What are the benefits under the Acumen Fund Fellows Program?

There is a complete FAQ Guideline for the Acumen Fund Fellows Program available at this link. Below we have summarized the key points and benefits of the Program:

– The current call for applications has been made for the Class of 2012 which is expected to begin from September 2011.

– During the first 8 weeks, Fellows will be based in New York for the leadership, where there will learn “soft and hard skills, ranging from self-reflection, negotiation, and storytelling to functional topics such as investment techniques, valuation, marketing and operations.”

– Following this 8-week training, the Fellows will be sent away to their field placements in various countries for a period of nine months.

– Half-way through the field placement, Fellows will meet each other and share their experiences.

– At the end of the field placement, Fellows will return back to New York for feedback in September 2012.

All expenses including living stipends, housing, travel are covered by the Program for the Fellows suring the entire duration of the fellowship.

Where will the field placements be made?

Acumen Fund has investees or companies in which it has made investments (Acumen Fund raises charitable funds to invest equity and debt in enterprises serving low-income people). These investees are presently located in China, India, Kenya, Pakistan, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda. Fellows may be placed in any one of these countries during their field placements.

According to the guideline, “After completing the fellowship, the vast majority of Fellows Alumni have continued to pursue careers that are in or directly impacting the social sector, ranging from continued work with social enterprises on the ground to starting up social investment funds of their own. Fellows have built lasting relationships with each other and with Fellows alumni from previous classes, often collaborating on projects within the social enterprise space, such as teaching courses and pursuing joint investments. Acumen Fund’s global team also shares post-fellowship opportunities as they come along and works with Fellows, when possible, to achieve their post-fellowship goals.”