking Fellows candidates at this time.

The Children and Family Fellowship seeks highly qualified individuals who have made a difference in improving the life circumstances of America’s children and families, the communities in which they live or the systems that serve them.

Eligibility Requirements

The candidates we are looking for have 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). They have a strong record of achievement and career advancement, with sights on even higher levels of effectiveness and influence. Candidates have demonstrated a commitment to assisting underserved communities, reducing racial disparities and managing a diverse workforce. They understand the value of having client populations reflected in the diversity of employee populations and how race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation and language affect service delivery, policy, practice, advocacy and leadership decisions.

Basic Criteria

To be eligible for the Children and Family Fellowship, an applicant must:

have 10 years or more professional work experience in fields that serve children and families (excluding volunteer time and unpaid internships);
hold a position with significant management responsibility (for example, program managers, deputies, department heads, directors, executives) or have held such a position recently;
be working in the United States on domestic issues;
have work experience in roles of increasing responsibility;
be able to attend all seminars and activities during the Fellowship term of April 2019 through January 2021;
not be involved in another fellowship program during the Children and Family Fellowship period, April 2019 through January 2021;
not be seeking public office during the Children and Family Fellowship period, April 2019 through January 2021;
not be currently seeking employment at the Annie E. Casey Foundation; and
not be an immediate family member of a board member or senior leader of the Casey Foundation.

Characteristics of Ideal Candidates

Strong candidates demonstrate a variety of leadership qualities and show evidence of even greater leadership potential. They have a vision for change and the drive to improve outcomes. They are capable of promoting collaboration and cooperation across disciplines and among diverse groups and of managing and institutionalizing change. They innovate, take and manage risks, listen and learn, inspire others and persevere, often against great odds. They have significant influence and the opportunity to immediately apply the concepts learned through the Fellowship within their organizations. The Fellowship seeks people who can translate their beliefs into action, think strategically, get things done and measure the difference they are making for children and families.

Ambitious Career Goals
The Fellowship wants leaders who are ready for significant professional challenges and expanded leadership roles — in major community-building initiatives and in public systems. They should not simply aspire to the next rung on the organizational ladder. They have ambitious career goals and want increasing responsibility for leading system reforms and community change efforts that improve outcomes for large numbers of children and families.

At a Pivotal Point in Careers
The Casey Fellowship is not for everyone. We seek the right people, but also people at the right moment in their careers. Fellows must be prepared to participate in the program — committing the time and energy to take full advantage of the Fellowship opportunity while balancing the demands of their current positions.

The Fellows Mindset

To be a successful candidate, we ask that Fellowship candidates:

Embrace the use of data to improve programs, services and the systems in which they operate and to achieve results. They are interested in employing evidence-based practice. They recognize that collaborative leadership and partnerships are essential to achieving results. They act with urgency and are committed to producing results that can be monitored and measured.
Understand that achieving equitable opportunities for all children requires addressing deeply entrenched systemic and structural inequities. They do not shy away from hard conversations around race and are willing to examine their own biases and mental models. They work to implement highly impactful targeted and universal strategies to close disparities and use influence and policy to address structural barriers to all children achieving their potential.
Understand that the hard work of changing the culture of organizations and systems in order to achieve results often requires strategies to change deeply held attitudes, habits and ultimately values. They have the will to adapt by building new organizational norms and culture that establish the achievement of results at the heart of the work.
Recognize that their role is to support families in realizing the aspirations they have for themselves and their children, and that services and supports to families are most effective when the family is a full partner in decisions about the family.

2019-21 Candidate Eligibility and Characteristics