Sage Leaders’ Community Leadership Institute (CLI) is a fellowship program that resources, educates, and places emerging leaders from communities of color and low-income communities to serve on strategic municipal boards and commissions.
Donor Name: Sage Leaders
State: Washington
County: Clark County (WA)
Type of Grant: Fellowship
Deadline: 04/30/2025
Size of the Grant: Not Available
Grant Duration: Less than 1 Year
Details:
Launched in 2015, the six-month fellowship trains emerging leaders in issues such as housing, land use, transit, climate, and economic development. Graduates learn the nuts and bolts of local government processes, such as municipal budgeting, parliamentary procedures, and lawmaking, as well as advocacy, storytelling, and communication skills.
Eligibility Criteria
- Community members who are representative of, and accountable to, communities of color, especially the African American population, the immigrant and refugee population, the LGBTQIA population, and the low-income population of Washington state.
- Location: In-person in Vancouver, WA (Open to all applicants in Clark County or can attend in person in Vancouver, WA).
Required Qualifications
- Be interested in civic engagement, careers in community leadership or public office, and/or have knowledge or experience related to race and social justice.
- Be at least 18 years of age
- Attend all monthly trainings and events & commit to serving on a board or commission after completion of the program. The Community Leadership Institute will launch in September 2025 and end in April 2026. Workshops take place every first Saturday of the month (8:30 am – 5:00 pm) and every fourth Wednesday (6:00 pm – 8:00 pm) via Zoom. All fellows are given a stipend for participation in the program.
- Meet the residency requirements of the board or commission you are interested in sitting on (i.e., if you are aiming for a Renton seat, you must live in Renton. If you are looking for a Pierce County seat, you must live anywhere in Pierce County).
Preferred Proficiencies
- Lived experience related to the social justice issues that affect communities of color and low income communities
- Proficient written and oral skills
- Deep dedication and commitment to social justice work
- Connection to a community/base (i.e.: faith group, ethnic based group, union membership, neighborhood group, issue based book club, etc.)
- Willingness and ability to make the time commitment to serve on a board or commission post CLI graduation (i.e. some boards and commissions meet monthly, some meet during the day, and most are not financially resourced)
- Rooted in racial justice, intersectionality, community perspective, relatability to the work
- Have aspirations to work for the city, run a union, run a community organization, etc.
- Can commit fully to the CLI program.
For more information, visit Sage Leaders.
