Program · Detroit fellowship · Applications rolling
The Kotcher Fellowship
A funded year for people building something of consequence in Detroit and the counties around it. Stipend, mentorship, and a cohort of 50 — decisions on a rolling basis, no partisan litmus tests.
What a fellow receives
A stipend and the overhead carried
Fellows keep their independence and their idea. Kotcher carries the overhead so the year is spent on the work, not on fundraising for it.
A mentor who answers the phone
One hour a month with someone in your field, matched within two weeks of seat confirmation — and a cohort of 50 that stays in touch long after the year ends.
Detroit-rooted placement
Every fellow is paired with a neighborhood project in the Detroit–Windsor corridor, so the work lands on a real block, classroom, or table.
Who is eligible
- You are building one specific thing of consequence — a study, a program, a build, a classroom model — and can name it in plain language.
- You can commit to a full cohort year, including a monthly mentor hour and a portfolio review at the end.
- You work in or with the Detroit–Windsor corridor and its partner communities.
- You accept the Kotcher Nonpartisan Standard: no candidate, party, or ballot advocacy inside fellowship work.
- No degree requirement. Early-career applicants, tradespeople, teachers, and researchers are all in scope.
Three tracks, fifty seats
| Track | Seats | Work |
|---|---|---|
| People | 15 | Mentorship, teaching, and neighborhood organizing fellows. |
| Ideas | 15 | Research, data, and prototype fellows working on nonpartisan civic questions. |
| Places | 20 | Build, trades, and school-model fellows working block by block. |
How to apply
Rolling basis · no annual deadline
01
Register your interest
Rolling basis — there is no annual deadline. Tell us your city, field, and the one thing you intend to ship.
02
Conversation
A short call about the work and what a funded year would change about it. No panel, no pitch deck.
03
Seat confirmation
Fifty seats per cohort year across the three tracks. Confirmed fellows move straight into onboarding.
04
Onboarding and mentor match
Four onboarding steps, an album workspace for the visual record of your year, and a mentor matched by field.
Questions about a seat
Call the office and ask for the fellowship desk — 280 North Old Woodward Ave, Ste 200, Downtown Birmingham, MI 48009, with a second office at 535 Griswold St, Detroit, MI 48226.
(517) 295-0788Related: fellows onboarding · paid roles · research proposals