WHO SHOULD APPLY

IS THE EMERGING LEADERS PROGRAM A MATCH FOR YOU?

Emerging Leaders is designed for diverse emerging leaders in the Central Coast who are committed to strengthening their leadership and making a meaningful impact in their organizations and communities.

While the program has a strong foundation in the nonprofit and social sectors, we welcome applicants from a range of mission-driven businesses and community-oriented organizations, as well as individual leaders eager to grow their leadership capacity and contribute to the broader community.

Applicants should demonstrate a commitment to contributing to the broader community and have the support of their direct supervisor and their organization’s Executive Director, Board Chair, or equivalent.

In terms of role, we welcome professionals across the position spectrum—including program, development, administration, marketing, and newer Executive Directors—as well as those in comparable roles across sectors, including the private sector, government, and community organizing.

Please know the selection process is competitive, and not all applicants will be accepted. Our selection criteria include:

- Commitment to Growth – Showing a commitment to their own professional development, and a readiness to invest in growing in their leadership and participating fully in all aspects of the program
- Commitment to Sector – Demonstrating a commitment to the southern Central Coast nonprofit / social sector, and a strong intention to make a career in the field

Potential for Advancement – Having a sense of how they want to grow their impact at an individual, organizational and community level, matched with the potential to do so
Ability to Put Learning to Work – Having a role where they can directly apply the leadership and management concepts, tools and lessons learned
Support of Organizational Leadership – Having the support of direct supervisor and their organization’s Executive Director or Board Chair (or equivalent) in growing in their leadership and participating fully in the program
Add to Diversity and Richness of Class – Their ability to help us build a diverse cohort (including, for example, geography, job function, organizational mission, ethnicity, and gender) and add to the wisdom of the Emerging Leaders learning community

We receive more Emerging Leaders applications than we have space for. In addition to assessing each candidate’s strengths and experience, the Emerging Leaders Selection Committee often gives preference to certain categories of candidates, including:

Returning applicants (who applied for a prior cohort and were not accepted)
Candidates who have at least three years of professional experience in the nonprofit and social sector
Candidates who demonstrate a commitment to the Central Coast nonprofit and social sector
Applicants whose organizations serve Santa Barbara and/or Ventura County residents

If you have specific questions, please email us to request additional information.

COMMITMENT, FEES & DATES

YOUR COMMITMENT TO THE EMERGING LEADERS PROGRAM

We ask that participants, their direct supervisor, and their organization’s Executive Director or Board Chair (or equivalent) be fully committed to the program, including:

Reviewing the dates of the program and promising to do everything possible to make sure the participant is available for those dates
Understanding that there will be approximately three hours of coursework between monthly sessions, which might include meetings with people within in the organization or with community members, reading articles, completing assignments, or exploring the participant’s organization in greater depth within the context of the program

PROGRAM FEES

Thanks to our generous program sponsors, the fee charged to each participating organization is around half (or less) of our cost to put on the program (which exceeds $6,000 per participant). Program fees depend on employer budget size:

Program Fee is $2,500 for Organizations with budgets under $1,000,000
Program Fee is $3,500 for Organizations with budgets over $1 million

As an Emerging Leaders applicant, you and your organization are responsible for the ELP program fee. Over the years, some organizations needing extra help to make the fee commitment have been able to attract financial support from an outside funder/donor. You can invite such funders to learn more about the Emerging Leaders program on our website.

2026 PROGRAM DATES

Our 2026 Cohort 12 is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2026. It is important upon application that you are able to commit to the following program session dates/times:

Orientation is September 18, 2026 (1:00 – 5:00 pm) with optional lunch at noon
Location: TBD

START THE APPLICATION PROCESS

Emerging Leaders assembles a select cohort of emerging leaders from Santa Barbara County’s nonprofit and social sector organizations. Please remember that the selection process is competitive, and not all applicants will be accepted. Our selection criteria include:

Demonstrated commitment to the Santa Barbara County nonprofit and/or social sector
Having the potential to make a significant future contribution to the nonprofit and/or social sector community through assuming higher and increased levels of leadership
Having the support of their direct supervisor and the organization’s Executive Director or Board Chair (or equivalent) in growing in their leadership and participating fully in the program
Their ability to help us build a diverse cohort (including, for example, county geography, job function, organizational mission, ethnicity, and gender)
Being available for and committed to participating in all aspects of the program
Readiness to invest in their learning and contribute to the cohort

Our application consists of submitting the following (all via our website):

Applicant Profile
Current Résumé
Application Questions Form
Recommendation Form completed by a Board Chair, Executive Director, or Department Director

The 2026-27 Emerging Leaders application is open through June 26th!

Emerging Leaders Application Profile Form

Application Profile Form
After submitting this initial form you will be directed to next steps.
Name*
First Last
Organization*
Current Job Title*
Focus Area*
Where your organization/agency serves within the social sector.
How long have you been employed in the nonprofit/social sector?*
Number of employees in your organization*
Work Address*
Street Address City State ZIP Code
Home Address*
Street Address City State ZIP Code
Preferred Address Type*
Work Email*
Personal Email
Preferred Email Type*
Phone (work)*
Phone (cell)*
Preferred Phone*
Race/Ethnicity - Check all that apply*
- American Indian / Alaska Native
- Asian American
- White / European American
- Black / African American
- Hispanic / Latino American
- Middle Eastern / North African American
- Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
- Not listed
- Decline to State
Age*
Gender*
Preferred Pronouns
Any other identities you wish to share?
Identity is important to us, and we understand that individuals may identify themselves outside of what is categorized.
Recommenders Name*
First Last
A recommender is an Executive Director, Board Chair, or Supervising Manager who acknowledges their full support of the applicant to fulfill the stated program commitments.
Recommenders Email*
How did you learn about ELP?*
If you heard about ELP from a friend/colleague, please share the individual's name below.