Become a Social Innovation Fellow

Every spring, students from across campus are invited to apply to join the upcoming cohort of Social Innovation Fellows. There are no restrictions on major or academic level. There are approximately 15-20 students selected to participate each year, and each cohort officially begins working together in the fall.

The goal of this program is for teams to explore and scope a challenge and design a creative solution. Program deliverables will primarily be report-outs at the Innovation Labs. In addition, at the end of each semester teams will be expected to create and present their exploration process and findings/activities to a larger stakeholder community.

Report-outs are based on what you, both individually and as a team, have learned as well as progress toward your project goals. Our Community Anchors is serve as “living laboratories” for our Fellows teams — an enterprise or ecosystem that offers a real-world connection. A specific set of deliverables can be suggested, however, each team determines their project direction, outputs and outcomes with guidance from the support network.

Fellows can receive up to up $1,500 in support for additional related enrichment (social innovation/social entrepreneurship conferences, seminars, workshops, learning materials, prototyping materials for personal ventures, etc).

Teams receive a micro-investment of $1,000 for prototyping, development, or other related uses decided upon by the team.

Fellows also receive a graduation cord upon program completion, access to the Entrepreneurship Garage and Raleigh Founded meeting spaces on Centennial campus, mentorship from industry experts and peers, the opportunity for cross-campus multidisciplinary collaborations, lifelong friendships, access to jobs and internships, and immersion into a broader network of entrepreneurs and changemakers.

For more information about the intangible benefits, we highly recommend speaking to current or former Fellows that you know. You can find info about them by visiting our Instagram page.

It may be helpful to shift your mindset; the Social Innovation Fellows is not like a typical class or program. The main goal is to scope a project based on an assigned UN Sustainable Development goal in conjunction with the skills, knowledge, and expertise of a Community Anchor and your assigned team. To help you achieve this, the entire cohort will meet on a monthly basis to learn methods and best practices that will serve as tools for your project. We will not assign work in the traditional sense.

It will be up to your individual team to use the tools/methods and Lab content to move the needle forward within the context of the social challenge that you ultimately decide to tackle. It is up to you and your team to hold each other accountable and work out problems together. A support system of mentors, previous cohort members (also known as senior fellows), and staff are here to help you through the process.

In some cases, serving as a Fellow will fulfill other scholar requirements. For example, the program is an approved experiential requirement for the Entrepreneurship Certificate. Fellows have also utilized the opportunity to earn Independent Study credits.

Social Innovation Fellows aims to build from existing campus assets, complementing coursework for students enrolled in entrepreneurship offerings by providing a cohesive co-curricular learning pathway. The Fellows can serve as an in-depth follow-on to the first year project work of the Goodnight Scholars or a service learning experience for Caldwell Fellows; or offer a supportive framework for students in business, design, engineering, textiles, and every other discipline to continue exploration of market-based ventures and prototyping that have positive social impact.

Attendance at a 2.5 hour Innovation Lab is required once per month, in addition to 2 end of semester events and other various engagement opportunities each semester. SI Fellows teams usually meet once per week, but the complete time commitment will vary throughout the program and is negotiated within your team.