Guidelines are subject to change. If any changes are made, we will communicate those emergent changes efficiently to all applicants.
Welcome
Welcome to the online application form for Year 8 of the Intercultural Leadership Institute (ILI), a collaborative program of Alternate ROOTS, First Peoples Fund, The International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD), Mississippi Center for Cultural Production, National Association of Latino Arts & Cultures and the PA'I Foundation.
Timeline
Application opens at 12:00 am EST Monday July 13, 2026.
There will be two technical support and information sessions scheduled during the application period. They will be Wednesday July 29 2026 at 4:30 pm EST and Wednesday August 19, 2026 at 4:30 pm EST. Please register through the appropriate link.
Please reach out to info@weareili.org should you need any tech support.
Deadline: 11:59 pm EST Friday August 21, 2026.
August + Sept 2026- Application evaluation and Fellow selection period
As part of the selection process there will be small group facilitated processes that are reflective of the pedagogy and conversations that we have in ILI. This process will help inform which applicants are selected for ILI.
We will share application status notifications that identify if an applicant will be invited to participate in the small group facilitated ILI experience by Friday September 4, 2026.
In your applications, we will ask you to pre-emptively select at least two interview dates and time options for you to hold should you be selected to participate in the next round of the selection process. Those dates and time are:
Tuesday, September 8, 2026 at 4:30 pm EST
Thursday, September 10, 2026 at 6:00 pm EST
Monday, September 14, 2026 at 4:30 pm EST
Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 6:00 pm EST
Within the invitation to participate in the group facilitation round, you will receive an agenda to consider.
ILI Selection Notification: by October 31, 2026
First ILI Fellowship Convening: May 2026
All ILI Convening dates will be shared when fellowship offers are made by October 31, 2026.
Cost of Participation:
The total dollar value to participate in the ILI Year-Long Fellowship Program is $35,000. The fee to participate is subsidized with philanthropic funding and individual giving. However, there is now a sliding scale to participate in the ILI Year-Long Fellowship Program. The participation fee confirms your participation in the ILI Fellowship Program. Airfare, room, board, and all educational engagement needs of the fellowship program are provided by ILI
The sliding scale fee model is as follows:
If you are paying the fee out of pocket (self reported):
Annual Individual (not household) Income Fellowship Participation Fee
$0- $45,000 $50
$45,001- $70,000 $250
$70,001- $100,000 $350
$100,001- $150,000 $750
$150,001- $250,000 $1,500
$250,001- $500,000 $2,500
$500,001- $1,000,000 $5,000
$1,000,001 and up $10,000
If your participation is being paid for by your employer:
Annual Budget via 990 submission Fellowship Participation Fee
Under $500,000 $500
$500,001- $2,500,000 $1,000
$ 2,500,001- $5,000,000 $5,000
$5,000,001- $10,000,000 $10,000
$10,000,001- $20,000,000 $20,000
$20,000,001 and up $35,000
ILI Program Structure
Due to the pandemic, ILI Year 3 was a completely virtual experience. Participants participated via video call, phone, independent and group study, and by snail mail. We found that we were able to engage fellows flexibly while still being committed to the fellowship process.
We are continuing to approach the fellowship as a hybrid (both in-person and virtual) program and we will continue this practice for the years to come. Tech and travel accommodations (all covered by your participation fee) will be administered by ILI staff upon cohort selection.
The ILI Fellowship Program is active from May-November with an onboarding period from October - April. The ILI Fellowship Curriculum for Fellows is currently based on 4 Core Questions and an arc of learning, best summarized here: https://weareili.org/ili-year/. It is delivered through 3 In-Person (Typically from Thursday- Tuesday) Cultural Intensives hosted by one of the ILI Partner organizations. The cohort is split into 4 Learning Pods each guided by 1 of 4 co-Facilitators to encourage small group participation and comradery. Also through the learning pods will each produce a collaborative offering to the fellowship cohort. The curriculum framework also consists of Monthly 2-Day Online Convenings into topics organized by the 4 Core Questions. The online convenings are 4 hours each on a Thursday for the full Fellowship and Fridays for Pod Time.
Tech Access and Justice
ILI is committed to tech justice and creating access for participation. If you or anyone you know are interested in applying for ILI and are in need of a deeper capacity to engage in the technology required to apply to ILI please reach out to info@weareili.com for technical assistance.
Disability Justice
ILI is committed to disability justice and creating access for participation. This application can be submitted via video or written formatted applications. If there is any other assistance that an applicant may need to contribute to their success in the application process, please reach out to info@weareili.org to articulate that.
International Applications
Unfortunately, ILI does not accept applicants from individuals who reside outside of the United States and U.S. Territories.
Language Justice
ILI is committed to striving towards language justice.
We are working to build capacity to embed access for multi-lingual participation i.e. translation and interpretation. To fill these capacity gaps within the ILI fellowship, we engage our partner organizations. Should there be a need for ILI material translation or interpretation ILI staff will connect the applicant with the appropriate ILI partner to coordinate their needs. Should you need language assistance, please reach out to info@weareili.org for assistance
Justicia Lingüística:
ILI se compromete a luchar por la justicia lingüística.
Trabajamos para desarrollar la capacidad de incorporar el acceso para la participación multilingüe, es decir, la traducción y la interpretación. Lo que estamos haciendo para llenar estas limitaciónes de capacidad en el programa de ILI es involucrar a las organizaciónes asociadas con el programa en caso de que sea necesario traducir o interpretar material de ILI. Si necesita ayuda con traduccíon o interpretación a un idioma, comuníquese con info@weareili.org para recibir asistencia.
Submission Instructions:
Step 1: Create a Submittable account or if you already have an account with Submittable, login with your username and password. Note that Submittable requires some contact information to be provided for establishing or updating an account. Some of this information will be requested again within the actual ILI application form once you advance to the next screen.
Step 2: Enter your contact information and continue as the online participant interest form will guide you through a series of prompts and questions as outlined within the Interest/Application Form.
Step 3: Type (or paste) your responses directly into the online form and upload links or documents as prompted.
Step 4: Click "Apply Now" to submit your completed application. You will receive an email confirmation upon submission.
Application review process:
After carefully reviewing the applications, a panel of reviewers will offer brief comments on the merits and challenges of the application within the Submittable platform. Candidates are scored on a "yes," "no," and "maybe" system on the following criteria points:
1. Cultural Community Engagement: experience using arts & culture to make change in their community
2. Leadership Potential: potential & enthusiasm to cultivate greater personal awareness, leadership skills and vision
3. Critical Analysis: ability to identify and analyze issues affecting their community, organization and/or artistic career
4. Aspiration: motivation to increase personal artistic and/or organizational capacity to achieve ambitious goals in service of community
5. Equity / Social Change: commitment to equity and social change
6. Intercultural Openness: orientation & ability to learn, work and collaborate across cultures.
7. Community-Oriented Values: orientation toward community-building & a generosity of spirit
While reviewing, the panel members will provide comments for applicants who are not selected for ILI participation. The ILI core governing partnership will provide final approval of the panel recommendations regarding the fellowship cohort of the Intercultural Leadership Institute. Application merit and geographic location equity is considered when curating the final fellowship cohort; we aim to account for equitable nationwide representation within the ILI fellowship program.