Dear John,

It has been five years since I first launched 50CAN’s National Voices Fellowship to facilitate a bipartisan conversation among the next generation of education leaders and messengers who are pursuing a stronger American education system. I am left speechless and humbled by the passion, dedication, bravery and brilliance of each cohort as they work across geographies and party lines to spark the ideas that will inspire meaningful change for the good of K-12 students.

Momentum is building around this bipartisan work. As political divisions have grown in the country, we have seen an increasing interest in fellowship programs that bring people together around concrete, positive ideas as we seek a better path forward. Today, with the support and leadership of 50CAN’s VP of Communications, Ned Stanley, alongside our full team and a committed group of funders, we are thrilled to announce that we are expanding our programming and opening applications for two distinct fellowship programs. This exciting growth will support the urgent need for thoughtful and visionary leaders in education from our neighborhoods to the United States Capitol.

The National Voices Fellowship is our signature effort to identify the next generation of compelling education advocates and spokespeople, who are willing to work across political and racial divides to empower families and build a K-12 system that allows every student to become the very best version of themselves.