What does Baltimore Corps look for in a PARTNER?

Baltimore Corps partners with organizations that are tackling Baltimore’s biggest challenges. A partner may be a nonprofit organization, for-profit social enterprise, government agency, or other impact-oriented initiative that hosts a Baltimore Corps Fellow for one year, with the option to hire long-term beyond the Fellowship.

While applicants are considered on a case-by-case basis, each of our partners is intensely focused on generating social impact in Baltimore City. Partner organizations deploy Fellows in leadership roles that directly lead to building capacity: expanding existing programs; piloting new programs; or providing specialized support in areas such as communications and marketing, development, or data.

WHAT KINDS OF FELLOWS NORMALLY APPLY?

There is no typical Fellow: We recruit a highly diverse pool of candidates to curate a customized matching process for each partner organization. Our Fellows come from Baltimore and around the nation. While we populate our candidate pool with applicants possessing a wide breadth of skills and backgrounds, we also focus on mission alignment and prioritize applicants most committed to our values of Advancing Equity and Racial Justice, Enhancing Sector Effectiveness, and Putting Baltimore First.

WHAT ELSE IS MY FELLOW COMMITTING TO?

A primary value of the Fellowship year is to intensively develop each Fellow through programming designed to equip them with the necessary tools and resources to be highly effective contributors in their roles.

Fellows’ programming commitments include one-to-one meetings, coaching, and quarterly 360-degree feedback meetings with Baltimore Corps staff; and cohort-based retreats and workshops. Each Fellow has a contract with Baltimore Corps that outlines program commitments (subject to change).

what am i committing to through the fellowship?

Organizations are responsible for paying their Fellow a minimum stipend of $35,000, the cost of benefits, and Baltimore Corps participation fees. Organizations are welcome to compensate Fellows at a higher level; Baltimore Corps will advise on an appropriate stipend range after consulting with the partner organization on the proposed role scope and talent needs. Fellows are primarily hired and paid through the partner organization as full-time employees. Requests to host Fellows on Baltimore Corps’ payroll and be invoiced may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

While a good deal of programming opportunities will be optional for partner organizations, all are asked to attend the opening and closing receptions, as well as the Race & Equity Series. Participation in the 360-degree feedback process and exit interview with each Fellow is required. Program commitment subject to change.

WHAT are THE participation FEES?

Baltimore Corps is intentional about developing leaders, investing more than $17,000 per Fellow to facilitate their professional development over the duration of the Fellowship through case management, professional development, orientation, retreats, and coaching. All Baltimore Corps professional development is done in alignment with our values to ensure leaders have these necessary foundations to truly help move Baltimore forward. Additionally, there are administrative costs involved in the matching and placement processes. To support this investment – and a portion of the costs incurred by Baltimore Corps for the recruitment of talent, and consulting and support of the partner organization throughout matching, interviewing, and placement of a Fellow – Baltimore Corps asks each partner to pay program and placement fees in line with the size of their annual budget. The matching fee allows partners to begin the matching process and view a pool of candidates that are a fit for their position.

what happens after the fellowship ends?

This is largely up to you. While the Fellowship is a 12-month program and there is no obligation to continue, our aim is to strengthen Baltimore’s social impact sector by retaining talent and helping leaders collaborate across networks. Past cohorts have seen 60 percent of Fellows hired by their partner organization at the conclusion of the year.

CAN I PURSUE FUNDING TO SUPPORT A FELLOW?

Baltimore Corps understands that organizations and government agencies may pursue funding for the express purpose of obtaining a Baltimore Corps Fellow to spearhead or support a strategic initiative. We are open to collaborating with you on your fundraising efforts to obtain a Baltimore Corps Fellow. We request that you share your ideas with us prior to telling funders your organization is looking for a Baltimore Corps Fellow so that all parties are aligned on the proposal. To initiate the process and discuss any questions, please reach out to the Employer Engagement Team (partnerships@baltimorecorps.org). We do not want funding to be a barrier to applying to become a partner organization.