About TFN's PLACES Fellowship
TFN’s PLACES Fellowship, which stands for Professionals Learning About Community, Equity and Sustainability, is an eight-month transformational learning journey for individuals working in philanthropy or a grantmaking organization, who are dedicated to supporting historically marginalized and racialized communities most impacted by unjust policies and oppressive systems.
The program is designed to support grantmakers in embedding the values of racial equity and justice into their work and applying learned skills, knowledge and practices into their grantmaking and community engagement efforts. In addition, PLACES fosters culturally integrated spaces where fellows are encouraged to lean into their individual values, purpose and identities, which will guide and inform their role as leaders.
PLACES uses facilitated, experiential and peer learning, 1:1 coaching, self and group reflections to help leaders understand how systemic racism, colonialism and other systems of oppression are impacting marginalized communities. PLACES fellows explore real-time issues like displacement and economic divestment, environmental injustice, health disparities, mass incarceration, immigration criminalization and more — asking difficult questions and reaching for uncomfortable truths.
Regardless of their grantmaking portfolios, PLACES fellows are equipped with the tools needed to understand, challenge and dismantle systemic inequities, and then translate that learning into direct action and sustainable impact.
Our vision is that by cultivating and connecting a diverse collective of leaders committed to racial equity and social justice, PLACES will benefit not only these individual leaders, but will deeply impact their organizations, the field of philanthropy and, most importantly, the communities they serve.
By the end of their 8 month-long fellowship program, PLACES fellows will have:
- Reimagined philanthropy’s role in the movement to advance racial equity and justice
- Learned directly from place-based community organizing, culture and movement leaders, from grassroots to philanthropy
- Gained frameworks, tools and practices that translate equity values into direct action, and ways to drive impact within their organization, the field of philanthropy and beyond
- Understood how historic, systemic oppression continues to impact communities today and learn lessons from social justice movements
- Leaned into their individual values, purpose and identities to guide and inform their role as a leader
- Challenged biases and proximity to power to dismantle barriers for communities to access resources and engage with philanthropy
In addition to the PLACES curriculum, fellows learn from the people and places we visit. Our fellowship cohort, selected annually from a highly competitive pool of applicants, embarks on 8-month long journey that includes four site visits to communities across the U.S. and Canada. Site visit locations vary each year. To read more about our Fellows’ experiences on the road, check out our Going PLACES blog series.
The PLACES Fellowship concludes with a capstone presentation and graduation — but that rarely marks the end of the PLACES experience. As any PLACES alum will tell you, the deep bonds and professional connections forged by the fellows extend well beyond the end of their cohort year.
TFN expects…
- That fellows will be open to expanding their understanding of race, racialization, equity, diversity and inclusion, and using this expanded knowledge to influence how they approach grantmaking, and philanthropic practice
- That, at the time of the first site visit, the fellow will have at least 12 months of philanthropic grantmaking experience
- That the fellow will attend all PLACES site visits, participate in group calls and coaching sessions, and highly consider the TFN Conference and other learning opportunities offered by the Network
- That the fellow’s direct supervisor is committed to supporting the fellow’s professional development and work in advancing more equitable practices within the supporting organization or grantmaking portfolio. This support should include periodic discussions with the fellow regarding how PLACES is informing their philanthropic practice and how this could affect the organization. Upon acceptance into the program, each selected fellow will be asked to submit a letter of support from their direct supervisor or CEO with stated commitments
- That once the PLACES Fellowship ends, fellows will continue to stay engaged with PLACES or the larger TFN community through engagement opportunities such as working groups, issue-based steering committees, learning calls or PLACES Alum Network activities.
Once selected, the PLACES Cohort will have a virtual orientation as well as four in-person site visits*:
Orientation and Training: February 25, Virtual (day-long)
Optional Pre-Conference Fellowship Launch: March 14 in Oakland, CA
- Site visit 1: April 21-23
- Site Visit 2: June 23-25
- Site visit 3: September 8-10
- Site visit 4: November 3-5
* Dates and locations are subject to change at the discretion of The Funders Network. TFN is committed to fostering a welcoming and safe environment for all participants. Our safety and accessibility practices outline our efforts to enforce this commitment. Site visit locations will be shared with participants upon acceptance into the fellowship program.
Through PLACES, TFN invests $20,000 per fellow to support the cohort’s year-long learning experience. Participation fees help support the programmatic and operational costs associated with the fellowship, including but not limited to coaching, training, speaker honoraria, contributions to Native nations and/or organizations, facilitator fees, group meals and transportation.
For accepted participants, the following fees will apply:
- TFN Members: $1,500
- Non-members: $2,500
Fellows will be responsible for travel costs and hotel accommodation for site visits. Limited travel sponsorships may be available to offset travel costs and are subject to availability.
PLACES fellows will receive one complimentary registration for TFN’s 2027 conference in Oakland, CA.
Our alums
For over 15 years, PLACES has welcomed more than 200 fellows to participate in an 8-month long transformational leadership experience. Our alums hail from all corners of the United States and Canada, representing national, regional, local foundations and grantmaking intermediaries.
At the end of their cohort year, PLACES fellows are welcomed into the robust and highly engaged PLACES Alum Network, where they have access to several community building, networking and continued leadership development opportunities, which are informed by alums and designed according to their leadership needs. For a detailed list of our offerings and directory of alums, please visit our PLACES Alums page.
Supporting continued leadership development for alums
TFN’s vision is to create generations of courageous philanthropic leaders who are engaged, emboldened and equipped to bring about a just society. We understand the importance of investing in alum leadership and career development following their fellowship experience, so we provide multiple opportunities for engagement within TFN and the PLACES network.
- Alums are invited to join TFN working groups and steering committees, gaining a range of opportunities to share knowledge and deepen engagement across the sector through issue-focused and place-based work.
- The PLACES Leadership Network (formerly known as PLACES Advisory Board), is an organized community for and by alums where they can contribute their perspectives, resources, skills and expertise to the PLACES program and network. Learn more here.
- The PLACES Alum Mentoring Program is an initiative designed to provide continuing professional development and leadership support to PLACES alums. Alums can apply to be either a mentor or mentee and will have the opportunity to build deep and meaningful relationships with one another, explore leadership opportunities within the social impact sector, identify pathways to create professional impact and develop sectoral connections. Learn more here.
- PLACES alums are often considered as candidates to join the TFN Board of Directors as part of our effort to create a diverse leadership pipeline for career opportunities within TFN and the field of philanthropy. We are proud that 13 PLACES alums have been part of the TFN Board to date, and whose leadership contributions have advanced our organization’s mission and vision.