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Encore Fellowships

Think of them as bridges to a new stage of work. Encore Fellowships are an innovative new way for experienced, highly skilled employees to transition from midlife careers to encore careers that combine personal meaning, continued income and social impact.





  • Each fellow is matched with a social-purpose organization where he or she works for six to 12 months on a high-impact assignment.
  • The fellows receive orientation to the social-purpose sector, a monthly stipend and opportunities to develop career options.
  • Encore Fellowships are funded by corporate and foundation sponsors and by the work hosts themselves.

    • Contact us for more information.


The 2009 Silicon Valley Encore Fellows Program

In 2009, 10 former corporate employees were awarded fellowships to work in nonprofit organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area. These Encore Fellowships were made possible with seed funding from The David and Lucile Packard Foundation and from the Hewlett Packard Company and were run by Civic Ventures. The fellows delivered significant impact to their host agencies and are now successfully transitioning to work with social purpose.

Meet the fellows, watch their videos and hear from sponsors and nonprofit directors about the value of Encore Fellowships.

Fellowships: The Next Stage

Based on the success of the 2009 pilot, Civic Ventures is continuing the Silicon Valley Encore Fellows program in 2010. In addition, we are launching the Encore Fellowships Network to work with corporations, organizations and individuals who are interested in creating Encore Fellowships in many more communities across the U.S. We invite you to join us in this effort, whether you are interested in becoming an Encore Fellow, hosting an Encore Fellow in your organization or sponsoring or operating an Encore Fellowships program.

Resource List

The following documents contain information about Encore Fellowships in a format that can be easily downloaded and printed.

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Encore Fellowships in the News

BusinessWeek
"From Then to Now: How to Move Beyond the Do-It-Yourself Transition," commentary by Marc Freedman, founder and CEO, Civic Ventures

Los Angeles Times
"Second Careers That Give Back"

National Public Radio's Morning Edition
"Program Taps Retired Execs to Help Nonprofits"

U.S. News & World Report
"Boomers Redefine Retirement With 'Encore' Careers"

Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal
"For Encore Fellows, Work Is Even Better Second Time Around"

San Francisco Chronicle
"A New Wave of Service," op-ed by Marc Freedman

The Wall Street Journal
"Law Opens Up 'Encore' Careers"

The New York Times
"Testing the Waters With Internships"

Federal Government Wants to Expand Encore Fellowships

The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, signed by President Obama in April 2009, establishes federal encore fellowships for Americans age 55 and older. The new law marks the first time federal legislation has recognized encore careers and the need for pathways that get people from one stage to the next.

The encore fellowships are designed to provide people 55-plus with a way to transition to careers in government and nonprofit service, where they can continue to earn salaries, find meaning in their work and use their experience to improve communities. Fellows will get minimum stipends of $22,000, half paid by the federal government and half by the host nonprofits. The legislation also sets standards for training and leadership development to move fellows toward encore careers.

Although program specifics and funding are not yet in place, Encore Fellowships – 10 per state – will be administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service and the state service commissions. To learn more about the Serve America Act and the federal Encore Fellowships, visit the Corporation for National and Community Service web site.

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