Frequently Asked Questions

Change Collective is a dynamic leadership community created to train, connect, and elevate local changemakers in communities across the country. Our nonpartisan approach prioritizes collaboration over politics, empowering changemakers to bridge divides and solve problems at the community level.

Through a six-month fellowship program, participants from diverse backgrounds build skills, share ideas, and create Civic Action Plans focused on local issues. Graduates join the Change Collective Membership Network, a supportive and national community dedicated to lifelong learning and civic impact. Together, we strengthen communities and foster a brighter, more connected future for all.

Change Collective currently operates in five cities — Chicago, IL; Detroit, MI; Jackson, MS; Memphis, TN; and San Antonio, TX.

All Change Collective cohorts are community or city-based. We are currently operating in five cities — Chicago, IL; Detroit, MI; Jackson, MS; Memphis, TN; and San Antonio, TX. We will continue to add new cities and cohorts each year. By connecting our participants across the country with one another, the Change Collective will build a national community of local changemakers.

To participate in the six-month leadership training program and become a Change Collective Member you must live in the cities where we operate. We are currently operating in Chicago, IL, Detroit, MI,  Jackson, MS,  Memphis, TN, and San Antonio, TX. If you do not live in one of these cities, contact us to show your interest in the Change Collective expanding to a city near you.

Each local cohort will be composed of 20–25 emerging leaders.

The Change Collective is geared toward emerging leaders with a track record of working in their communities and a commitment to strengthening civic engagement. We are looking for participants representing a variety of identities, backgrounds, sectors/industries, and ideologies. 

Some examples of being a local changemaker in your community could include, but NOT limited to:

  • An artist who uses the power of art to address social justice issues and to storytell in their community. 
  • A rural or urban farmer who is addressing the food security issues in their community.
  • An engineer at a private company who is passionate about closing the digital divide in their community.
  • A student leader who mobilizes students to register to vote on their campus.


The following are requirements for applying: 
You must be a resident of the cities we are operating in for the duration of the six-month fellowship and be available to attend the in-person training sessions. For the Spring 2026 application cycle, we are again accepting applications from leaders in Chicago, Detroit, Jackson, Memphis, and San Antonio. 

The following are qualifications we look for in strong applicants:
You have demonstrated your ability to lead in your community. You have a compelling community-based project that you want to take on and tackle through the Change Collective program. You are committed to curiosity and community

Fundamental to this leadership community is the core principle of embracing difference as a source of strength and training leaders to build bridges within their communities. We are committed to building a diverse network of leaders.

 Change Collective Fellows and Members reflect diversity in race, ethnicity, religion, and other forms of diversity. Our Fellows will span industries and professional fields, as well as educational backgrounds. (College degrees are not required to apply to the Change Collective). 

Our goal is always to have cohorts that are gender balanced, invest in people and communities of color, and also represent other historically underrepresented groups.

As a nonpartisan and non-political organization, we value ideological differences and the work it takes to be in community together. Fellows across political ideologies are encouraged to apply.

We understand that leadership journeys look different for different people. Although we imagine many of our applicants will be in the 25–35 year old age range, the Change Collective values age diversity. Therefore, we welcome all potential participants ages 18+ to apply.

After completing the six-month fellowship program, Members of the Change Collective will have access to training opportunities, leadership development, in-person community-building events, and a wide network of local and national community partners. All Change Collective Members must complete the six-month training and skill-building program that will include local in-person convenings and virtual meetings.

Applications for the Spring 2026 cohort in Chicago, Detroit, Jackson, Memphis, and San Antonio will be open from September 29, 2026 until October 31, 2026. The six-month fellowship program will run between February and July 2026.

Local Change Labs will occur on the following Saturdays from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm local time:

  • Program Kickoff – February 27, 2026
  • Lab 1 — Saturday, February 28, 2026
  • Lab 2 — Saturday, March 28, 2026
  • Lab 3 — Saturday, April 25, 2026
  • Lab 4 — Saturday, May 30, 2026
  • Lab 5 — Saturday, June 27, 2026
  • Lab 6/Culmination Celebration — Saturday, July 25, 2026


To apply for our Spring 2026 cohort, please submit your application HERE.

The $950 fee will support the training, resources, and curriculum that are part of the Change Collective programming, as well as event costs for convenings. At the Change Collective, we are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, and removing barriers to access for any local changemaker. All accepted Fellows have the option to pay their fee over a 6-month time frame or can apply for a full fee waiver.

The Change Collective experience begins with a six-month leadership fellowship that provides participants with the skills, tools, and resources needed to lead change in their communities. The fellowship leads to your membership in the Change Collective, a multi-city Membership Network designed to build up civic engagement and strengthen communities. 

During the six-month training program, Fellows will attend in-person Local Change Labs one Saturday per month for six consecutive months. The fellowship kicks off and concludes with local events with our community partners and existing Members. Local Change Lab convenings will be held on Saturdays for six hours. Fellows must also attend a monthly online call following their Local Change Lab to dig deeper into their issue area.

The Change Collective curriculum includes:

  • In-person convenings and trainings.
  • Virtual trainings and skill-building sessions.
  • Virtual communities of practice that will connect changemakers across cities.
  • Individualized coaching on Civic Action Plan.
  • Armchair and panel discussions with field experts and thought leaders.
  • Community dinners and community service projects.
  • After completing the six-month fellowship, graduates will officially join the Change Collective as Members of a dynamic, growing national network of local changemakers, and will participate in our continued-learning series and community of practice sessions.

The curriculum for the six-month fellowship and ongoing Membership learning includes:

  • Robust learning modules. Our trainings are designed to support leaders as they plan, organize, and execute the work they want to do to improve the civic life of their community. This includes hard skills for your Civic Action Plan (and beyond) as well as key concepts to push our thinking around what is possible in our communities and our place in that possibility.
  • A collection of case studies. Examples of real people doing change work and building up the civic life in their communities — fantastic ones to inspire and ones that have hit snags to learn from.
  • Practical exercises. Steps to apply innovative frameworks and best practices to your specific change work and to grow in your leadership.
  • A collection of resources. Structured to help you move through the content, take notes, and serve as reference materials as you do the hard work of creating change.
  • Access to incredible guest speakers. Hear from the experts and address common questions and roadblocks as well as hear from local leaders navigating the unique opportunities and challenges in your community.
  • Opportunities to connect. Engaging with each other to deepen your leadership practice, learn from each other, push your thinking, and workshop solutions together.

To participate in the program, we ask that you make every effort to attend all of the sessions (one 6-hour session per month) and quarterly virtual Community of Practice sessions (1 hour). We understand life gets in the way sometimes, but we ask that participants not miss more than 1 session over the course of the six-month fellowship. The magic of the six-month experience comes from being present to learn with and from each other.

The program will run over six months, from February to July. Candidates selected for participation will receive a detailed program calendar prior to the start of their program.

For Spring 2026, Local Change Labs will occur on the following Saturdays from 10:00 am–4:00 pm local time:

  • Program Kickoff —  February 27, 2026
  • Lab 1 — Saturday, February 28, 2026
  • Lab 2 —  Saturday, March 28, 2026
  • Lab 3 —  Saturday, April 25, 2026
  • Lab 4 —  Saturday, May 30, 2026
  • Lab 5 —  Saturday, June 27, 2026
  • Lab 6/Culmination Celebration —  Saturday, July 25, 2026

To complete the six-month fellowship and become a Member you will need to:

  • Attend the in-person and virtual sessions and actively participate
  • Complete a Civic Action Plan (don’t worry, we’ll provide you the skills and details on how to do this)

The Change Collective is a program and network connecting changemakers across cities, but not funding those projects directly. There will be some training around how to pursue funding and some best practices for fundraising. However, no grants or financial assistance will be given to Members directly.

The Change Collective considers multiple factors to determine which cities will host current and future cohorts. We prioritize locations with a diverse population across identities, backgrounds, vocations, and ideologies. We also focus on cities where we have an existing or emerging network of local partners excited to engage with the Change Collective and support our programming. We encourage you to contact us if you are interested in bringing the Change Collective to your city.

Questions about the Application Process

Applications for Spring 2026 will be accepted until Friday, October 31, 2026 at 12:00 PM CDT. Finalists will be invited for virtual interviews with Change Collective staff.

Applications will not be accepted beyond the application deadline. However, if you’d like to be notified when applications open for the next cohort, please fill out the interest form.

To participate in the six-month leadership training program and become a Change Collective Member you must live in the cities where we operate. We are currently operating in Chicago, IL, Detroit, MI,  Jackson, MS,  Memphis, TN, and San Antonio, TX. If you do not live in one of these cities, contact us to show your interest in the Change Collective expanding to a city near you.

Absolutely! We have limited spots available for this round but will be growing in the future.

All applicants will be notified of their status via email on a rolling basis.

Change Collective Membership

The Change Collective community goes beyond the six-month leadership development program. You will be part of a national network of local changemakers who will be called on to continue their commitment to improve local communities, support each other personally and professionally, and be ready to mobilize to address pressing local issues collectively.

After completing the six-month leadership development program, you will join a national network of local changemakers who will focus on sustaining and elevating impact in local communities, participate in national and local convenings, serve as mentors to future cohorts, and have access to special events, resources, job opportunities, and leadership training.

There are many benefits to officially joining the Change Collective Membership, which include, but not limited to the following:

  • Attend an annual national convening with civic leaders from across the country
  • Access to national network of local changemakers
  • Resources to support pressing local efforts and long-term projects
  • Invitation to special in-person and virtual events 
  • Opportunities seek additional mentorship, provide mentorship and engage with future cohorts 
  • Host events in local cities  
  • Shared job and leadership development opportunities

After completing the six-month fellowship program, there is a small monthly fee to join our Membership network ($10/month) to help us provide ongoing in-person and virtual programming.