Livingston Fellowship Program

History, Approach & Commitment

The Livingston Fellowship Program provides advanced learning opportunities to promising nonprofit leaders who hold significant leadership roles in Colorado’s nonprofit sector. This innovative professional development program reflects Bonfils-Stanton Foundation’s commitment to invest in the sector’s greatest assets—its leaders. The program is named in honor of the late Johnston R. Livingston, a long-time Trustee, Chairman, and later Chairman Emeritus. Fellows are selected based on leadership ability, potential for significant and unique contributions to the nonprofit sector, track record of advancing equity and addressing structural racism in nonprofits, and interest in tapping into the discoveries that emerge through the fellowship experience to inform their leadership moving forward.  

The Livingston Fellowship is a $35,000 award for senior-level leaders that recognizes past contributions to the field and enhances their leadership through formal and informal professional advancement activities. A core aspect of the program is that each fellowship plan is unique – developed by the fellow. The foundation’s role is to gently guide, suggest and encourage reflection and creativity in what incoming fellows think is possible through the fellowship. 

Since the inception of the program, fellows have traveled nationally and abroad, participated in academic programs, met with other leaders in their fields, and imagine and create life-changing experiences that inspire creativity, shift their worldview and bolster resiliency and well-being. Over time, the Livingston Fellow alumni network has grown along with the peer support, learning, and connections among the group, which inspires the fellows to strive toward and lead transformative change across the Denver Metro area. 

Bonfils-Stanton Foundation has been on a journey to advance equity and anti-racism in all our work, including the Livingston Fellowship program. Part of this journey requires that we continue to acknowledge our history rooted in White privilege and White supremacy and confront our harmful legacy of racism and exclusion. We are committed to interrogating the racist origins of our systems and institutions and consider its lasting impacts on the community Bonfils-Stanton Foundation exists to serve. It is our hope that Livingston Fellows will join in and help inform this work by sharing their perspectives, lived experiences, allyship and wisdom as members of the alumni network. 

Looking to 2025

We are not accepting fellowship nominations at this time. Bonfils-Stanton Foundation adopted an new strategic framework in late 2022 which includes a goal to nurture creative, transformational nonprofit leaders and artists. The Foundation will be focusing on artists in 2024 with a new award that celebrates artists with a social justice focus. The next Livingston Fellowship selection cycle will begin in summer 2024 to select the Class of 2025 and will alternate every other year with the artist award. 
 
Below is an overview of earlier selection processes. Additional questions and accessibility requests can be directed to program director, Chrissy Deal at chrissy@bonfils-stanton.org.

Meet the 2023 Livingston Fellows

2023 Livingston Fellowship films made by Infusion5

2023 Fellows Welcome Reception

Click on images above to open our event image gallery. The Bonfils-Stanton Foundation is pleased to use FocusTree Studios for event images.

Meet the 2022 Livingston Fellows

Meet the 2020 Livingston Fellows

2018 Celebration of Leadership Keynote Address

At our 2018 Celebration of Leadership, our keynote speaker was Rev. Starsky D. Wilson, President & CEO of the Deaconess Foundation.

2016 Celebration of Leadership

In 2016, the Foundation introduced a Celebration of Leadership where senior Fellows Christine Marquez-Hudson, Carl Clark, and Mike Yankovich sat down for a conversation on leadership with Lt. Governor Donna Lynne.

Nominations for the 2023 Livingston Fellowship

Nominations for the 2023 Class of Livingston Fellows are closed. Below is an overview of our selection process.

Candidates

  • Leaders of Colorado, Denver Metro area-based** 501(c)(3) arts, culture, humanities, youth development, human/social services, health, environment, and science organizations comprise the pool of potential candidates. Employees of governmental agencies, community or private foundations are not eligible.
  • Individuals must currently be serving full-time in a senior-level, paid position with significant responsibilities for the programmatic and/or operational activities of the organization.
  • In alignment with Bonfils-Stanton Foundation’s equity and anti-racist values, and in recognition of the historic underinvestment in Black, Indigenous, people of color and other individuals from underrepresented communities, we enthusiastically encourage the involvement of such leaders as both nominators and candidates.
  • Candidates cannot be an employee of the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation, a Trustee of the Foundation, or a relative or partner of any employee or Trustee of the Foundation.

Candidate’s Employing Organization

  • Established 501(c)(3) organization or fiscally-sponsored by an established fiscal sponsor in Colorado’s Denver Metro area** (community or private foundations are not eligible);
  • Fully supports the candidate’s application, endorses the candidate’s fellowship plan developed with Bonfils-Stanton Foundation staff and advisors, and is prepared to address organizational management needs during the candidate’s absence;
  • Guarantees all benefits and continues full-time employee status of the candidate during the fellowship award period.

(**Denver Metro area includes Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson counties.)

Livingston Fellow Candidate Criteria

  • Recognized leadership ability and demonstrated impact;
  • Possess areas for professional leadership development or capacity building that would benefit from the opportunities afforded by the fellowship;
  • Have a track record of advancing equity and addressing structural racism within nonprofit organizations;
  • Exhibit a readiness to learn, and a sincere interest in professional and personal leadership development; and
  • Promise for significant and unique leadership contributions to the nonprofit sector.

Additional qualities include:

  • Intends to serve at least 7-10 years as a leader in current organization, other nonprofit organizations, and/or in a position that would have considerable influence on the sector;
  • Potential to be a transformational leader and opinion-shaper within the community and with other nonprofit leaders;
  • Interest in developing a deeper understanding of self and purpose as a leader;
  • Committed to examining the history and culture of the sector, making significant contributions to shaping nonprofit practices and policies and exploring new solutions to the field’s complex challenges;
  • Desire to share with, learn from, and meaningfully engage with community members, leaders and peers, including the Livingston Fellow alumni network; and
  • Prioritize the integration of the three-year fellowship experience with personal and professional commitments.

Nominations

  • Candidates are identified through nominations from program alumni, community leaders and self-nominations. Nominations are accessible via Submittable from August 9 – September 16, 2022.
  • At the close of the nomination period, the Foundation will notify eligible candidates of their nomination and share a copy of each nomination and endorsement received on their behalf. Nominees, outside of self-nominations, will be able to provide additional information they feel may be relevant to their candidacy. Responses will be entirely optional and not required in order to advance in the selection process.
  • A selection panel composed of Colorado community leaders who bring a breadth of experience is convened to consider nominations and recommend a small group of finalists.

Finalist Applications, Interviews & Selection

  • Finalists identified by the panel are then invited to submit a full application which includes:
    • Resume
    • Responses to questions reflecting the candidate’s leadership philosophy, goals and how they meet the fellowship criteria.
    • Endorsement from the board chair of the candidate’s organization that provides assurances that the organization supports the candidate’s application and potential future fellowship plan and is prepared to address organizational management needs during the candidate’s absence.
  • When feasible, interviews are conducted at the candidate’s workplace by representatives from the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation staff and Livingston Fellowship alumni network.
  • Fellow recommendations are considered and approved by the Board of Trustees of the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation who determines each class of Livingston Fellows.

Agreement, Orientation, Plan Development & Ongoing Engagement

  • A signed agreement will be completed by all fellows and include periodic touch points with the foundation each year and a final reflection about activities conducted and funds expended over the course of the fellowship within three months of completion of the three-year fellowship award period.
  • Fellows will participate in an orientation and retreats with other 2023 Fellows, members of the foundation’s fellowship team and with alumni fellows during the annual retreat.
  • Fellows will develop a three-year action plan and budget for review and approval by foundation staff.
  • Fellows are invited to come together with other fellows during their three-year active fellowship and beyond. These activities are intended to build on their experiences and to foster a sense of community and collaboration among peers through continued exploration of issues and ideas of importance and concern to the nonprofit sector.

I have accessibility requests or questions – who do I contact?

 How many nonprofit leaders can I nominate? 

  • Individuals can nominate up to three candidates.

Should the candidate know I nominated them?

  • At the close of the nomination period, the Foundation will notify eligible candidates of their nomination and share a copy of each nomination and endorsement received on their behalf. Nominees, outside of self-nominations, will be able to provide additional information they feel may be relevant to their candidacy. Responses will be entirely optional and not required in order to advance in the selection process. For this reason, nominators may wish to notify the candidate in advance of recommending them for the fellowship.

Can I nominate someone I’ve nominated in the past?

  • The fellowship is quite competitive, so it is not unusual for individuals to be nominated several times over the years.

Can I nominate a leader of a nonprofit organization that operates with a fiscal sponsor?

  • Yes.

 The leader I have in mind lives outside of the Denver Metro area. Are they eligible for the fellowship?

  • Eligible candidates must be leading a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, or Jefferson county. Bonfils-Stanton Foundation’s leadership decided to focus solely on arts and culture and leadership for deeper impact in 2012. In recent years, the Foundation has taken steps to gradually align the Livingston Fellowship Program’s geographic area more closely with that of our grantmaking portfolio which focuses on the city of Denver.

 If I have been nominated, when can candidates expect to hear from Bonfils-Stanton about if they will be advancing in the process?

  • Nominees will be updated of their status in the selection process via email by early November 2022. The Board of Trustees of the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation will approve the 2023 class of Livingston Fellows in early 2023.

Where can I learn more about the program? 

  • Visit our website for additional information about the history of the Livingston Fellowship program, stories from fellows and their fellowship activities.

I have more general questions – should I contact Chrissy?

  • Absolutely! If you can’t find what you’re looking for on our website, please reach out to Chrissy for more information.
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