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Partial Funding Professional Fellowship the USA

America's Future Development Fellowship 2026

Deadline 7 September 2026, 11:59 PM ET (Fall 2026 cohort) 26 days left · Hosted by America's Future · Published

The America's Future Development Fellowship 2026 is a six-week virtual seminar in nonprofit fundraising, and applications for the Fall 2026 cohort close on 7 September 2026 at 11:59 PM ET. Sessions run over Zoom on Monday evenings across 28 September, 5 October, 19 October, 26 October, 2 November and 9 November, with no class on 12 October for Columbus Day. Participants are selected between 14 and 21 September 2026. What you cover splits into two halves. The philosophical side asks why private philanthropy matters to a free society. The practical side is the craft of the job: donor cultivation and stewardship, long-term relationship building, organisational development, major gifts, foundation relations and planned giving. It runs as a seminar rather than a lecture series, so you engage directly with the facilitator and with other professionals in the room. The facilitator is Kevin Augustyn, Vice President of Development at the Acton Institute, where he leads a fundraising operation raising an average of $12 million a year, and who previously closed $20.7 million in gifts at George Mason University. Two things decide eligibility more than anything else. You must reside in the United States, which America's Future confirms as a flat yes in its own FAQ. And the programme selects for liberty-minded young professionals who want to strengthen institutions in the liberty movement, which is a stated criterion rather than a preference. No prior fundraising experience is required, and attendance at all six sessions is mandatory.

Virtual on Zoom, no fee or stipend published
Six-week seminar
No prior fundraising experience needed
Young professionals
Applications close 11:59 PM ET, selection by 21 Sep
7 Sep 2026
Anywhere in the United States, sessions are virtual
US residents
How to apply Am I eligible? Official website

What is the America's Future Development Fellowship 2026?

The America's Future Development Fellowship 2026 is a six-week virtual course in how nonprofit fundraising actually works, and the Fall 2026 cohort closes for applications on 7 September 2026 at 11:59 PM ET. Six Monday evenings on Zoom, starting 28 September and finishing 9 November, with a break on 12 October for Columbus Day. Two requirements sit above everything else in the criteria: you have to live in the United States, and America's Future is explicit that it selects liberty-minded professionals who want to strengthen institutions in what it calls the liberty movement. That is a stated criterion, not marketing copy around the edges, so read it as part of the eligibility test.

What the course teaches is unusually well split between theory and trade. The philosophical half argues for why private philanthropy is essential to a free society. The practical half is the working knowledge of the job: how donors are cultivated and stewarded, how long-term relationships get built, and then the specific disciplines of major gifts, foundation relations, planned and deferred giving, and organisational development. It is run as a seminar, which means you talk rather than listen, and speakers are drawn from practitioners across the nonprofit sector.

The person leading it gives a fair sense of the level. Kevin Augustyn is Vice President of Development at the Acton Institute, running a fundraising operation that raises around $12 million a year. Before that he was a Program Officer at the Charles Koch Foundation and Chief Advancement Officer at George Mason University's College of Humanities and Social Sciences, where he personally closed $20.7 million in gifts during a $500 million campaign. Guest speakers are announced before the fellowship starts.

Three practical notes. First, no prior fundraising experience is required, and America's Future goes out of its way to say so: if you work in communications, policy, advocacy or nonprofit management, you already touch donor engagement, and that is a legitimate entry point. Second, attendance is genuinely mandatory across all six sessions, so check your Mondays before applying rather than after. Third, two details on the official page need a direct question to the programme. The session time appears as 6:00 to 7:30 PM ET in one place and 6:30 to 8:00 PM ET in another, and no participation fee or stipend is published anywhere, so email Alden at [email protected] and settle both before you commit an autumn. For other US programmes aimed at working professionals rather than students, the MHA Young Leaders Council 2027 guide covers a paid advocacy cohort and the Tech Journalism Fund 2026 guide covers reporting grants. Full details sit on the America's Future Development Fellows page.

Who can apply

Eligibility

Your progress 0 / 7
  • ✓
    You must reside in the United States
    America's Future answers this one with a flat yes in its own FAQ: residence in the US is required to participate. Sessions are virtual, so there is no travel and no state restriction, but applicants based outside the country are not eligible for this cohort regardless of their work or interest in the subject.
  • ✓
    A liberty-minded professional aiming at the liberty movement
    The fellowship is described throughout as being for liberty-minded young professionals who want to strengthen the institutions advancing liberty. America's Future names an interest in advancing the principles of liberty as one of the three things that make a strong candidate, so treat it as a stated selection criterion rather than as branding.
  • ✓
    Working in a relevant professional role, or heading that way
    The cohort is built for people in development, fundraising, advancement, nonprofit management, communications, policy or advocacy roles, and for those considering a move into nonprofit development or philanthropy. Working at a mission-aligned organisation looking to strengthen its fundraising capacity is named as a fit.
  • ✓
    No prior fundraising experience required
    America's Future states plainly that prior fundraising experience is not needed and welcomes participants from a range of professional backgrounds. The programme is designed to supply both the philosophical grounding and the practical skills, so a communications or policy background is a valid starting point rather than a disadvantage.
  • ✓
    Available for every one of the six sessions
    Attendance at all sessions is mandatory, and the FAQ answers the question with a straight yes. Block Monday evenings on 28 September, 5 October, 19 October, 26 October, 2 November and 9 November 2026. There is no class on 12 October because of Columbus Day. Missing sessions is not an option the programme offers.
  • ✓
    Commitment to professional growth and to strengthening nonprofits
    Alongside the interest in liberty, America's Future names a commitment to professional growth and a desire to strengthen nonprofit organisations through effective fundraising and donor engagement as what separates strong candidates. The short-answer questions are where you evidence both.
  • ✓
    Application in by 7 September 2026
    Applications opened on 24 July 2026 and close on 7 September 2026 at 11:59 PM ET. Selections are made between 14 and 21 September, roughly a week before the first class on 28 September, so the whole process from deadline to first session runs in about three weeks.
What you get

Benefits

  • Philosophy of private philanthropy Why it matters to a free society, covered across the seminar
  • Donor cultivation and stewardship Principles of long-term relationship building
  • Major gifts Covered as a core module
  • Foundation relations Covered as a core module
  • Planned and deferred giving Covered as a core module
  • Organisational development How sustainable fundraising strengthens an institution
  • Direct access to the facilitator and peers Seminar format rather than a lecture series
  • Published participation fee Not stated on the programme page, confirm before applying
  • Stipend or salary None published, this is training rather than paid work
  • Length Six weeks, Fall 2026 cohort
  • Delivery Virtual, on Zoom, no travel required
  • Class dates 28 Sep, 5 Oct, 19 Oct, 26 Oct, 2 Nov and 9 Nov 2026
  • Session time Monday evenings ET, confirm the exact start time with the programme
  • Guest speakers Practitioners in major gifts, foundation relations and planned giving
  • Facilitator VP of Development at the Acton Institute, raising around $12 million a year
  • Columbus Day No class on 12 October 2026
  • Partial attendance Not permitted, all sessions are mandatory
  • Applicants outside the US Not eligible, US residence is required
What to prepare

Document checklist

Documents gathered 0 / 7
  • ✓
    Completed online application
    The main form on the America's Future site, which is where the cohort application lives. Everything goes in through it rather than by email, so start it early enough to see what the short-answer questions actually ask before you are drafting them at midnight.
  • ✓
    Resume
    A current resume covering your professional background. Development, fundraising, advancement, nonprofit management, communications, policy and advocacy experience all read as relevant, so surface whichever of those you have rather than leading with unrelated roles.
  • ✓
    Short-answer question responses
    Written responses submitted inside the application. With no essay, no transcript and no references requested anywhere in the process, these answers carry the weight, and they are where an interest in the principles of liberty and a commitment to professional growth have to show up concretely.
  • ✓
    Evidence of your current or intended role
    Not a separate upload, but make it obvious in the resume and answers whether you work in development now, work adjacent to it in communications or policy, or are planning a move into nonprofit fundraising. All three are welcome, and the programme reads differently depending on which you are.
  • ✓
    US residence confirmation
    No document is requested, but residence in the United States is a hard requirement, so make your location clear in the application rather than leaving the reviewer to guess from an employer name.
  • ✓
    Your Monday evening availability
    Check the six class dates against your calendar before submitting, since attendance at all sessions is required. If a standing Monday commitment clashes, resolve it first or apply to a later cohort rather than joining and dropping out.
  • ✓
    Nothing else, and no published fee
    America's Future lists exactly three things to submit: the application, a resume and the short-answer responses. No transcript, no references and no writing sample. The page publishes neither a participation fee nor a stipend, so confirm the financial arrangement with the programme contact before you commit.
Step by step

How to apply

You must reside in the United States, and you must be free on six consecutive Monday evenings from 28 September to 9 November 2026. Both are answered as flat requirements in the programme FAQ, so settle them before writing anything else.
The cohort takes people already working in development or fundraising, people in adjacent communications, policy, advocacy and nonprofit management roles, and people planning a move into philanthropy. Decide which of the three describes you, because it shapes how the resume and the short answers should read.
Applications opened on 24 July 2026 and the short-answer questions sit inside the form. Read them first, then draft your responses in a document rather than typing into the browser, so you can edit properly and keep a copy.
America's Future names three things in a strong candidate: an interest in advancing the principles of liberty, a commitment to professional growth, and a desire to strengthen nonprofits through effective fundraising and donor engagement. Give a concrete example for each rather than restating the phrases.
Foreground anything involving donors, members, supporters, campaigns, grant writing or stakeholder relationships, even where it was not your job title. No prior fundraising experience is required, but showing where your current work already touches development makes the fit obvious.
That is the hard close for the Fall 2026 cohort. Questions about the programme or the application go to Alden at [email protected], and it is worth asking about any participation fee at the same time, since the page publishes neither a cost nor a stipend.
Participants are selected in that window, which leaves about a week before the first class on 28 September. Keep your Monday evenings clear from the 28th while you wait, because the turnaround from decision to first session is short.
When

Deadline and timeline

Application deadline
7 September 2026, 11:59 PM ET (Fall 2026 cohort)
26 days left
24 Jul 2026
Applications open for the Fall 2026 Development Fellowship cohort.
7 Sep 2026
Applications close at 11:59 PM ET. Application, resume and short-answer responses all due.
14 - 21 Sep 2026
Participants selected and notified.
28 Sep 2026
First session. Philosophy of private philanthropy and the foundations of donor work.
5 - 26 Oct 2026
Sessions two to four on donor cultivation, organisational development and major gifts. No class on 12 October.
2 Nov 2026
Session five, with foundation relations and planned giving in the later part of the course.
9 Nov 2026
Final session of the six-week fellowship.
After the cohort
Alumni continue in the America's Future network alongside its writing, marketing, LEAD and podcast fellowships.
Questions

FAQ

What is the America's Future Development Fellowship?

A six-week virtual seminar on nonprofit fundraising run by America's Future for liberty-minded young professionals. It pairs a philosophical grounding in why private philanthropy matters to a free society with the practical craft of the job: donor cultivation and stewardship, organisational development, major gifts, foundation relations and planned giving. Sessions run on Zoom on Monday evenings and the format is a seminar, so participants engage directly with the facilitator and with each other rather than sitting through lectures.

When is the America's Future Development Fellowship 2026 deadline?

Applications for the Fall 2026 cohort close on 7 September 2026 at 11:59 PM ET, having opened on 24 July. Participants are selected between 14 and 21 September, and the first class is on 28 September, so the gap between decision and start is about a week. Plan your autumn Mondays accordingly while your application is under review.

Who is eligible for the Development Fellowship?

You must reside in the United States, which America's Future confirms with a flat yes in its FAQ. Beyond that the cohort is aimed at liberty-minded young professionals working in development, fundraising, advancement, nonprofit management, communications, policy or advocacy, and at people considering a move into nonprofit development or philanthropy. An interest in advancing the principles of liberty is named as part of what makes a strong candidate.

Do you need fundraising experience to apply?

No. America's Future states that prior fundraising experience is not required and that the fellowship welcomes participants from a variety of professional backgrounds. Its reasoning is that professionals in communications, policy, nonprofit leadership and advocacy already play a real part in fundraising and donor engagement, so the programme is built to give both the philosophical foundation and the practical skills from whichever starting point you bring.

When are the Development Fellowship classes held?

Six Monday evenings on Zoom: 28 September, 5 October, 19 October, 26 October, 2 November and 9 November 2026, with no class on 12 October for Columbus Day. One thing to confirm when you apply. The programme page gives the session time as 6:00 to 7:30 PM ET in its description and as 6:30 to 8:00 PM ET in the class dates block, so check which applies before you schedule around it.

Is the America's Future Development Fellowship paid or free?

The programme page publishes neither a participation fee nor a stipend, and the list of what applicants submit mentions no payment at any stage. That means the financial arrangement is simply not stated rather than confirmed either way, so ask before you commit. Questions go to Alden at [email protected], and a fee question is a perfectly normal thing to raise alongside an application.

What do you submit with the application?

Three things: a completed application, a resume, and responses to short-answer questions inside the form. No transcript, no letters of recommendation and no writing sample are requested anywhere in the process. With so little to submit, the short answers carry most of the weight, so treat them as the main event rather than as a form to fill in quickly.

Can you miss a session of the Development Fellowship?

No. The FAQ asks whether you have to be available for all classes and answers yes, adding that participants must attend all sessions and respect all instructors and other participants. The seminar format depends on the same people being in the room each week, so if a standing Monday commitment clashes with the autumn dates, a later cohort is the better call.

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