• Search

Bush Fellowship

2024 Application Questions

Thank you for your interest in the 2024 Bush Fellowship Program. The 2024 applications open on Tuesday, August 22, 2023, and close on Thursday, September 21, 2023, at noon Central.

Click through the tabs below to view the 2024 application questions. You also can download a copy of the application questions (Word).

We provide the same information below as in the Word document to help you prepare your responses. The Word document should not be submitted as your application. Please apply through the online application.

Questions? Please contact us at staff@bushfoundation.org.

Registration

This information will be used to create a new application. Even if you have completed an application for the Bush Fellowship in the past, you will need to create a new application each year of applying.

  • Salutation (picklist)
  • First name
  • Middle name
  • Last name
  • Your name is part of your identity and we hope to address you with the accurate pronunciation. If you would like, please share how to pronounce your name. For example, you could spell it phonetically or provide an example, like “rhymes with ….” (open text field)
  • If you would like, please share your gender pronouns.  (open text field)
  • Email Type (picklist – Personal, Office, Alternate)
  • Email
  • Phone type (picklist – Office, Home, Mobile)
  • Phone
  • Home street
  • Home city
  • Home State (picklist)
  • Home Zip Code

Applicant Information

The following information helps us to understand who you are.

What is your date of birth?

Please share your gender identity. (open text field)

Which racial/ethnic groups do you identify with? Select all that apply.

  • American Indian/Alaska Native
  • Asian/Asian American
  • Black/African American
  • Hispanic or Latino
  • Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander
  • Some other race
  • White
  • I prefer not to answer

If you selected Black/African American or Asian/Asian American in the question above, please also select the following options, if applicable.

  • African Immigrant/Refugee
  • Southeast Asian

If you are currently enrolled in a tribe(s), please select which tribe(s) from the list below.

  • Bois Forte Band of Chippewa
  • Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe
  • Crow Creek Sioux Tribe
  • Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe
  • Fond Du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
  • Grand Portage Band of Chippewa
  • Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
  • Lower Brule Sioux Tribe
  • Lower Sioux Indian Community
  • Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe
  • Oglala Sioux Tribe
  • Prairie Island Indian Community
  • Red Lake Chippewa Indians
  • Rosebud Sioux Tribe
  • Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community
  • Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe
  • Spirit Lake Nation
  • Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
  • Three Affiliated Tribes
  • Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa
  • Upper Sioux Community
  • White Earth Band of Ojibwe
  • Yankton Sioux Tribe
  • Other

Select the option that best describes your current area of work.

  • Academic
  • Business
  • Nonprofit
  • Public

How did you hear about the Fellowship?

  • Bush Fellow
  • Email
  • Flyer
  • Referral
  • Website/Internet search
  • Other

If referred by a Bush Fellow, Bush Foundation staff or a member in our community, please list their name and email address below. We ask for this information so we can thank people who refer applicants and make sure they have up-to-date information about the program.

Name:

Email:

Track Record

We want to understand who you are and the difference you have made through your leadership.

  1. We understand that leadership looks different in every community. What does leadership mean to you? How does your community and background influence your definition of leadership? (Maximum 1,500 characters, approximately 250 words)

  2. Each person's experience and life journey is unique. Tell us about who you are, and how you have made the most of opportunities in your life. (Maximum 2,400 characters, approximately 400 words)
  3. We are looking for candidates who have a strong record of success and are effective at creating change. Please explain how you have been part of change in your community. What part did you play in making that community change happen? How would you describe your impact in helping to lead that change? (Maximum 1,500 characters, approximately 250 words)

Potential

We want to know that investing in your leadership development will be transformational for you and your community. We want to understand how you want to grow as a leader in service of the vision for change in your community.

  1. What is your vision for the large-scale equitable change needed in your community or region, and why do you believe you can help lead this change? (Maximum 3,000 characters, approximately 500 words)
  2. You are already a leader with many strengths. We honor your experience, and we are looking for people who want to continue to grow and learn. Please share the skills, experiences, connections and/or knowledge you need to become a more equitable leader who can drive significant change. (Maximum 1,500 characters, approximately 250 words)
  3. How will obtaining these new leadership skills, experiences and connections help you lead differently than you are now? How will that growth help you make a significant difference for the people and issues you care about? (Maximum 1,800 characters, approximately 300 words)

If you advance in the process, you will be asked these additional questions:

Potential

We want to understand your vision for your community, your leadership and how investing in you at this time will have a positive impact in our region.

  1. It has been a few months since you submitted your first application. You may have had new or refined ideas since then. If you have any updates to your thinking, please share those updates to your vision and/or the leadership skills, experiences and connections you need to achieve that vision. (Maximum 1,500 characters, approximately 250 words)

Plan

Your leadership plan is a description of how you will use this once-in-a-lifetime Bush Fellowship to transform your leadership and acquire the skills and experiences you need to achieve your vision for community change. We fully expect your Bush Fellowship plan to evolve over time, so please indicate your current thinking.

  1. Are you seeking a degree or are you pursuing a self-designed Fellowship plan? (Academic degree granting program or Self-designed learning plan)
  2. Please share the action steps (the Fellowship plan) you will take to build the skills, experiences and connections you need to grow as a leader. (Maximum 1,800 characters, approximately 300 words)
  3. How will the action steps you outlined above prepare you to lead visionary, transformative change in your community? (Maximum 1,800 characters, approximately 300 words)
  4. How does your plan prepare you to take on the systemic forces that have kept this change from happening? (Maximum 1,800 characters, approximately 300 words)

Back to Bush Fellowship