The PROSPECTIVE CUE FELLOW
Interested candidates are encouraged to apply for the CUE Equity Fellowship. In addition, CUE solicits nominations from their network of stakeholders. Nominated candidates will receive an invitation to complete the Fellowship application. The Fellowship selection committee, composed of CUE staff and Fellowship alums, reviews all applications and recommends candidates to be invited to participate in Selection Day(s), an interactive scenario-based interview process along with other Fellow candidates. As part of accepting to be part of the Fellowship, selected candidates must be able to commit to monthly full-day trainings (May 2025 - January 2026).
IMPORTANT DATES
The CUE Model
The Chicago United for Equity (CUE) Equity Fellowship is a year-long program designed to bring together 15-20 leaders across identities, neighborhoods, and perspectives in government, media, research, storytelling, organizing, advocacy, and philanthropy to strengthen their racial equity practice. This diverse group of Fellows is a powerful learning community that serves as both a catalyst and support to build a more equitable Chicago by reimagining its structures, policies, and practices through a racial equity lens.
CUE Fellows are leaders, innovators, disruptors, and healers of all different kinds. We look for Fellows to come into this work with:
The CUE curriculum
CUE is a critical reflective learning community. Our best learning happens through relationships and action. We work to cultivate a community of change agents with shared frameworks, strategies, and tools to create change.
Our Fellowship creates opportunities to analyze, explore and implement:
THE RACIAL EQUITY PROJECT
Fellows define a Racial Equity Project to reimagine a structure, policy, or practice through a racial equity lens.
Examples of past CUE fellowship projects include:
THE SPONSOR ORGANIZATION
Fellowship candidates are required to name a sponsoring organization that will serve as a partner in developing and implementing their Racial Equity Projects. Before applying for the Fellowship, they should have a pre-existing relationship with this organization. That relationship could be as a staff member, board member, or similar leadership role, or as a volunteer or longstanding collaborator.
We are looking to partner with sponsor organizations who are helping reshape Chicago's civic institutions through:
Sponsorship Fee
The CUE Equity Fellowship is funded in alignment with our vision for transforming power. Sponsoring organizations that have a candidate selected for the CUE Fellowship contribute to the cost of the program on a sliding scale based on the sponsoring organization’s annual operating budget. Though no qualified candidate is turned away for inability to pay, all sponsoring organizations are required to commit resources to demonstrate commitment to the Fellows’ project.
Sponsor Org Operating Annual Budget | Sponsorship Fee |
|---|---|
$5M+ | $9,000 |
$3M - $4,999,999 | $7,000 |
$2M - $2,999,999 | $5,500 |
$1M - $1,999,999 | $4,000 |
$500,000 - $999,999 | $2,000 |
Up to $499,999 | $750 |