Echoing Green Announces ‘the Talent to Change the World’ with Its 2017 Fellowship Awards

NEW YORK, June 08, 2017 --

Turning chicken feathers into sustainable home insulation…

Bringing racial equity to cannabis by creating pathways for underground distributors to enter the legal cannabis industry…

Equipping communities with comprehensive data on police violence…

These are some of the organizations led by Echoing Green’s newest class of 36 emerging leaders. Echoing Green is a global organization that spots social entrepreneurs with the greatest potential and invests deeply in their success. The organization accelerates tomorrow’s transformational leaders today.

View the full list of 2017 Fellows at EchoingGreen.org/2017-Fellows.

Every year, Echoing Green provides funding and leadership development to a new class of Fellows. The organization embraces “smart risks” by providing seed funding of up to $90,000 for two years to support the continued growth of leaders and organizations with tremendous potential. These individuals are also welcomed into a lifelong global network of philanthropists, investors, and entrepreneurs who help one another experiment with bold, new ideas.

This year’s Fellows include visionaries who are transforming economies, racial and gender equity, environmental sustainability and more. Fellows lead diverse organizations that mix for-profit and nonprofit elements. 57 percent of this year’s class has for-profit elements in their work.

Echoing Green is among the most highly selective fellowships for social entrepreneurs. This year, Echoing Green reviewed 2,879 applications from 164 countries. See additional statistics in the 2017 Applicant Snapshot.

“For the past 30 years Echoing Green has identified leaders with bold ideas that are important to the progress of the world,” says Echoing Green President Cheryl L. Dorsey. “In this year -- Echoing Green’s 30^th anniversary -- we’re especially proud to continue to grow our community and welcome such a diverse group of innovators to our best-in-class network. We look forward to advancing their leadership journey.”

With the addition of this new class, Echoing Green will have invested more than $42.5 million in seed-stage funding and strategic assistance to over 760 best-in-class leaders driving positive social change in 86 countries. Echoing Green also supports the Fellow community long after their initial funding period through ongoing programs and opportunities at critical points in their careers.

Support of Echoing Green’s 2017 Fellowship class is made possible through private contributions and the generous support of funders, including the Jerome L. Greene Foundation and the ZOOM Foundation.

About Echoing Green
Echoing Green identifies tomorrow’s transformational leaders today. Through its Fellowships and other innovative leadership initiatives, Echoing Green spots emerging leaders and invests deeply in their success to accelerate their impact.

Echoing Green has been ahead of the curve for 30 years, supporting visionaries around the world who are transforming economies, racial and gender equity, and environmental sustainability. Echoing Green’s unparalleled community of talent consists of 760+ innovators who have launched Teach For America, City Year, One Acre Fund, SKS Microfinance, Public Allies, and more. The organization provides seed-funding and leadership development to a new class of Fellows every year and welcomes them into its lifelong community of leaders. 

Echoing Green accelerates talent that will change the world for the better. As a nonprofit, the organization raises funds to support its mission. To learn more, visit EchoingGreen.org.

About Cheryl L. Dorsey
Cheryl L. Dorsey is the president of Echoing Green, a global organization unleashing next-generation talent to solve the world’s biggest problems. Read Cheryl’s full bio at: http://www.echoinggreen.org/fellows/cheryl-l-dorsey.

Sacha Evans
[email protected]
646-214-0514

Liz Posner
[email protected]
646-214-0514