We support leaders to invest in themselves, to be stronger and more effective leaders in making good change happen.
The Bush Fellowship is a self-designed leadership program that gives individuals the flexibility they need to develop their own capacity to lead effectively.
Bush Fellows are at a point in their lives where they know what they need to do become a stronger leader, and they have a plan for how to do it. The Fellowship provides them with the time and resources needed.
Up to 30 Bush Fellows are selected each year to receive up to $150,000 to support their self-designed leadership plan. We welcome leaders from any sector—including business, nonprofit and government.
Bush Fellows are leaders who are already doing amazing things in their communities — and they have big ideas for what more is possible.
The Bush Fellowship program is highly competitive. In 2024, we selected 24 Fellows out of nearly 600 applications! And for the 2025 Bush Fellowship, we received nearly 1,000 applicants and will select 30 Fellows.
It’s inspiring to see so many talented people doing so many great things, and there are far more amazing leaders than there are Fellowships available. We do hear from applicants that the process itself is valuable in helping them think about their leadership journey and what they need to create change, so we try to make the experience of applying useful in that way.
A Bush Fellowship could be the right fit for people who are ready to show that they have:
A track record of impact as a leader
A vision for the change they want to help make happen
A plan for their own leadership development
We also know that this opportunity isn’t a fit for everyone. It’s not a good fit if you’re looking to create or complete a project. It isn’t a good fit if you’re looking to launch a business. If that is you, we support lots of other fellowships and resources that are a fit for all those things.
More resources for leaders
We help fund lots of other great opportunities that support the people who power great ideas in our region!
We sometimes hear that people don’t always think of themselves as leaders. If you’re someone who makes things happen—and they wouldn’t have happened without you—you’re a leader!
We also hear that some people have a hard time thinking about investing in themselves, and not in their community. Lots of Fellows struggle with this at first. We find that Fellows come to believe that this investment in themselves really does translate into an investment in their community.
Learn firsthand from Maria Medina (BF 2019) about how this investment in herself and her leadership through a Bush Fellowship helped her grow and better serve her community.
We announce and celebrate the new Bush Fellows each year and share stories about their journeys. We also ask all Fellows to share with others what they’re learning along the way, and we publish those reflections through our learning logs.
Find more Bush Fellows
You can find all the Bush Fellows—past and present—by searching our grants database.
We encourage you to review all the application information provided in this section. Everything can be downloaded or printed if you prefer to work offline.
We use an online form application and can work with you if that doesn’t meet your specific needs. Just let us know as soon as you can at staff@bushfoundation.org.
When using the online form, we recommend Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge or Firefox as your web browser.
You are eligible if:
You are at least 24 years old at the time of the application deadline.
You are a resident of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota or one of the 23 Native nations that share the same geography.
You have lived in the region for at least one (1) continuous year before applying.
You are not eligible if:
You previously received a Bush Fellowship, Bush Artist Fellowship, Bush Leadership Fellowship, Bush Medical Fellowship or Enduring Vision Award.
You are a family member of a current Bush Foundation staff member or board member. Family members include a spouse, domestic partner, parent, grandparent, great grandparent, child, grandchild, great grandchild and spouses of children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
There are no specific citizenship requirements to be eligible for the Bush Fellowship. If a Fellow is not a U.S. citizen, we might be required to withhold income taxes on Fellowship payments and report such payments and withholdings to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
We provide the application questions and criteria we use to select Bush Fellows for your reference.
Bush staff and board members, past Fellows and community leaders help us select Fellows each year. We base our decisions on:
Your application responses
Your references (semifinalists)
Your in-person interview (finalists)
Here’s what you can expect as you move through the process:
Bush Fellow alumni review all applications and choose roughly 75 semifinalists.
Bush staff members conduct reference checks as they choose up to 48 finalists. If we learn something during the formal background checks that could be an issue in your selection, we will reach out to you to understand the situation.
Finalists interview with panels of community reviewers who are leaders from across the region.
Community reviewers choose the next class of Bush Fellows.
New class of Bush Fellows gather for celebration and kick-off retreat!
Bush Fellows are publicly announced.
You can use the funds in whatever way you need. Things like:
Deepen your leadership practices and skills, like conflict resolution, coalition building, change management, facilitation, or communication skills
Earn a bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate degree or other professional credentials
Expand your expertise and network by taking part in conferences, programs and other offerings
Learn from other organizations and efforts to study effective change strategies
Work with a leadership coach or build your network of mentors and allies
Ground your leadership through deeper connections to your cultural roots
Take time away from work to really immerse yourself in your own development
While we provide maximum flexibility, there are limits on how funds can be used:
No portion of the Fellowship can be directed to another person or organization
Fellowship funds cannot be used to fund a business or program
Fellowship funds cannot be used to pay off debt
For government and elected officials, there are specific limits on how Fellowship funds can be used per IRS regulations.
You may only use a Fellowship in a degree granting program.
Individuals who hold elective office in the executive or legislative branch or are presidentially appointed to an office in the executive or judicial branch.
Individuals who hold positions in the executive, legislative or judicial branch of the federal government positions listed in Schedule C of Rule VI of the Civil Service Rules (positions of a confidential or policy-determining character that are exempt from competitive civil service examination, as determined by the Office of Personnel Management), or individuals who hold positions in the executive, legislative or judicial branch receiving compensation at or above the lowest rate of basic pay (excluding locality pay adjustments) for the Senior Executive Service GS 16.
Individuals who hold positions in the U.S. House or Senate with annual compensation of $15,000 or more.
Individuals who are personal or executive assistants or secretaries to any of the foregoing.
Tribal, state and local employees and officials are defined as:
Individuals who hold elective or appointive public office in the executive, legislative or judicial branch with independent policymaking ability and annual compensation of $20,000 or more.
Individuals who are personal or executive assistants or secretaries to any of the foregoing.
Jargon is tricky. The words themselves aren’t necessarily bad. The problem is when we assume that we all interpret them the same way. Sometimes, jargon can be useful and familiar.
When we use jargon, we provide the context and definition for what we mean.
Leadership reflection guide PDFs (print version or fillable version): Based on feedback we’ve heard from Fellows and applicants, we put together this reflection guide as a tool to help anyone exploring their leadership journey. This can be helpful if you decide to apply for a Fellowship, or it can just help you think about the impact you want to have as a leader.
