India Acumen Fellowship

Acumen Academy, the leadership arm of the impact investor Acumen, runs the India Acumen Fellowship for social entrepreneurs who have already built something that works against poverty and now want to take it much further. Over seven months, a cohort of around 20 Indian leaders works on the leadership that scale demands while continuing to run their organisations. Applications for the 2027 cohort run from 25 September to 31 October 2026.

What you get:

• A place in a small cohort of about 20 Fellows selected in India each year
• Program costs covered by Acumen, including travel, lodging and food for the in-person immersives
• A curriculum in moral leadership: polarity management, adaptive leadership, authentic voice and Good Society readings
• Lifelong membership of the Foundry, Acumen's community of 2,000+ social innovators across 71 countries
• Through the Foundry, access to coaching, amplification to investors, and the chance to apply to Acumen Angels for catalytic capital

What you'll do:

• Attend a one-day virtual orientation
• Take part in three in-person immersives of 5 to 6 days each, held in Indian cities
• Join two virtual Learning Labs of 16 hours each, spread across two weeks

• Must be over 18
• At least 5 years of work experience; Fellows average 10 to 15 years, with about 10 working on poverty
• Currently leading, full time, an organisation whose mission is solving problems of poverty
• Resident of India, or able to show a concrete connection such as long-term employment or an initiative focused on India
• Proficient in English; all sessions are in English
• Reliable internet and full availability for the whole program; attendance is 100 percent
• Not a past Acumen Fellow, and not a graduate of listed Acumen leadership accelerators such as Leadership Essentials for Social Innovators India
• Only one applicant per organisation can advance in a given year
• No academic prerequisites and no recommendation letters; two professional references are requested at the final stage