🎉 Welcome to the Promising Ventures Fellowship application hub! We're excited you're considering joining the fellowship and sharing your vision for positively impacting the lives of children and families. This page is your one-stop shop for everything you need to know before applying. We've packed it with information to assist you in your consideration and completion of the application.

<aside> 🚨 Applications close on Friday, August 9th, 2024. APPLY HERE

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Eligibility Criteria 🟢

Not an Ideal Fit 🛑

These are our non-negotiable requirements for fellowship consideration:

Based on our experience, the fellowship may not adequately address the needs of:

• 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 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).

• Idea or pre-pilot phase offerings

  • Early-stage solutions hold incredible potential. However, the Promising Ventures Fellowship doesn’t focus on some of those foundational needs. We have some great resources available to nurture ventures at this stage of development. For starters, check out our ECD Startup Guide!

• K-12 organizations without current ECD offerings

  • While the Promising Ventures Fellowship focuses specifically on ECD, we can connect you with programs dedicated to supporting K-12 initiatives that contribute to a strong learning continuum for all children.

• Single site child care providers

  • Single-site child care providers play a vital role in the lives of children, their families, and their communities. We’d love to connect you with support to strengthen and expand high-quality care.

Who We’re Looking For 🔎

The Promising Ventures Fellowship prioritizes organizations that embody the following attributes:

• Equity-Driven: We prioritize organizations that are committed to promoting equity within their organization and the early childhood field. This includes ventures with a strong existing foundation in JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) or those open to learning and growing in this area with our coaching support.
• Validated Need and Traction: We’re looking for solutions that address a critical need in the early childhood space. This includes organizations with evidence of impact (e.g., pilot results, outcomes, user growth, testimonials, etc).
• Financial Sustainability: We find the fellowship is best positioned to support organizations demonstrating both a healthy financial base and a clear path toward sustainability. To ensure an enriching fellowship experience, we recommend ventures with a minimum 6-month financial runway.
• Desire for Increased Impact: Ventures should demonstrate the potential to create significant and lasting positive change for children and families. This could involve replicating your solution in other communities or going deeper within your existing one to reach a broader audience.
• Dedicated Team: We require a core team of at least two members to participate in the fellowship program. This team should include a senior leader, such as a CEO, ED, or President, who has the agency to champion your venture's progress within the program and their organization. Both team members will actively participate in workshops, coaching sessions, and networking events – a flexible commitment of 2-6 hours per week designed to empower your team's success.

As part of our organizational dedication to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, Promise is committed to directing our resources and support to proximate social entrepreneurs and those with lived experience in the communities they are serving. In alignment with this value, for this year’s Fellowship priority consideration will be given to applications from organizations with leaders proximate to the communities they serve and with an explicit mission focused on creating outcomes that improve racial equity.