Acumen invests in social entrepreneurs across the capital continuum and accompanies them on the journey to create transformational change. At Acumen Academy, we identify and prepare these leaders with the hard skills required to build scalable solutions to poverty and the harder skills of moral leadership to re-imagine and build a better world.
Our India Acumen Fellowship is a transformative program that brings together a cohort of extraordinary individuals with an entrepreneurial mindset and a commitment to solve problems of poverty. We equip them with the tools and community to strengthen their leadership, scale their impact, and create meaningful change in India.
Through the program curriculum and a supportive cohort, participants peel back notions of themselves as leaders and build greater self-awareness. They hone their skills to become better team leaders, authentic storytellers, and navigate values in tension. They leave the program with the ability to negotiate across differences, motivate themselves and others, challenge traditional ways of working, and reshape the people, organizations, and systems around them.
Eligibility Criteria
Additionally, applicants are to meet the following criteria:
- Applicants must be social entrepreneurs or senior decision-makers dedicated to solving poverty-related issues, with a minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience.
- Organizations must have at least two team members, as collaboration is essential for success.
- At least 50% of the target group must fall below the poverty line to ensure a meaningful impact.
- There are no specific academic qualifications, but applicants must be over the age of 18 and proficient in English.
- Individuals who have previously participated in an Acumen Fellows program or specific Acumen Academy Leadership Accelerators are not eligible to apply for the Fellowship.
- Multiple applicants from the same organization can apply, but only one will be selected per year, and only one individual from the same organization can be a Fellow within three years.
The award will be held:
- East Africa Program: Nairobi, Kampala, Kigali, and Dar es Salaam
- India Program: Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Mysore
- Pakistan Program: Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Murree, Peshawar, and Bahawalpur
- West Africa Program: Accra and Lagos
- Colombia Program: Bogota, Cali, Medellín, Ráquira, and Sasaima
- Malaysia Program: Kuala Lumpur, Pahang and Perak
Offered Benefits
Upon Successful completion of the program, participants join the Foundry, our global community of 1600+ alumni from around the world. We help Foundry members build and scale organizations through access to these selective opportunities:
Furthermore, applicants will benefit the following:
- The Fellowship is fully funded for selected Fellow Candidates, covering all program-related expenses.
- Costs associated with immersive sessions, including lodging and food, are fully covered.
- Reimbursements for travel to immersives may be available for participants.
- Participants are to attend all program sessions, cohort calls, and one-on-ones, ensuring a comprehensive learning experience.
- Immersives consist of interactive discussions, peer coaching, and relationship building over five days.
- Learning Labs provide virtual facilitated sessions to deepen understanding of content and encourage collaboration among cohorts.
- The program emphasizes the 12 Principles of Moral Leadership, offering a framework for ethical leadership development.
