Established in 2022, the Ann Bancroft Foundation (ABF) Trailblazer Fellowship allows previous grantees (Trailblazers) who are currently in 9th to 12th grade to apply for a new grant to fund a dream and as a head start on their road to independence, college, and career.
The ABF Trailblazer Fellowship experience prepares ABF Trailblazers to dream bolder as they prepare for the next stage after high school, deepening significant gains in their ability to succeed. The experience allows trailblazers to thrive through connection, confidence, creativity, individuality, risk-taking, and courage. The inaugural 2022 ABF Trailblazer Fellowship is a cohort experience allowing for individual grants of up to $2500. The grants are paired with a network of support and development opportunities through connections to mentors, cohort fellows, and other services to fuel dreaming and turn those dreams into realities.
As part of the Fellowship experience, Fellows will commit to a year-long cohort process with no more than four cohort meetings. A cohort is a small group of individuals who come together regularly to learn and grow under the guidance of an experienced facilitator. This is an interactive experience focused on professional development and building relationships.
The Trailblazer Fellowship has three phases to applying and being selected as a fellow. The phases are:
Phase One: All Trailblazers eligible based on the above criteria, can apply. The application focuses on short-answer questions about yourself. We want to hear about your bold dream, experience with the initial grant from ABF, what you are proud of yourself for, and advice you would give to your younger self.Applications for phase one will be open from October 11 – November 6, 2023.
Phase Two: After phase one, applicants will be notified via email and invited to complete phase two, consisting of more short answer questions and hearing from your mentor. The short-answer questions focus on the applicant’s sense of community. Applicants will be asked about the fellowship activity to pursue, your mentor and your relationship, an issue you care about, and who would share a meal with. The identified mentor will also have some short answer questions to complete about the applicant.Applications for Phase Two will be open from December 8 – December 20, 2023.
Phase Three: After completing phase two, applicants will be notified via email to complete a 15-minute interview with two ABF staff members. Applicants will be asked about what they hope to gain in the fellowship experience, a time when they took a difficult action, supporting a peer, working in group settings, and strengths and growth opportunities. After the interviews, the final Fellowship cohort will be selected.Interviews will be held between January 29 – February 9, 2024.
For more information, check out the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to the ABF team at grants@annbancroftfoundation.org or at 612-361-8195. We are here to help answer questions and assist in the application process, please don't hesitate to reach out!
The deadline to submit phase one applications is Monday, November 6 at 11:59 PM.
2024 Ann Bancroft Foundation Trailblazer Fellowship
Established in 2022, the Ann Bancroft Foundation (ABF) Trailblazer Fellowship allows previous grantees (Trailblazers) who are currently in 9th to 12th grade to apply for a new grant to fund a dream and as a head start on their road to independence, college, and career.
The ABF Trailblazer Fellowship experience prepares ABF Trailblazers to dream bolder as they prepare for the next stage after high school, deepening significant gains in their ability to succeed. The experience allows trailblazers to thrive through connection, confidence, creativity, individuality, risk-taking, and courage. The inaugural 2022 ABF Trailblazer Fellowship is a cohort experience allowing for individual grants of up to $2500. The grants are paired with a network of support and development opportunities through connections to mentors, cohort fellows, and other services to fuel dreaming and turn those dreams into realities.
As part of the Fellowship experience, Fellows will commit to a year-long cohort process with no more than four cohort meetings. A cohort is a small group of individuals who come together regularly to learn and grow under the guidance of an experienced facilitator. This is an interactive experience focused on professional development and building relationships.
The Trailblazer Fellowship has three phases to applying and being selected as a fellow. The phases are:
Phase One: All Trailblazers eligible based on the above criteria, can apply. The application focuses on short-answer questions about yourself. We want to hear about your bold dream, experience with the initial grant from ABF, what you are proud of yourself for, and advice you would give to your younger self.Applications for phase one will be open from October 11 – November 6, 2023.
Phase Two: After phase one, applicants will be notified via email and invited to complete phase two, consisting of more short answer questions and hearing from your mentor. The short-answer questions focus on the applicant’s sense of community. Applicants will be asked about the fellowship activity to pursue, your mentor and your relationship, an issue you care about, and who would share a meal with. The identified mentor will also have some short answer questions to complete about the applicant.Applications for Phase Two will be open from December 8 – December 20, 2023.
Phase Three: After completing phase two, applicants will be notified via email to complete a 15-minute interview with two ABF staff members. Applicants will be asked about what they hope to gain in the fellowship experience, a time when they took a difficult action, supporting a peer, working in group settings, and strengths and growth opportunities. After the interviews, the final Fellowship cohort will be selected.Interviews will be held between January 29 – February 9, 2024.
For more information, check out the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to the ABF team at grants@annbancroftfoundation.org or at 612-361-8195. We are here to help answer questions and assist in the application process, please don't hesitate to reach out!
The deadline to submit phase one applications is Monday, November 6 at 11:59 PM.