Through the remodeled program, Kresge offers five key learnings that can be adapted to yield long-term impact

The Kresge Foundation has launched a new fellowship program centered on developing a diverse talent pipeline of future social sector leaders committed to equity and inclusion. Through a redesigned cohort model, the 2024 Kresge Fellowship Program welcomed five early-career fellows to the foundation this fall. 

The fellowship offers full-time employment that extends up to three years with at least two years of relevant experience. The fellows will gain hands-on skills and insights into institutional philanthropy, policy and advocacy, community development, and methods to incorporate equity into philanthropic strategies. Kresge hopes to support the fellows in developing and practicing skills that will prepare them to become long-term leaders within the social sector.

Meet the 2024 Kresge Fellows 

• Analicia Bañales-Feuille, American Cities Program Fellow
• Mariah Bosquez, Environment Program Fellow
• Cynthia Guerrero, Education Program Fellow
• Marilia Ramos de Alencar Feitoza, Social Investments Fellow
• Michael Thompson, Health Program Fellow

“During a time when many organizations are scaling back their DEIJ (diversity, equity, inclusion and justice) efforts, Kresge remains unequivocally committed to equity and investing in a pipeline of diverse leaders,” said Rip Rapson, Kresge’s president and CEO. “Beginning with our very first Kresge fellow Benjamin Kennedy, who joined Kresge more than 15 years ago, we vowed to make a deep investment in early-career leaders who are devoted to the values of equity and inclusion. At Kresge, we don’t follow trends. Instead, we continue to focus on the values that drive our work.”

The announcement of the new fellowship program comes during Kresge’s centennial year. Founded in 1924 to promote human progress, the foundation was established in Detroit by Sebastian Spering Kresge and has always centered the lives of average people in its work: people with mighty aspirations to get an education, improve their communities, practice the arts, advance racial equity, and access opportunities.

Kennedy offers reflections as Kresge’s first fellow

“The evolution of this program reflects our recognition of the value fellowships provide,” said Kennedy, who was selected as Kresge’s first presidential fellow in 2009 and rose to serve as vice president of programs. “Joining the Kresge Foundation as a fellow in 2009 was profoundly important to my career and ultimately set the course for the last 15 years of my life. The fellowship allowed me to learn about the philanthropic sector and understand the specific ways a foundation can contribute to community and social change efforts. I think it’s incredibly important to create these opportunities for professionals early in their careers.” 

Kennedy’s leadership now involves overseeing the foundation’s seven grantmaking programs, which are aimed at helping people living with low incomes in American cities grapple with a wide array of socio-economic issues.

When asked what’s kept him at Kresge for 15 years? He replied: “Compelling work and inspiring people. And – for sure – the power and energy of Detroit.”

Before joining Kresge in 2009, Kennedy was with JPMorgan Chase in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he was an associate on the firm’s mergers and acquisitions team. He also worked as an economic and political analyst within IHS Global Insight’s sub-Saharan Africa country intelligence group. His responsibilities included sovereign credit risk analysis, policy research and macroeconomic forecasting.

“I don’t think I would have found my way into a foundation without the fellowship,” Kennedy added. “The opportunities are few and far between if you don’t have prior experience in the sector. I feel that our fellowship program intentionally seeks to offer an on-ramp to folks from a variety of backgrounds.”

Redesigning the Kresge Fellowship Program

Since 2016, nearly 20 fellows have worked at Kresge, including roles in the Executive Office reporting to Rapson. Others have worked with the Social Investments team and on program teams, including the Detroit, American Cities, Education, Health, and Environment programs. Of Kresge’s 20 fellows, most identified as people of color, and 10 were women.

The fellowship was previously a two-year, timed, full-time employment opportunity open to those with a minimum bachelor’s or graduate degree and at least two years of work experience in a specific sector.

When working on redesigning Kresge’s fellowship program, Neesha Modi, director of the program and social investment operations, said she collected feedback from previous Kresge fellows.

Through a rigorous process, Modi and her team conducted background research on successful fellowship programs in the social sector and hosted focus group sessions and interviews with previous and current Kresge fellows and the managers of previous fellows. They documented their experiences, reflections and recommendations to shape the new program.

“The role and project scope of each fellow has historically been based on the team’s internal needs and individual capacity,” Modi said. “Over the past few years, we analyzed the fellowship based on current and past fellows’ experiences to evaluate its successes and needs. Through this evaluation, Kresge identified several opportunities to restructure the program, including coordinated professional and leadership development programming, structured mentorship opportunities, and more intentional strategies grounded in equity.”

Moving away from the individualized early career model, the new fellowship program represents a structured cohort model, where each fellow joins the foundation together and takes part in training programs as a group to share learning experiences.

“We hope that this evolution will foster a collaborative environment, formalize professional development opportunities, and build responsive support systems for this and future cohorts,” Modi added. “More broadly, Kresge hopes that through the program, fellows can develop and practice skills that will prepare them to become confident, equity-focused leaders within the social sector.”

5 key learnings for impactful fellowships

After an analysis of past and current fellows’ experiences, through written memos and group discussions, five key opportunities emerged to develop more successful fellowship programs that can be adapted across the social sector:

1. Create a cohort onboarding model. Joining a new organization can be overwhelming. Previous Kresge fellows have noted that philanthropy, as an industry, has a very steep learning curve that takes time to become familiar with. This learning curve adds complexity to the onboarding process for those unfamiliar with the sector. When cohorts of fellows are onboarded together, they can experience a more immersive learning experience and better navigate cultural norms within the foundation. The cohort model also provides opportunities for collaborative work, consistent milestones, shared learning experiences, and a peer community from onboarding to offboarding.
2. Provide consistency in the fellowship experience. Ensure fellows experience consistency with their stated job descriptions and day-to-day responsibilities. If multiple fellows are onboarded, limit ambiguity by refraining from creating ad hoc roles. Fully engage fellows in grantmaking and programming so they feel they are true participants and leaders within the organization. Create space and time for fellows to acclimate to philanthropy, develop networks, build social sector skills, and prepare for their next opportunity. This includes coordinated, immersive orientation, consistent onboarding resources, guides, and opportunities to plan for their next professional step after the fellowship period. Enhance job expectations and clarity by codifying uniform expectations for the fellowship role across teams (e.g. fellows are project managers, leaders and communicators, and interact with the grant life cycle).
3. Prioritize access to information and community-building. Ensure fellows have access to all parts of the Foundation – especially other programs that fall outside of their scope of work – for a more immersive experience. For Kresge, several fellows served in the Executive Office. However, even for those who did not, being able to engage with the President, executive team, board of trustees, and foundation-wide project leaders provides a holistic learning model and connections across the organizations at all levels.
4. Provide professional development and mentorship opportunities. Develop a thoughtful, tangible approach to how fellows can fully leverage existing professional development resources and opportunities. Professional development and mentorship are valued aspects of fellows’ experiences. However, if offered in an informal nature, both can leave fellows overwhelmed with navigating and formalizing the processes for themselves. Formalize mentorship as a benefit and facilitate opportunities for fellows beyond the manager and immediate team. Explore models that are inclusive of all teams, departments, and positions and support fellows throughout their term. Offer coaching, internal mentorship and external mentorship opportunities. Continuously offer wrap-around support throughout the fellowship including philanthropic and social sector coursework, shared professional development opportunities, career/academic coaching, conference attendance and leadership development.
5. Offer peer-to-peer learning. Many Kresge fellows shared they would like to have more facilitated peer-based learning experiences. Intentionally building programs, trainings, and social opportunities which allow fellows to engage in peer-to-peer learning, networking and relationship building is helpful. Kresge plans to host a monthly studio for the fellows to connect, learn together, and reflect.

Reflections from past Kresge Fellows

“As a fellow on Kresge’s Environment Team, I gained valuable insights into environmental philanthropy and learned about impactful climate justice initiatives led by our nonprofit partners across the country. Being part of a foundation with multiple disciplines has been exciting, allowing me to learn from diverse areas of expertise and collaborate on intersectional work, especially since climate change is an everything issue that disproportionately affects marginalized communities. My mentors during my time at Kresge have also demonstrated the importance of centering joy and relationships in this work.”
Alejandra Hernandez, associate program officer, Kresge Environment Program

 “Starting my time at Kresge as a fellow allowed me to understand our work across all of our programs and portfolios, but more importantly, allowed me to fully ground myself in how we work and how we show up alongside and with our community partners.”
Jonathan Hui, senior program officer, Kresge Detroit Program

 “The Kresge fellowship gave me unmatched exposure to the philanthropic sector and positioned me to use this knowledge as my career grows.”
Chris LeFlore, associate program officer, Kresge Detroit Program

“My experience at Kresge exposed me to the various tools to spur and solve long-term system changes. As a convener and facilitator of resources, I got a deeper understanding from Kresge on how various sectors and industries such as philanthropy, government, private and others can collectively make greater impact together. I have taken those lessons to future roles where cross-sector collaboration is essential in order to empower the next generation of local leaders and rebuild our civic infrastructure.”
Dexter Mason, executive director, Change Collective

“The fellowship with the American Cities Program was the perfect entrée into philanthropy for me. I gained a deeper understanding of the sector, took on an array of special projects and was exposed to unique experiences that bolstered my professional growth. The fellowship prepared me to make a greater impact in the social sector and showed me there was a place for me in philanthropy.”
Kevin Washington, associate program officer, Kresge American Cities Program