The Changemaker Fellowship is a global 10-week program designed for nonprofit, and UN staff who want to move from AI interest to responsible, real-world adoption.

Fellows work on a practical challenge inside their organization, supported by structured learning, peer exchange, expert coaching, and funded implementation support delivered through a vetted partner. By the end of the experience, each fellow leaves with an implementation-ready AI Adoption Plan tailored to their organization’s context, systems, and mission goals.

Fellows spend the program building a practical AI Adoption Plan for a real organizational challenge.

Along the way, they strengthen:

• AI leadership and adoption planning skills
• Change management and stakeholder alignment
• Governance and risk thinking
• Implementation roadmapping
• Organizational buy-in strategies

They also receive support from industry experts and technical partners, Microsoft Elevate partners, strategic mentors, and peers working on similar challenges around the world.

The Fellowship does not provide direct funding to fellows or their organizations.

Instead, the program is free to participate in and includes funded expert support from implementation partners, paid directly by Microsoft Elevate through the program. This support is designed to help fellows strengthen and pressure-test their implementation plans.

Some cohorts may also include limited travel support for in-person capstone events, where available.

The program will support approximately 25 fellows per cohort.

Up to 3 Fellows from the same organization can apply together on a shared use case. Apply as an organization, not as individual participants.

One application per organization is the default. In larger organizations, more than one application is permitted where the proposals address materially different challenges in distinct parts of the organization, for example a country office and a global headquarters, or two regional offices operating in different contexts. In those cases, each application should describe the applying unit on its own terms.

One of the proposed Fellows should complete and submit this form (the “Lead applicant”). The Fellowship relies on active engagement from the individuals doing the work, but senior sponsor buy-in is also required. You will be asked to provide sponsor contact details and to share a short signed endorsement from a senior leader at CEO, Executive Director, Country Director, or equivalent accountable level.

Organizations should plan for each selected Fellow to dedicate approximately 3–5 hours per week over the 10-week fellowship to participate fully and progress their implementation work.

This includes:

• Live workshops
• Asynchronous learning
• Peer exchange
• Mentor or implementation partner sessions
• Work on the AI Adoption Plan
• Open office hours

There will also be optional alumni and community engagement opportunities after the cohort ends.

Organizations are expected to enable full participation, including covering any associated costs such as connectivity or device access.

Strong applications focus on real organizational challenges like:

• Workflow automation
• Fundraising support
• Case management
• Knowledge management
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Reporting
• Service delivery improvements

The full application opened on April 22.
An information webinar will be held on May 4th to help applicants understand the opportunity and prepare strong submissions.

The first open call closes on May 22 at 23:59 Pacific Standard Time (PST). Thereafter you can register your interest to be contacted when the next open call opens later in the year.

Applications are reviewed by a panel that includes Microsoft Elevate, Caribou, EY, and trusted external reviewers with expertise in nonprofit operations, AI adoption, and responsible implementation.

Selection focuses on:

• Meaningful mission-driven challenges
• Organizational readiness and leadership support
• The applicant’s ability to drive internal adoption
• Responsible and realistic use-case design
• Where the Fellowship can create the greatest additional value

We also shape the final cohort for diversity across geography, organization type, and challenge area.

Applications go through a multi-step review process designed to balance quality, fairness, and cohort diversity.

Step 1: Eligibility review

We confirm your organization type, challenge fit, leadership support, and readiness.

Step 2: Scoring review

Applications are assessed by Caribou, Microsoft Elevate, EY, and trusted external reviewers against criteria such as:

• Challenge relevance
• Organizational readiness
• Leadership support
• Ability to drive internal adoption
• Potential impact
• Responsible AI fit

Step 3: Cohort composition

The highest-scoring applications are then shaped into a final cohort based on:

• Geography
• Organization type
• Challenge mix
• Leadership roles
• Dedicated UN cohort pathways where relevant

Strong applicants may also be placed into later cohorts within the same open call.

The following are not eligible:

• For-profit companies
• Organizations already actively implementing a funded AI strategy
• Government agencies applying as primary applicants
• Organizations focused mainly on software procurement or licensing
• Teams seeking vendor selection rather than capacity-building support

Mixed-mandate IGOs and UN bodies remain eligible. 

Yes. The Fellowship is open globally to eligible nonprofit, and UN teams.

We welcome applications from organizations in:

• Emerging markets
• Developed economies
• Country offices
• Regional hubs
• Headquarters teams
• Global functional units

Cohort design may intentionally balance geography, sector, and organization type to support strong peer learning across contexts.

For now, the Fellowship will be delivered in English only, including the application, workshops, peer sessions, office hours, and support materials.

Applicants should ensure their fellow participants are comfortable participating fully in English.

No. There is no requirement to use only Microsoft tools or products.

The Fellowship focuses on practical AI leadership, responsible adoption, and implementation planning principles that can apply across different tools, platforms, and organizational environments.

Implementation partners and mentors may also bring expertise across a wider range of technologies.

Some cohorts may include in-person capstone events tied to major global convenings, while others will close virtually.

Where in-person capstones are offered, limited travel support may be available for selected fellows, depending on cohort design, location, and available program funding. Full guidance will be shared in advance for any cohort where travel is possible.

The Fellowship runs in 8 cohorts over 2 years. The first cohort will be onboarded on June 24th 2026 with an official program kick-off on 29 June 2026. 

A dedicated UN cohort is expected within the first two cohorts.

When you apply, you’ll be asked to share your earliest preferred start window, and selected applicants may be placed into the cohort that best matches their timing, use case, and overall cohort balance.

If you are not placed into your preferred start month due to the volume and quality of applications received, applicants will be considered for the next available cohort.

Applicants only need to apply once per open call to be considered for multiple upcoming cohorts.

Fellows are supported by a multi-layered team designed to help move their AI use case from idea to implementation-ready plan.

Your support team includes:

• Caribou, who leads the Fellowship experience, including cohort facilitation, learning design, peer exchange, and overall program support
• Microsoft Elevate vetted implementation partners, who provide hands-on technical guidance to help shape practical adoption pathways
• EY professionals, who bring strategic support in areas like change management, stakeholder alignment, governance, and organizational transformation
• Your global cohort peers, who offer feedback, shared learning, and practical insights from similar mission-driven contexts

This combination ensures fellows receive support across both the technical and organizational sides of responsible AI adoption.

Yes. It is a prerequisite to apply with the support of your manager or organizational leadership. Because the Fellowship is designed around a real challenge inside your team or organization, fellows are most successful when they have:

• Leadership awareness and support
• Access to the right internal stakeholders
• Permission to dedicate 3-5 hours per week
• The ability to influence implementation after the program ends

As part of the selection process, we will look for evidence that your organization is supportive of your participation and the AI Adoption Plan you will develop.

By the end of the Fellowship, you will leave with:

• An implementation-ready AI Adoption Plan
• A practical roadmap with milestones and ownership
• Stronger AI leadership and change management skills
• A global peer network of mission-driven leaders
• Access to alumni and future ecosystem engagement opportunities
• Inclusion in case studies and global showcases

Most importantly, you’ll leave with a credible plan your organization can act on.

After the application window closes, the review and selection process will move through several stages across multiple cohorts.

Yes. We want applicants and fellows to feel fully supported throughout the process.

During the application period

Throughout the open call, we will host optional application office hours and information sessions where prospective applicants can ask questions about:

• Eligibility
• Cohort timing
• Project fit
• Selection criteria
• Application tips
• The Fellowship experience

We’ll share dates and registration details on this page and through our email updates.

If you need help at any point, you can also reach the team directly at programs@caribou.global

During the fellowship

Once selected, fellows will also have access to regular office hours throughout the 10-week program.

These sessions are designed as open support spaces where fellows can bring:

• Questions about their AI use case
• Roadmap challenges
• Stakeholder alignment blockers
• Governance questions
• Implementation planning needs
• Mentor and partner coordination questions

Office hours are designed to help fellows keep momentum and get practical support between workshops and partner sessions.

The full application is designed to take under 45 minutes.