We are excited by the opportunity to partner with you as a sponsor for the 2026 Class of Open Access Fellows!
With five years of programming under our belts and over 100 fellows graduated, we look forward to continuing the mission. Join us as we empower the next generation of leaders; we need your support now more than ever.
2026 Timeline for Fellowship Sponsors:
We ask for all host organizations to submit the fellowship host request form online, and Open Access
administrative fees of $2,250 to be paid by February 27, 2026.
We will first require a brief summary of the the fellowship position in order to provide a preview to candidates, followed by a detailed FELLOWSHIP JOB DESCRIPTION. Depending on the organization, this should include hands-on opportunities to work on deal structures, deal closings, customer engagement, current legislative or policy matters, portfolio management, etc., including any relevant deliverables commensurate with their transferable experience.
The Fellowship Job Description must be received by Open Access no later than January 19, 2026, when the application opens. We have included an example below for reference [previous years’ JDs are available here).
Sponsors are further required to identify a person on staff to whom the fellow will report and organize a meeting with said person(s) to determine a mutually convenient work schedule. We ask that hosts be prepared to provide a quality program experience (historically Fellows have received a $4,000 stipend paid incrementally based on project deliverables or a rate of $25/hr for a total of 160 hours over three months). [If there is interest by the sponsor and the fellow, more compensated hours can be scheduled.]
Open Access will provide this letter along with a host informational video to ensure all sponsors understand and agree to program guidelines. We ask all fellowship sponsors to acknowledge they have listened to the recording and reviewed the Q&As by completing the 2026 Sponsor Agreement.
All request forms are available online at open-access.us. Please note that the fellowship program and sponsorship due dates may change, in such cases, we will notify you immediately.
Help us promote this year’s program by sharing your commitment as a Sponsor with your organization’s media team and respond to any requests from our PR consultant Osa, with the The Gift Agency.
As always, we welcome your feedback. If you have any questions, please contact Rodney López, Interim Executive Director, at rlopez@open-access.us.