Fellowships and Convenings/

Big Bets Fellowships

Overview

The Big Bets Fellowship is a 4-month leadership program that brings together a diverse and interdisciplinary cohort of emerging leaders working to address the world’s toughest challenges, accelerate opportunity for the most vulnerable, and transform systems for a sustainable future.

We are seeking emerging leaders, with 5-15 years of relevant work experience, who are at an inflection point and on the cusp of making their next bold move. The Fellowship will propel individuals forward on their journey of manifesting a Big Bet.

In 2024, our Fellowship included leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean working in climate solutions. In 2025, we launched applications for two parallel cohorts, one in the Asia-Pacific Region and another in the United States.

Meet the Big Bets Fellows

  • 2025 Asia-Pacific Fellows
    Learn more about 12 changemakers driving community-led solutions across 26 countries throughout the Asia-Pacific region, including Australia, India, Samoa, and Viet Nam.
  • 2025 United States Fellows
    Discover 12 changemakers strengthening communities nationwide through creative and impactful approaches to today’s most pressing challenges.
  • 2024 Latin America and the Caribbean Fellows
    In its first year, 16 leaders from across Latin America and the Caribbean were selected to advance bold climate solutions, supported by The Rockefeller Foundation’s Big Bets Climate Fellowship.

Through an invigorating community, inspirational programming, and professional development, Big Bets fellows and their solutions will be set on a trajectory for bold and outsized impact now and in the future.

About the Program

The Fellowship emphasizes an expansive understanding of leadership, going beyond traditional skill-building to support fellows in growing personal and relational aspects of leadership.

As part of the program, fellows will benefit from:

  • Integrative Curriculum ― an experiential and applied learning program equipping fellows with the leadership mindset and skill sets needed for driving meaningful systemic impact.
  • Impact Acceleration ― focused time with peers, mentors, and experts to sharpen, magnify, and accelerate solutions through virtual and in-person convenings.
  • Cohort Community ― a regional group of progressive innovators, thinkers, and builders for interdisciplinary and cross-cultural exchange. Each fellow will also join a growing global network of leaders that have participated in past regional cohorts.
  • Network Access ― exclusive membership in The Rockefeller Foundation network (potential benefits include post-Fellowship programming, convenings, consultation, facilitated connections, speaking engagements at global events, etc.)
  • Global Platform ― visible amplification for fellows to share their voice and solution with a global audience.

At the end of the program, fellows will have a clarified theory of change to accelerate novel solutions and the skills to operationalize and adapt to achieve that vision; skills to build and navigate unlikely partnerships necessary to make transformative change; and supercharged storytelling capabilities to bring partners and funders into powering the work.

The Foundation will also provide fellows with a USD $5,000 stipend (subject to taxes and withholding, as may be applicable). Selection into the Fellowship does not include monetary grant support for the implementation of the fellow’s project.

Explore the Big Bets Fellowships

Big Bets Fellowship
Asia-Pacific

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Big Bets Fellowship
United States

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Featured Content

For its inaugural year in 2024, the Fellowship included leaders in Latin America and the Caribbean who are developing scalable climate solutions to improve the lives of underserved communities. Here are their stories.

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