Funding

Fully Funded · Grant

Program dates

TBA

Fellowship•Kenya · Nairobi · Hybrid

Mountaintop Emerging Leaders Fellowship

Mountaintop International

Application Deadline

Closed · February 8, 2026

Reopens ~Feb 2027

Official Page

The Mountaintop Emerging Leaders Fellowship is a one-year programme run by Mountaintop International for people leading nonprofits and community-based organisations in severely under-resourced communities around the world. Now in its third year, it pairs online learning across the fellowship year with a two-week residential Leadership Institute in Nairobi, Kenya. Faculty and speakers come from Harvard Business School, the Harvard Kennedy School and MIT; past speakers include Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi. Up to five Fellows are selected, and they join a wider cohort of 12–14 Fellows for the online components and the Institute. Fellows stay in their own organisations throughout — the programme is designed to strengthen their leadership without pulling them away from the work they already do.

Benefits & funding

  • Fully funded participation: the fellowship states it carries no cost to the Fellow.
  • A two-week residential Leadership Institute in Nairobi, Kenya, with flights, visa costs, accommodation, meals, local transport and programme activities all covered.
  • Leadership coaching and access to expert advisors.
  • Project guidance and structured reflection through the fellowship year.
  • Catalyst Fund micro-grants of up to USD 1,000 towards a Fellow’s project.
  • Visibility through Mountaintop’s platforms, plus access to the global community of Fellows and alumni.

Eligibility

  • Founder, co-founder, executive director, or a senior leader holding primary decision-making responsibility for a nonprofit or community-based organisation.
  • The organisation has been operating for at least three years.
  • The work serves severely under-resourced communities.
  • A clearly defined project or initiative with specific goals and activities.
  • A commitment to leading the organisation and serving the community over the long term.
  • Able to commit full time to the fellowship project during the fellowship year.
  • Available to attend the two-week in-person Leadership Institute in Nairobi, Kenya in October 2026.
  • No nationality, age or degree requirement is published; the programme is open to leaders worldwide.
  • Not open to people whose primary focus is academic research, or who are running for political office or working on political campaigns.
  • Selection favours a strong track record of responsibility, initiative and follow-through; lessons drawn from working under real constraints; clarity about the problem being addressed; and openness to reflection and peer learning. The programme suits leaders at an early to mid stage of their leadership journey, and applications from women and from historically underrepresented backgrounds are encouraged.

Can you apply?

Open to all applicants

No nationality, residency, education, or experience limits are listed.

We only check the criteria we have data for. Always confirm full eligibility on the official page before applying.

Application process

  1. 1
    Complete the interest form, which includes an eligibility test.
  2. 2
    Applicants who meet the eligibility criteria are invited to complete a full application.
  3. 3
    Before applying, read the application roadmap, the application instructions and the guide for applicants with disabilities, all published on the fellowship resources page.
  4. 4
    Questions go to the programme team at info@mountaintop.international.

Program timeline

  1. Application deadline for the current cycle (the official page publishes its application roadmap as an image only).

    Feb 8, 2026

  2. Two-week residential Leadership Institute, Nairobi, Kenya.

    October 2026

  3. Next cycle

    dates not yet published; the fellowship runs annually.