Cambiar Catalyst Fellowship Grant

Cambiar Catalyst Fellowship Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Cambiar Education
Last Updated: May 06, 2025

Summary

The Cambiar Catalyst Fellowship is a transformative year-long program designed for experienced educators and systems leaders. It offers intensive professional development through coaching, in-person and virtual learning experiences, and community building. Participants tackle real-world challenges in their districts using the CREATE framework, enhancing their leadership skills and impact. The fellowship aims to reimagine K-12 public education by supporting leaders in creating sustainable solutions for improved student outcomes.

Overview

NOTE: There is a multi-stage selection process. Individuals who wish to be considered for admission should begin by submitting an application online. Cambiar Catalyst Fellowship A Critical Need To transform K-12 public education systems across the country, systems leaders need to be prepared, developed, and supported to lead, innovate, and create lasting impact. Many systems leaders find that little development, training, and support is available once they reach the highest levels of leadership. A Place for Leaders The Catalyst Fellowship is a year-long learning experience for current and aspiring systems leaders. We provide rigorous professional development through in-person learning experiences, online learning modules, community building, and coaching. Our differentiated approach for every fellow allows for timely and relevant learning for immediate application and practice. A Proven Process Systemic Impact - A core part of the Fellowship experience is applied learning. Fellows identify a project or challenge in their district, and are equipped with the skills and resources to tackle it using Cambiar’s CREATE framework - a process that engages communities in the co-creation of sustainable solutions to systemic challenges. In addition to applying their learning during the Fellowship, fellows leave with this skill set that can then be applied to other challenges and problems to magnify the impact on their system.Learning Experiences -Fellows participate in multiple in-person and virtual and in-person learning experiences focused on leading systems across the country. During the learning experiences, fellows are exposed to key content that equips them with the skills to change the conditions in their system to improve outcomes for all students.Community -Given the high stakes and complexity of public education, school system leadership can be a lonely place, leading to high burnout and turnover rates. The Fellowship’s cohort-based learning model focuses deeply on building the community and support network of individuals necessary for a healthy, sustainable career in systems leadership. We have found that fellows gain significant strength and momentum by coming together as a community to learn together, support one another, network, and share resources.Professional Coaching -The Catalyst team has decades of experience coaching successful K12 system leaders. Fellows are paired with an experienced and highly-trained coach, providing them with monthly coaching sessions to overcome evolving leadership and systems challenges.Fellows also participate in and receive feedback from the C360, Catalyst’s unique 360-degree leadership assessment, which was developed based on the skills and abilities we have identified as crucial to successful K12 system leadership. About Catalyst Fellows Catalyst accepts experienced educators with a strong belief that all students can succeed, and a deep belief that systems must be reimagined to create the transformational change needed for students nationally. Ideally, the applicant will be in a systems-level role of significant responsibility. Funding The Fellowship consists of over 150 hours of live learning, a year of professional coaching with a highly-qualified and experienced coach, and in-person and virtual learning experiences. We ask districts to contribute $15,000 towards the full cost of the Fellowship.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. We are looking for experienced educators with a strong belief that every student can succeed, and a deep belief that systems must be reimagined to create the transformational change needed for students nationally.Successful candidates must demonstrate the following:Track record of demonstrated, measurable positive impact on studentsClearly articulated vision and motivation for school systems leadershipProven ability to lead and manage adultsIdeally, the applicant will be in a systems-level role of significant responsibility.There is no minimum years of experience required. The average years of work experience for fellows is 14 years.Fellows work in systems of diverse size, geography, and sector, including traditional K12 districts, state education agencies, charter school networks, and education organizations nationally.