ELLA Fellowship

PURPOSE

The ELLA Fellowship Program is a unique leadership opportunity for young women and gender-expansive youth ages 18-23. The fellowship encourages the leadership of young activists by providing them with the opportunity to conceptualize a project, the resources to implement it, and the support to analyze, evaluate, and learn from it.

INTRODUCTION

The ELLA (Engage, Learn, Lead, and Act) Fellowship, named for civil rights leader Ella Baker, offers young people the opportunity to develop and implement their own community focused project with intentional guidance from Sadie Nash Leadership Project. The Fellowship includes a monthly stipend to implement a project that addresses issues in the Fellow’s community. All Fellows are required to attend monthly retreats, monthly check in meetings, and commit to a 8-month Fellowship cycle starting in October 2026 and culminating in May 2027 with a project showcase.

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible for the ELLA Fellowship, you must:

• Be a self-identified young woman or gender-expansive young person between the ages of 18-23 at the time of application
• Be located in New York City, New Jersey, or no farther than 4 hours away by bus or train
• Commit to attending ALL retreats between October 2026-May 2027 (see “Mandatory Retreat Dates” in the Application Guide)
• Commit to 2-5 hours per month of individual time to plan and implement your project
• Be a self-motivated, passionate, and committed individual that wants to make a change in your community
• Have a working understanding of a social justice issue affecting your community.
• Have a desire to develop leadership skills, increase your self confidence, and grow as a community organizer and an agent of change

FELLOWSHIP AWARD AND SUPPORT DETAILS

Payments: The Fellowship stipend will be a total of $1,350 for the fellowship cycle (October-May), with monthly installments issued starting in November 2026. This stipend supports your work and the cost of your project (supplies, space, etc). The stipend is contingent upon attendance and engagement in retreats and check-in meetings, as well as the successful completion of project-related work.

Retreats: Mandatory monthly retreats are held on Saturdays and will run from 10am-6pm. Retreats enable Fellows to meet with SNLP Staff, mentors, and peers to receive feedback and support and participate in skills-based training. Food will be provided by SNLP. In addition to retreats, Fellows are required to participate in check-in meetings with Program Faculty and ELLA Mentors.

Deliverables: Fellows are required to submit monthly project materials to the SNLP team and will receive support in the production of all required materials. At the end of the program, Fellows will submit and present a completed Project Portfolio at the ELLA project showcase.

TO APPLY: WEBSITE

For additional questions and information, please see the ELLA Application Guide