Just Economy Institute

A growing community of leaders using capital as a positive force for change

Become a Fellow

Innovators, entrepreneurs, funders and organizers leveraging capital as a tool for positive change. 

JEI offers two fellowships. Both draw on the same curriculum and community, and Fellows from the U.S. and Canada Fellowships join the same alumni network. They differ in where they are held, when they run, the leaders and educators they highlight and the context they are grounded in. 

Why Now

Growing communities of financial activists are following a calling for healing and justice and collaborating to create long-term well-being for all. They’re working to end the extractive practices that cause immense human suffering and severely damage the natural world. And they’re advancing a new form of activism, one in which financial and social capital are used as powerful tools to effect positive and lasting change. 

Positive change happens when people with innovative solutions have the resources and connections to make those solutions happen. We’ve seen visionary leaders pioneer better models inspired by this conviction. These models need to be shared and adopted.

Qualifications 

This work requires leaders with self-knowledge and the skills to navigate power, conflict and possibility. We are seeking Fellows who have: 

  • the ability to influence the flow of financial and social capital 
  • a clear desire to learn and grow, both personally and professionally 
  • self-awareness and strong emotional intelligence 
  • a deep commitment to effect positive change and create a just economy 

The selection process emphasizes inclusion across ethnicity/identity, class, gender, geography, sector, age and lived experience. 

The Canada Fellowship 

Three immersions in Canada: Tin Wis in Tofino, Métis Crossing near Edmonton and The Brew Creek Centre near Whistler. The inaugural cohort begins in spring 2027. 

We are currently accepting applications. Please submit your application by November 9, 2026.

The JEI Canada Fellowship program runs May 2027 through March 2028. 

For dates, cost, and how to apply, visit: Canada Fellowship 

The U.S. Fellowship 

Three immersions at Paicines Ranch in California. The current U.S. Fellowship runs September 2026 through June 2027.

Applications will open in late 2027.

For dates, cost, and how to apply, visit: U.S. Fellowship 

After the application deadline, we will review applications and reach out with a status update within one month. We will interview selected candidates and extend invitations to join the fellowship approximately one month after we finish conducting interviews.

The Just Economy Institute was an opportunity for reflection, dialogue, debate and strategizing for deep structural transformation. I was connected with folks that were maybe 2 or 3 steps away from me and others that I didn’t even know existed. . . . My access to strategic thinkers and inspiring doers keeps me motivated and seeing the possibilities of connections for a shared vision of social justice and fundamental transformation of our economy.

INGRID BENEDICT

Daphne Foundation