View a recording of our informational webinar here.
The Alaska Fellows Program (AFP) is a fall-to-spring residential fellowship program that nurtures the next generation of Alaska-based leaders by pairing talented young people with strong communities and professional mentors.
Initially launched with a small pool of Yale graduates in 2014, the program now boasts alumni from 35 states and seven countries and hosts fellows in Anchorage, Juneau, Sitka and Fairbanks. Forty-six percent of alumni continue to live and work in Alaska for a year or more following their fellowships.
By attracting young, dynamic professionals to the state of Alaska, AFP arrests and reverses the “brain drain” of young people supersaturating in Seattle, San Francisco, Boston, New York, and D.C. AFP also helps Alaska retain homegrown talent by connecting born-and-raised Alaskans with high-impact opportunities in their home state.
Fellows serve with a dynamic non-profit or public-sector organization for the fellowship term and receive modest living stipends and housing. Fellows live communally, work closely with professional mentors, and make lasting contributions to their host community.
Fellows attend opening and closing retreats as well as two facilitated “convenings” — events that draw together fellows across all sites to cultivate connections, friendships, and common identity.
Fellows are backed by a well-connected team of community members that help make introductions, integrate Fellows into the community (e.g. Arctic Entries, Stardust Ball, Alaska Folk Fest), and share high-octane experiences in outdoor, civic, and community life.
Additional Resources
Read the 2023 AFP annual report.
For more on program structure, see here. For a comparison of the program sites, see here.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Wear your support of AFP! Hoodies and shirts now available for purchase here.
==============================================================================