The Aya Fellowship Program is a dynamic, 12-month consultancy-based program crafted to empower nonprofit and philanthropic leaders with strategic resilience. Participants gain essential frameworks to sustain equity and justice efforts amid legal and political adversity, practical tools to manage risks, navigate crises, and future-proof DEI initiatives, and access to leading experts and a robust peer network for collective support and action.

The Aya Fellowship equips leadership teams to move from defense to design; embedding resilience, strategy, and vision across their institutions, and ensuring that equity work is not only defended in the face of backlash, but can change the outcomes for future generations.

The Fellowship is intentionally designed for teams of leaders from within the same institution and ecosystem. We believe that the future of our movements depends not on the brilliance of a single leader or organization, but on the collective capacity of organizations working in deep coordination. 

Aya comes from the Adinkra symbols of the Akan people of West Africa. The symbol itself is the fern: a plant known for its remarkable ability to thrive in difficult places: rocky soil, shaded forests, and under harsh conditions where other plants might wither.

The fern does not simply survive; it flourishes because of its hardiness, flexibility, and quiet power. Aya represents:

"Endurance, independence, defiance against difficulties, hardiness, perseverance, and resourcefulness."

Eligibility:

Aya is designed for teams of leaders from nonprofit organizations who are doing their part to create a world where all people can thrive—where communities are inclusive and everyone has access to the resources, rights, and recognition they need to prosper. Ideal fellows are organizational leadership teams that:

  • Are navigating political, legal, or narrative threats to their work;

  • Believe that institutional resilience and collective leadership are essential to advancing long-term change;

  • Are committed to building organizations where all people—staff, constituents, and communities—can show up with dignity and power;

  • Envision a democracy where everyone has the ability to participate, contribute, and shape our shared future.

FELLOWSHIP OFFERINGS

Strategy Track:

Future-Proofing Equity + Justice Work

Landscape Analysis & Political Risk Assessment

  • Customized briefings on legal, political, and economic threats to DEI work in different sectors and regions

  • Scenario planning workshops to anticipate challenges and prepare contingency plans

Strategic Reframing for Sustained Impact

  • Sessions on messaging and narrative shifts that sustain equity commitments in restrictive climates

  • Research-based approaches to embedding equity work within broader institutional goals (e.g., talent retention, economic growth, compliance)

Board & Leadership Alignment

  • Guidance on securing board and executive buy-in

  • Best practices for structuring DEI commitments within organizational policies to ensure longevity

Support Track:

Peer Learning & Collective Action

Fellowship Cohort Circles

  • Curated small-group cohorts matched by sector and region for deep peer learning and confidential problem-solving.

  • Facilitated discussions to share strategies, troubleshoot challenges, and sustain morale.

Cross-Sector Collaboration & Movement Building

  • Bridges between nonprofits, funders, legal advocates, and grassroots organizers to align strategies.

  • Collective advocacy efforts and joint statements to push back against anti-equity narratives.

Wellness & Sustainability for Leaders

  • Trauma-informed leadership coaching to address burnout and stress in the current climate.

  • Personal resilience-building sessions, including mindfulness, coaching, and community care strategies.

Defense Track:

Legal, Policy, and Crisis Navigation

Legal Defense & Compliance Guidance

  • Partnership with civil rights attorneys and policy experts to provide legal navigation for organizations facing DEI-related challenges

  • Pro bono legal consultation sessions for fellows on employment law, contracting, and funding compliance

Crisis Response & Risk Mitigation

  • Training on de-escalation strategies when facing external pushback

  • Case study-based simulations on handling public and legal attacks on DEI initiatives

Funding & Philanthropic Safeguards

  • Best practices for securing funding that shields equity work from political interference

  • Alternative funding strategies, including donor collaboratives and unrestricted reserves

PROGRAM GOALS

  • Strategize: Strengthening Long-Term Mission Resilience

    1. Equip nonprofit leaders with forward looking, research-informed tools to sustain core values and organizational priorities in shifting environments.

    2. Support the development of adaptive strategies that safeguard mission-critical work from legal, political, and funding challenges.

    3. Provide timely legal and policy insights to help organizations remain compliant while staying grounded in their core commitments.

    4. Train leaders to effectively communicate their organization’s value and impact to funders, boards, and the broader public in a polarized landscape.

  • Defend: Preparing Leaders to Navigate Risk and Opposition

    1. Deliver proactive assessments to help organizations identify reputational, legal, and operational risks tied to their programmatic focus.

    2. Provide guidance and real-time support for leaders navigating external scrutiny, regulatory shifts, or policy backlash.

    3. Offer customized tools—including scenario planning, communications strategies, and board engagement approaches—to help organizations remain steady in moments of crisis.

    4. Connect participants with experts in law, policy, and strategy to build tailored defense and response mechanisms.

  • Collectivize: Embedding Strategy Across Teams and Institutions

    1. Focus on leadership teams, not just individuals, to ensure cross-functional learning and institutional integration of new tools and strategies.

    2. Cultivate shared language and collaborative planning practices that align internal stakeholders and reinforce organizational focus.

    3. Translate individual learning into durable institutional capacity, helping organizations retain knowledge and resilience over time.

  • Design: Building for the Moment to Come

    1. Facilitate leaders to actively design the future of their organizations and movements, grounded in bold vision and enduring values.

    2. Today’s challenges into tomorrow’s infrastructure.

    3. Center leadership as a creative and generative force, capable of authoring the future, not merely reacting to it.