The Leading Change Fellowship 2026-27 is now accepting applications from young professionals and emerging leaders across Canada who want to strengthen their leadership skills, expand their professional networks, and develop the confidence to contribute to environmental and social change.
Organized by Leading Change Canada, the fellowship is a virtual, cohort-based leadership development program designed for people aged 19 to 35 who are early in their professional journey, considering a purposeful career transition, or seeking to grow their capacity to lead sustainability, environmental, or social impact initiatives.
The program combines expert-led workshops, peer learning, practical exercises, systems thinking, and collaborative project work. Rather than focusing solely on theoretical leadership concepts, the fellowship encourages participants to apply what they learn to real-world challenges and work collaboratively with other emerging leaders.
Applications for the 2026-27 Leading Change Fellowship are currently open.
About the Leading Change Fellowship
The Leading Change Fellowship is designed around the idea that effective leadership requires more than technical knowledge or an impressive résumé. Participants are given an opportunity to develop practical leadership capabilities while learning alongside people from different sectors, regions, professional backgrounds, and lived experiences.
The fellowship particularly supports individuals who want to create positive change but may not necessarily have a formal sustainability role or extensive experience in the field.
Participants will explore the relationships between environmental resilience, financial wellbeing, and cooperation in business while developing skills that can be applied to sustainability initiatives, community projects, workplaces, and other areas of social impact.
The program is delivered entirely online, making it possible for eligible participants living in different parts of Canada to participate without relocating.
Why Join the Leading Change Fellowship?
The fellowship offers a combination of leadership development, peer networking, practical learning, and collaborative action.
1. Gain Practical Leadership Skills
Participants will develop practical skills for navigating complex challenges and creating meaningful change.
The program focuses on developing leadership capabilities that go beyond simply adding another credential to a résumé. Fellows are encouraged to become more confident in their ability to understand challenges, work with others, and influence positive outcomes.
According to feedback from previous Fellows:
- Knowledge and skills to design and lead sustainability initiatives increased by 39%.
- Participants reported greater confidence in their ability to influence positive outcomes.
The program is therefore particularly relevant for people who want to become more effective leaders in sustainability, environmental work, social impact, business, or community initiatives.
2. Become Part of a National Community
Fellows will join a community of peers from different regions, sectors, backgrounds, and lived experiences across Canada.
This provides opportunities to:
- Exchange ideas with people working in different fields.
- Learn from different perspectives and experiences.
- Build relationships with other emerging leaders.
- Expand professional and personal networks.
- Collaborate on shared challenges.
- Develop connections that can continue beyond the fellowship.
The program emphasizes learning from one another rather than relying exclusively on instructors or experts.
3. Turn Learning Into Action
The Leading Change Fellowship is highly practical.
Instead of limiting participants to lectures and theoretical discussions, the program incorporates exercises and a collaborative final project.
Fellows will work with peers to develop an impact project that allows them to apply concepts and skills from the fellowship to a real-world challenge.
This practical component can help participants strengthen their ability to:
- Work collaboratively.
- Identify and understand complex problems.
- Develop solutions.
- Apply systems thinking.
- Communicate ideas.
- Translate learning into action.
- Contribute to positive environmental or social outcomes.
Previous Fellows reported a 36% increase in confidence to influence positive outcomes and a 38% increase in feeling hopeful about the future.
4. Develop Systems Thinking
One of the distinctive aspects of the fellowship is its focus on understanding how different areas of society and the economy are interconnected.
Participants will explore the connections between:
- Environmental resilience
- Financial wellbeing
- Cooperation in business
This systems-thinking approach is intended to help Fellows understand that environmental and social challenges are rarely isolated problems.
Instead, they can involve relationships between communities, businesses, financial systems, natural environments, policies, and individual wellbeing.
Previous Fellows reported a 57% increase in their understanding of how these three areas are interconnected.
Session Timing
Sessions take place every two weeks on Tuesdays at:
- 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET)
- 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time (PT)
Each scheduled session may last up to two hours.
Fellows are expected to attend the scheduled virtual sessions and participate actively in discussions and activities.
Additional Project Commitment
In addition to attending the scheduled workshops, participants will work with their peers on a collaborative impact project.
Most participants should expect approximately 15–20 additional hours of project work throughout the fellowship.
The exact amount of time may vary depending on the goals, scope, and requirements of each team’s project.
Who Should Apply?
The Leading Change Fellowship may be particularly suitable for individuals who:
- Are between 19 and 35 years old.
- Live in Canada.
- Care about creating positive environmental or social change.
- Are early in their careers.
- Are considering a career transition.
- Want to strengthen their leadership capabilities.
- Are interested in sustainability and environmental issues.
- Want to understand how sustainability connects across different sectors and systems.
- Want to turn knowledge and learning into practical action.
- Are interested in learning with people who have different perspectives and experiences.
Importantly, applicants do not need to have “sustainability” in their current job title.
They also do not need to be sustainability experts.
The fellowship welcomes applicants from different:
- Career stages
- Industries
- Educational backgrounds
- Professional experiences
- Lived experiences
The program emphasizes authentic potential and a willingness to learn and contribute rather than requiring applicants to have a perfect résumé.
Application Requirements
The application process requires applicants to submit several components demonstrating their background, motivation, and communication skills.
The application includes:
- Short written questions – Applicants will respond to questions designed to understand their interests, experiences, and motivation.
- One-minute video introduction – Applicants will provide a short video introduction.
- Résumé – Applicants must submit their résumé as part of the application.
Applicants should therefore prepare their résumé and think carefully about how their experiences connect with leadership, sustainability, environmental issues, social impact, or positive change.
Important Application Dates
Applications for the 2026-27 fellowship opened on:
18 August 2026
The application deadline is:
7 September 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET
Applicants who are selected will be notified on:
21 September 2026
The fellowship welcome and onboarding session will take place on:
29 September 2026
Because the application deadline is firm, eligible applicants should prepare and submit their applications before the closing time.
What Makes This Fellowship Valuable?
The Leading Change Fellowship is designed for people who want to develop leadership capabilities while exploring some of the major environmental, financial, and social challenges shaping the future.
Its value comes from the combination of several elements:
Leadership development
Participants develop practical leadership skills and greater confidence in navigating complex challenges.
Sustainability learning
The program provides an opportunity to explore environmental resilience, climate solutions, sustainability, and nature.
Financial perspective
Participants examine financial wellbeing and the connections between financial systems, climate, and sustainability.
Purpose-driven business
The cooperation-in-business component introduces participants to approaches centered on democracy, equity, cooperation, and shared prosperity.
Peer network
Fellows become part of a national community of people with different professional and personal experiences.
Practical experience
The collaborative impact project allows participants to move from learning to practical application.
Systems thinking
Participants develop a broader understanding of how environmental, financial, business, and social systems interact.
How to Prepare a Strong Application
Applicants can strengthen their applications by focusing on authenticity and demonstrating a genuine interest in creating positive change.
Rather than simply listing achievements, applicants should consider explaining:
- Why they are interested in leadership development.
- What environmental or social challenges they care about.
- How their current experience connects to positive change.
- What they hope to learn from the fellowship.
- What perspectives they could contribute to the cohort.
- How they might apply what they learn after completing the program.
- Why learning across sectors and perspectives is important to them.
Because the program specifically states that it is looking for “real people, not perfect résumés,” applicants should not assume that they need extensive sustainability credentials to be competitive.
A thoughtful application that demonstrates curiosity, motivation, openness to different perspectives, and a willingness to contribute may be more appropriate than trying to present an artificially perfect professional profile.
When is the application deadline?
The deadline is 7 September 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Click HERE to read more and apply.
Conclusion
The Leading Change Fellowship 2026-27 offers an opportunity for young professionals and emerging leaders in Canada to develop practical leadership capabilities while exploring the connections between sustainability, environmental resilience, financial wellbeing, and purpose-driven business.
The program goes beyond traditional leadership training by combining expert-led learning with peer exchange, practical exercises, systems thinking, and a collaborative impact project. Participants can gain new knowledge, strengthen their confidence, expand their networks, and apply their learning to real-world challenges.
With applications closing on 7 September 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET, eligible individuals interested in sustainability, environmental change, social impact, leadership development, or purposeful career growth should consider preparing their applications early.
Application deadline: 7 September 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET
Click HERE for more fellowship opportunities.
