Encore Fellowships

Think of them as bridges to a new stage of work. Encore Fellowships are paid, yearlong positions for people who want to shift from midlife careers to encore careers by bringing their tremendous experience from the corporate world to the nonprofit sector.

Encore Fellowships Match Corporate Employees With Local Nonprofits

Watch the video to see how fellows, sponsors and nonprofits work together to benefit their communities. Click here to view videos of individual fellows telling their stories, including Lyle Hurst and Leslye Louie (above).

In 2009, the first year of the program, 10 former corporate employees skilled in marketing, finance, human resources, information technology, strategic planning and management were awarded paid Encore Fellowships with nonprofits in California’s Silicon Valley. Their high-impact, yearlong, part-time work assignments served as pathways launching fellows into their encore careers and provided valued expertise to nonprofits. The 2009 pilot was sponsored by The David and Lucile Packard Foundation and Hewlett-Packard.

Meet the fellows and hear from sponsors and nonprofit directors about the value of Encore Fellowships.

What’s next? Based on the success of the 2009 pilot, Civic Ventures is continuing the Silicon Valley Encore Fellows program in 2010 and is ready to work with additional corporations, organizations and individuals to create Encore Fellowships in many more communities.

Apply Now

The 2010 Silicon Valley Encore Fellows program is now accepting applications and will be awarding fellowships on a rolling basis. Ten to 15 fellowships with stipends will be awarded.

Applications are due no later than March 1, 2010 for assignments beginning in spring 2010.

Download the guidelines and application here.

Learn More

For details on how Encore Fellowships work, download the following documents. They offer quick overviews of various parts of the program.

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Federal Government Wants to Expand Encore Fellowships

The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, signed by President Obama in April 2009, establishes 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.