UK Acumen Fellowship for Social Leaders

UK Acumen Academy, the UK affiliate of the global nonprofit Acumen, runs a 9-month leadership fellowship for social entrepreneurs and leaders tackling poverty across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. About 20 Fellows a year work through a hybrid mix of in-person residentials and virtual workshops while continuing to run their organisations, then join Acumen's global community of more than 2,000 alumni.

What you get:

• A place in a cohort of about 20 UK leaders, with programme costs covered by UK Acumen Academy
• Accommodation, food and venue costs paid for all three in-person residentials
• A finite travel reimbursement fund for Fellows whose transport costs would otherwise stop them attending
• Lifelong membership of the Foundry, Acumen's global network of more than 2,000 social innovators in 71 countries
• Access to coaching, tools, amplification opportunities and the chance to apply to Acumen Angels for catalytic capital

What you'll do:

• Attend three 4-day in-person residentials in 2027: 21 to 24 March, 6 to 9 July and 19 to 22 October
• Complete two virtual workshop series, 19 April to 7 June and 2 August to 12 September, with a weekly 2-hour session and about 4 hours of work a week
• Study Adaptive Leadership, Polarity Management, Public Narrative and Good Society Readings with your cohort

• Must be over 18
• Must lead an organisation creating measurable impact on problems of poverty in the United Kingdom, as a founder, CEO or senior leader with real influence
• At least 5 years of work experience and demonstrated commitment to tackling poverty
• The organisation must be an established legal entity with a clear track record of social impact; for-profit, nonprofit, hybrid, corporate and public sector leaders are all eligible
• Must be a UK resident, with exceptions only for applicants with a concrete connection to the UK such as long-term employment there
• Must be working full time on the organisation and able to attend every session of the programme
• English proficiency required; no academic qualifications required
• Not open to past Acumen Fellows or graduates of Acumen's Leadership Accelerators
• Only one person per organisation can advance in a given year