The Mind Trust’s Fellowships

With a uniquely supportive policy landscape, highly-collaborative community, and well-resourced supports, The Mind Trust’s Fellows successfully launch equity-focused public schools and join a network of passionate leaders.

leader with kids

Emerging Leaders Fellowship

The Emerging Leaders Fellowship is a three-year fellowship for leaders who are eager to expand their impact on Indianapolis students. Educators who hold roles like Director of Special Education, Assistant Principal, Multilingual Learners Coordinator, or Dean of Culture are likely a good fit for this fellowship opportunity. 

Indiana Charter School Fellowship

To help grow high-quality schools in Indianapolis, The Mind Trust invites high-performing charter and innovation school networks to select leaders for the Indiana Charter School Fellowship. Fellows are given sufficient planning time and resources to grow or replicate an existing charter school network. 

In close collaboration with their network leadership, Fellows will launch a new campus of an existing network or significantly expand the number of students an existing school can serve.

Fellows receive personalized coaching, resources, and training throughout the program, as well as ongoing support once schools are launched. Since 2013, The Mind Trust’s Fellows have launched 28 charter and innovation schools in Indianapolis.

North Star Fellowship

The North Star Fellowship is a one or two-year experience for exceptional school leaders to develop and launch new public charter schools for Connecticut families. The Mind Trust is partnering with Leaders for Educational Advocacy and Diversity (LEAD) in Connecticut to manage this fellowship program.

Fellows receive intensive support to prepare to refine their model, apply for a charter, and develop strong plans for facilities, enrollment, staffing, and other key operational functions.

Ready for CSP New Mexico

Ready for CSP New Mexico is one-year fellowship and support program designed to help charter leaders expand or replicate high-quality public charter schools. The program is centered around supporting schools that have been awarded or are pursuing funds through the Charter Schools Program (CSP), a federal grant initiative that supports the growth of public charter schools.

The program supports leaders at two key stages: those actively applying for CSP funding and those building on prior awards to plan for sustainable expansion or replication.

Public Charter Schools of New Mexico and The Mind Trust are partnering on programming and support for leaders in New Mexico.

South Carolina Charter Founders Fellowship

The Mind Trust, South Carolina Children’s Fund, and the University of South Carolina College of Education have partnered to launch the South Carolina Charter Founders Fellowship, a new, one-year program to support leaders committed to expanding access to high-quality public education across the state.

The program supports leaders at two key stages: those with an approved charter who are preparing to open a school and those refining their vision ahead of applying for a charter.

About Our Fellows

The Mind Trust selects fellows based on unique criteria for each opportunity. Across all fellowships, selected leaders have a strong track record of academic results, a coachable mindset, and a commitment to the goals of their fellowship.

Learn more about our current and past fellows

Previous Fellowship opportunities

The Mind Trust is proud to support talented educators with developing, launching, and leading great public schools. Learn more about our earlier Fellowship opportunities below.

School Launch Fellowship

Our School Launch Fellowship provided established, proven charter school networks with the time and resources needed to grow their school network. School Launch Fellowships supported the growth of Global Preparatory Academy, Purdue Polytechnic High School, Girls IN STEM Academy, and more.

Innovation School Fellowship

The Mind Trust created the Innovation School Fellowship in 2014 in partnership with Indianapolis Public Schools and the Mayor’s Office of Education Innovation to develop and launch new innovation network schools within IPS. Innovation network schools are autonomous schools that are part of a public school district. Innovation School Fellows have launched high-quality public schools across Indianapolis, including BELIEVE Circle City High School, Paramount Cottage Home, and Adelante Schools.

Charter School Fellowship

The Mind Trust’s Charter School Fellowship was created to give talented leaders the time and resources needed to launch a high-quality independent public charter school. Fellows could propose a new school model to develop and launch. Charter School Fellows have launched high-quality public schools across Indianapolis, including Herron Prep Academy, Paramount Englewood, and Invent Learning Hub.

Education Entrepreneur Fellowship

To help solve education challenges in our city, The Mind Trust launched the Education Entrepreneur Fellowship, which gave one to two years of training, support, and resources to leaders to found an education nonprofit organization. Education Entreprenuer Fellows have founded Enroll Indy, EmpowerED Families, and Teach Plus.

Learn more about our previous Fellows