Center for Community Health Equity Accelerator Fellowship 2027: Up to $10,000 in Project Funding and Leadership Support for Community Health Equity Leaders

The Center for Community Health Equity Accelerator Fellowship 2027 is now accepting applications from community leaders with ideas for projects that can advance health equity and address social determinants of health within the M Health Fairview service area. The year-long fellowship is designed to help participants strengthen their leadership, develop their project ideas, receive expert guidance, and turn community-focused ideas into practical action.

The program, offered through the M Health Fairview Center for Community Health Equity, combines leadership development, education, coaching, technical assistance, peer learning, networking, and financial support. Each selected fellow can receive up to $10,000 in project funding, in addition to a $3,000 participation stipend intended to help support costs associated with participating in the fellowship.

For the 2027 cohort, eight fellows will be selected. The fellowship will run from January through December 2027, with sessions delivered through a combination of in-person meetings across the seven-county metro area and virtual sessions.

What Is the Center for Community Health Equity Accelerator Fellowship?

The Accelerator Fellowship is a 12-month leadership development program created to support community leaders who are working on innovative approaches to health equity and the social conditions that influence people’s health and wellbeing.

Rather than requiring applicants to already have a completely developed project, the fellowship provides space for participants to develop, test, refine, and implement their ideas during the fellowship year.

The program is particularly focused on helping community leaders move from an identified community challenge toward a practical project with achievable goals and measurable activities.

According to M Health Fairview, fellows receive structured support to:

• Build and strengthen leadership capacity
• Sharpen their vision for community change
• Develop and refine a health equity project
• Receive coaching and technical assistance
• Learn about health equity and project implementation
• Connect with other community leaders
• Develop partnerships and community relationships
• Put their project ideas into action
• Receive financial resources to support project implementation

Each fellow will be part of a cohort of eight community leaders who learn and grow together throughout the year.

Up to $10,000 in Project Funding

One of the major components of the 2027 Accelerator Fellowship is financial support for fellows’ community projects.

Each fellow can receive up to $10,000 in project funding to help bring their health equity project to life.

Importantly, applicants do not need to have a fully developed project when they apply. The fellowship provides the full year for fellows to build, test, and refine their approaches with support from coaches, experts, and peers.

The application specifically asks applicants to explain how the project funding will support their proposed activities and requires a draft project budget outlining expected expenses of up to $10,000.

In addition to project funding, the official FAQ states that fellows receive a $3,000 stipend to support participation in the fellowship. This may help cover costs such as compensation for time, transportation, childcare, or other incidental expenses. (mhealthfairview.org)

What Does the Fellowship Provide?

The Accelerator Fellowship offers several forms of support throughout the year.

1. Health Equity Education

Fellows participate in an educational curriculum covering health equity, program development, implementation, and related areas of community work.

The curriculum is designed to give participants both conceptual knowledge and practical tools that they can apply to their projects.

2. Coaching and Technical Assistance

Participants receive coaching and technical assistance from experts working in relevant fields.

This allows fellows to receive guidance while developing their projects, addressing challenges, refining their approaches, and moving from ideas toward implementation.

3. Project Funding

Fellows receive up to $10,000 to support implementation of their health equity projects.

This funding is intended to help participants turn their ideas into practical community initiatives rather than simply developing theoretical proposals.

4. Networking and Peer Learning

The fellowship creates opportunities for participants to build relationships with other community leaders and professionals whose interests align with their work.

Because the eight fellows progress through the program together, the cohort provides an environment for shared learning, collaboration, and exchange of different perspectives.

What Types of Projects Can Applicants Propose?

The fellowship is focused on projects that address health equity or social determinants of health within the eligible service area.

A project does not necessarily need to be a traditional healthcare project.

Health equity can involve the broader conditions that influence people’s ability to live healthy lives, including issues involving housing, food, education, community connection, environment, access to resources, and other structural or social factors.

The 2026 cohort illustrates the breadth of projects that can fit within the program. Previous fellows worked on initiatives involving culturally responsive nutrition, community barbering and mentorship, rural wellness, housing stability, Indigenous food and knowledge systems, transitional housing and recovery, and grief and trauma education.

This demonstrates that applicants can approach health equity from different professional, cultural, community, and disciplinary perspectives.

What Makes a Strong Project Idea?

According to the fellowship’s published criteria, a strong project should be community-rooted, meaning that it responds to a real and identified need within a specific community and demonstrates community engagement in shaping the idea.

The project should also be equity-focused, with the goal of reducing health disparities or addressing structural barriers to equity.

Applicants should also demonstrate that their project is:

• Realistic
• Actionable
• Appropriately scoped for the fellowship period
• Supported by achievable objectives
• Based on a reasonable budget
• Connected to an identified community need

The program also states that it values diversity of perspective over formal titles, meaning applicants are not required to rely solely on conventional professional credentials to demonstrate their ability to contribute. (mhealthfairview.org)

Who Is the Fellowship Looking For?

The Accelerator Fellowship is designed for community leaders, and applicants can come from different professional backgrounds and career stages.

The published FAQ states that applicants from all backgrounds, professions, and career stages are welcome. The fellowship looks for individuals who have contributed to their communities professionally or personally and who demonstrate commitment to health equity. (mhealthfairview.org)

Applicants are expected to demonstrate qualities such as:

• Community orientation
• Commitment to health equity
• Collaboration
• Resourcefulness
• Commitment to participating fully
• Authenticity
• Openness and curiosity
• A solution-oriented approach

The fellowship is specifically for individual applicants rather than organizations. (mhealthfairview.org)

Eligibility Requirements for the 2027 Cohort

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

1. Have a project idea focused on advancing health equity in their community.
2. Plan to implement the project within Fairview’s service area.
3. Be at least 18 years old.
4. Not currently be employed by Fairview Health Services.
5. Have related experience, relationships, or community ties to the issue or topic they want to address.
6. Be available to attend all required fellowship sessions.

The program is therefore not simply looking for people with an interesting idea. Applicants should be able to demonstrate some meaningful relationship with the issue or community they want to serve.

Where Must the Project Be Implemented?

A particularly important eligibility requirement is geography.

The project must be implemented within the M Health Fairview service area.

The published eligible counties are:

Minnesota

• Anoka
• Benton
• Carver
• Chisago
• Dakota
• Hennepin
• Isanti
• Itasca
• Kanabec
• Mille Lacs
• Pine
• Ramsey
• Saint Louis
• Scott
• Sherburne
• Washington
• Wright

Wisconsin

• Pierce County
• Saint Croix County

Therefore, this is not an open worldwide fellowship. The proposed project must be located within the specified M Health Fairview service-area geography. (mhealthfairview.org)

Fellowship Duration and Format

The 2027 Accelerator Fellowship runs for 12 months, from January through December 2027.

Sessions will combine:

• In-person sessions
• Virtual sessions
• Workshops
• Learning activities
• Leadership development
• Project work
• Coaching
• Peer learning

Most months will include two sessions, which may consist of full-day in-person meetings or shorter virtual sessions.

The published FAQ estimates approximately 105 hours of in-class time over the fellowship, in addition to the time fellows need to spend implementing their individual projects. (mhealthfairview.org)

Areas Covered by the Fellowship Curriculum

The program’s curriculum is designed to develop both leadership and practical project-management capabilities.

Topics include:

1. Orientation and foundations
2. Funding and evaluation
3. Project planning
4. Project management
5. Strategic communications
6. Community engagement
7. Community mapping and collaboration
8. Public health, policy, environment and systems change
9. Leadership and partnerships
10. Learning and coaching
11. Reflection and sharing
12. Celebration and showcase

The curriculum can adapt to the needs of the cohort, and the organizers note that session topics may change. (mhealthfairview.org)

Application Requirements

Applicants should prepare several components before submitting the application.

The required materials include:

• Basic personal information
• Two letters of recommendation
• Narrative responses to the application questions
• Additional information about the proposed project
• A draft project budget

If the proposed project is affiliated with an organization, at least one recommendation/support letter should come from that organization.

Applicants should also download and review the full application and budget template before completing the online application.

The application process involves:

1. Reviewing the full application form.
2. Reviewing and completing the draft budget template.
3. Completing the online application.
4. Uploading two recommendation/support letters.
5. Uploading the draft budget.
6. Submitting the complete application before the deadline.

Application Questions

The application asks applicants to explain both their health equity vision and their leadership journey.

Your Vision for Health Equity

Applicants are asked to explain:

• What health equity challenge they want to address
• Why the issue matters to their community
• What has contributed to their understanding of the issue
• Why they are personally positioned to address it
• What transformation they hope to achieve
• What impact they intend to make
• What their proposed project involves
• How the $10,000 project funding would support the work
• Their three primary objectives for the fellowship period

The application places a 1,500-character limit on the problem, proposal, and objectives responses.

Your Leadership Journey

Applicants are also asked to discuss their leadership experience and how their background, identity, relationships, and life experiences have shaped their approach to leadership.

The application allows applicants to provide examples of formal or informal leadership and explain how their leadership journey connects to their proposed project.

This section has a 2,000-character limit or a three-minute video option, with applicants choosing one format.

Applicants are additionally asked how the fellowship could support their leadership development, what they could contribute to the cohort, why the timing is appropriate, and what skills, resources, or technical assistance would help them achieve their health equity vision.

Selection and Number of Fellows

The 2027 fellowship will select eight applicants.

The selection process is competitive. Semi-finalists are expected to be notified in late October and invited to participate in an interview in early November. The interview can be conducted virtually if needed.

Final cohort selections are expected to be announced in mid-November, with all applicants notified of final decisions by late November.

Important Application Deadline

The deadline for the Center for Community Health Equity Accelerator Fellowship 2027 is:

Thursday, October 1, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CST.

Applicants should ensure that the complete application, required recommendation letters, and draft budget are submitted before the deadline.

Is This a Scholarship or a Grant?

The Accelerator Fellowship is structured primarily as a leadership development fellowship with project funding, rather than a traditional academic scholarship.

The program combines:

• Leadership development
• Health equity education
• Coaching
• Technical assistance
• Peer networking
• Project implementation support
• Up to $10,000 in project funding
• A $3,000 participation stipend

It is also not a degree or credit-bearing academic program. (mhealthfairview.org)

Why This Fellowship May Be Relevant to Community Leaders

The fellowship is designed around the idea that many health challenges cannot be addressed through healthcare services alone.

Community conditions, social environments, access to resources, housing, food, education, relationships, and other factors can influence health outcomes. M Health Fairview’s Center for Community Health Equity works with community partners to address these broader determinants and reduce disparities. (mhealthfairview.org)

The Accelerator Fellowship therefore provides a structured environment in which community leaders can develop projects that respond to issues they understand through direct community experience.

The combination of project funding and leadership development also allows fellows to work on both sides of the challenge: strengthening their own capacity as leaders while developing a practical response to a community health equity issue.

Tips for Preparing a Strong Application

Applicants should pay close attention to the relationship between their community, problem, project, leadership experience, and proposed outcomes.

A strong application should clearly explain:

1. The community problem

Identify a specific health equity challenge rather than describing a broad social issue without context.

2. Why the problem matters

Explain how the issue affects the community and why addressing it is important.

3. Your connection to the issue

The fellowship specifically asks applicants to demonstrate related experience, relationships, or community ties.

4. Your proposed solution

Explain what you want to do and how the project would address the identified problem.

5. Your objectives

Define three realistic objectives that can be pursued between January and December 2027.

6. Your use of funding

Show how the proposed $10,000 would directly support project activities.

7. Your leadership story

The application is interested not only in the project but also in the person leading it. Explain how your experiences have shaped your approach to leadership.

8. Your readiness

Because fellows are expected to participate throughout the year, applicants should demonstrate that they can commit to the program’s sessions and project implementation requirements.

Learn more HERE

Conclusion

The Center for Community Health Equity Accelerator Fellowship 2027 provides a year-long opportunity for community leaders to develop health equity projects while strengthening their leadership skills and community connections. The program combines education, coaching, technical assistance, networking, and financial support, with each fellow eligible for up to $10,000 in project funding and a $3,000 participation stipend. (mhealthfairview.org)

The fellowship is particularly focused on individuals who understand a community health equity challenge through their experience, relationships, or community ties and who have an idea they want to develop into practical action. Eight fellows will be selected for the 2027 cohort, which will run from January through December 2027.

Applicants should carefully review the geographic requirements because projects must be implemented within the specified M Health Fairview service area. The application deadline is October 1, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CST.

 

Who Can Apply?

Category of qualifying people: Individual community leaders aged 18 or older with a health equity project idea and a meaningful connection to the issue or community they intend to serve.

Key qualifications

Applicants must:

• Be at least 18 years old.
• Have a project idea focused on advancing health equity.
• Have related experience, relationships, or community ties to the issue.
• Plan to implement the project within the eligible M Health Fairview service area.
• Be available to participate in all required fellowship sessions.
• Not currently be employed by Fairview Health Services.
• Apply as an individual rather than as an organization.

Applicants may come from different professions, backgrounds, and career stages; the program states that diversity of perspective is valued over formal titles. (mhealthfairview.org)

Apply for the 2027 Accelerator Fellowship

View the official M Health Fairview fellowship information

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