Community Leadership Fellows

What Community Leadership Fellows does

Community Leadership Fellows (CLF) is a nonprofit leadership development fellowship founded in 2021 by Alexandra Auguste and Jermaine Harris, operating as a program of United Way of Metro Chicago. The organization runs an annual cohort-based fellowship targeting approximately 15 grassroots leaders per year from six Chicago Westside neighborhoods: Austin, East & West Garfield Park, Little Village, North Lawndale, and West Humboldt Park. Fellows are selected through a multi-stage application process (written or video submissions, group interviews called 'Street Cred Check,' and circle of influence interviews) and progress through educational workshops, tactical trainings, collaborative learning, coaching, mentoring, and networking, culminating in a five-year action plan toward equity.

The program's core product is the Community Leadership Fellows Program, supported by a structured curriculum designed by Dr. Angelique Orr (PhD in Psychology, three decades of L&D experience) and delivered through welcome ceremonies, a Global Leadership Summit, monthly full-day learning sessions, and graduation. The CLF Alumni Experience extends engagement beyond the cohort year, providing ongoing support for fellows implementing their individual equity action plans. Classes of 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026, and 2027 are run or planned, indicating sustained annual throughput.

CLF operates with approximately 13 employees and a volunteer governance structure (Advisory Council and Investors Council). The fellowship is free to participants and is funded through philanthropic grants and charitable contributions channeled through United Way of Metro Chicago, which serves as fiscal sponsor. The organization charges no fees and has no earned revenue streams; sustainability depends entirely on grant funding and partnership support. Marketing and outreach are conducted through the clfellows.org website, an email mailing list, organic social media, podcast/multimedia content, and community networks across Westside Chicago.

Name

Community Leadership Fellows

Legal name

Community Leadership Fellows

Website

https://clfellows.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Community Leadership Fellows is a nonprofit, cohort-based leadership development fellowship that selects approximately 15 grassroots leaders per year from six Chicago Westside neighborhoods, delivering workshops, coaching, and mentoring under the fiscal sponsorship of United Way of Metro Chicago.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Leadership Development Fellowship

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Inclusive Leadership & Leading Diverse Teams (EDABAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Team & Group Executive Coaching (Leadership Teams) (EDABANAF), Training, Enablement & Talent Development Summits (THAHAMAH)

Keywords

• Leadership development
• Community fellowship
• Nonprofit training
• Civic leadership
• Grassroots leadership

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding and Nonprofit Support: As a program of United Way of Metro Chicago, CLF operates as a nonprofit leadership development initiative funded through grants and charitable contributions. The organization appears to be primarily funded through philanthropic partnerships with foundations and community investors rather than revenue-generating activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Community Leadership Fellows operates a cohort-based leadership development fellowship for grassroots leaders from Chicago's Westside communities (Austin, East & West Garfield Park, Little Village, North Lawndale, and West Humboldt Park). Each annual cohort of approximately 15 fellows participates in educational workshops, tactical trainings, collaborative learning, coaching, mentoring, and networking, and produces a five-year action plan towards equity with ongoing alumni support. The program is free for participants and delivered as a program of United Way of Metro Chicago.

Product overview

Community Leadership Fellows (CLF) is a leadership development fellowship program designed to identify and develop grassroots leaders from Chicago's Westside communities. The organization operates a single core offering: the Community Leadership Fellows Program, which is a cohort-based experience (typically 15 leaders per cohort) involving educational workshops, tactical training, collaborative learning, coaching, mentoring, and networking. The program is structured with specific curriculum components including welcome ceremonies, global leadership summits, monthly learning sessions, workshops, and graduation. The organization also provides ongoing alumni support through the CLF Alumni Experience to help fellows implement their five-year action plans towards equity. CLF operates as a program of United Way of Metro Chicago and partners with United Way of Metro Chicago to deliver its services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Leadership Fellows Program A cohort-based leadership development experience for grassroots leaders from Chicago's Westside communities, involving educational workshops, tactical training, collaborative learning, coaching, mentoring, and networking to prepare fellows for executive-level leadership and civic engagement. Each cohort consists of approximately 15 fellows selected from the six Westside communities.
• Fellowship Experience Curriculum Structured program including welcome ceremonies, global leadership summits, monthly full-day learning sessions, workshops, and graduation, designed to equip fellows with skills for executive leadership within their organizations and communities.
• CLF Alumni Experience Ongoing alumni support services for program graduates, including assistance implementing their five-year action plans towards equity and continued networking opportunities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Each Fellow develops a five-year action plan towards equity with ongoing alumni support for implementation.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• United Way of Metro ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCLF is a program of United Way of Metro Chicago designed to support and develop grassroots leaders driving impactful change in Chicago's Westside communities. United Way of Metro Chicago's commitment to strengthening neighborhoods aligns closely with CLF's mission. This program fosters a collaborative effort to create lasting, positive change in communities across the city.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Echoing Green: Fellowship and leadership development organization for emerging social-impact leaders, with a strong focus on equity and leaders from marginalized communities. Directly comparable to CLF in mission (develop diverse, high-impact leaders) and cohort-based format, though Echoing Green operates globally and emphasizes social entrepreneurship.
• Chicago Urban League: Chicago-based civil rights and community development organization with leadership development, workforce, and equity programs serving the same Westside and broader African American community that CLF targets. Comparable in geography, community focus, and equity mission, though it offers a much broader service portfolio beyond fellowship programming.
• Coro Foundation: National civic leadership training organization running cohort-based fellowship programs that develop leaders across sectors. Comparable to CLF in its cohort-based, multi-session experiential format and emphasis on cross-sector civic leadership, though Coro operates across multiple cities rather than focusing on a single disinvested community.
• Leadership Greater Chicago: Chicago-based civic leadership fellowship program that develops established and emerging leaders through cohort-based programming. Highly comparable to CLF in cohort structure, civic-leadership focus, and regional Chicago footprint, though LGC serves leaders across the broader Chicago metro rather than specifically disinvested Westside neighborhoods.
• National Urban Fellows: Fellowship program focused on developing leaders of color for executive roles in public and nonprofit sectors. Closely aligned with CLF's mission to advance underrepresented leaders into executive leadership, though NUF operates nationally and places fellows in host organizations rather than running a community-rooted cohort.

Broad incumbents

• Points of Light: Large nonprofit focused on civic engagement, volunteerism, and service leadership, with corporate and community leadership programming. Comparable to CLF's mission of developing community-rooted civic leaders, but operates nationally with a broader portfolio and significantly larger scale.
• New America: National civic and policy think tank running fellowship programs that develop leaders in public policy and social innovation. Overlaps with CLF's civic-leadership focus but serves a national, policy-oriented audience and operates at much larger scale.
• Aspen Institute: Large, established policy and leadership organization running multiple fellowship programs (e.g., Aspen Fellows, Henry Crown Fellowship) focused on values-based leadership. Comparable to CLF in its leadership-development thesis but operates as a broad, multi-program incumbent rather than a community-rooted nonprofit program.

Others

• Annie E. Casey Foundation: Major private foundation funding community development, equity, and leadership programs in disinvested U.S. communities — including in Chicago. Relevant as a likely funder/ecosystem peer rather than a direct operator; comparable in equity and place-based focus.
• MacArthur Foundation: Major Chicago-based private foundation with significant grantmaking in Chicago's disinvested communities, equity, and leadership pipelines. Relevant ecosystem peer as a likely funding source for CLF-style programs on Chicago's Westside.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-leadership-fellows

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Community Leadership Fellows