Piper Fellows Program

The Piper Fellows Program acknowledges the never-ceasing demands of nonprofit leadership and offers the opportunity for nonprofit leaders to reach, retool, and revitalize. A Piper Fellowship offers the potential for up to $90,000 in grant funding to a Fellow’s organization.

Study & Travel
Piper Trust offers fellowship awards of $30,000 (maximum) via an annual application and selection process to support professional development for outstanding leaders of nonprofit charity/501(c)(3) organizations serving Maricopa County.

Work Related
A Piper Fellow’s personally designed “professional development plan” can be taken all at once or divided into several time periods or dates and is based on what is best for the organization. Fellow candidates are encouraged to explore educational and professional programs, visit model program sites, and meet with thought leaders across the nation.

Professional Development
A Piper Fellowship also includes a $10,000 grant award for staff and board development and eligibility for the Fellow’s organization to apply for a Piper Fellows Organizational Enhancement Award (grant) of up to $50,000 within six months of Fellowship completion. Fellowships and grant-related Fellowship awards are contingent upon the Fellow’s continued employment at the organization.

Qualified Organizations
The candidate’s employing organization must be a nonprofit charity/501(c)(3) that provides services within Maricopa County for a minimum of 10 years* in human services, health, education, arts and culture, or religious organizations. The employing organization must:

Fully support the candidate’s request to participate in the Piper Fellows program/self-designed/professional development plan and state how management of the organization will be handled during absences for Fellowship activities.
Guarantee all salary and benefits and continue full-time employee status of the candidate during absences.
Be able to sustain regular operations during the candidate’s absences.
Candidates
Strong candidates* are leaders who have significant responsibilities for a nonprofit organization serving Maricopa County in the areas of human services, health, education, arts and culture, or religious organizations. A candidate for the Piper Fellows program should:

Be an outstanding leader who has a demonstrated track record of leadership within the organization and service to the community.
Be responsible for a significant level of management of the organization’s programmatic or operational activities.
Have worked a minimum of seven years in the nonprofit sector as a paid, full-time employee of the nonprofit(s), though not necessarily for a single organization.
Be a full-time employee of the applicant organization and reside in Arizona.
Requirements of a Piper Fellow
Begin work plan in January of the year following selection.
Submit a Final Reflection Report to Piper Trust within three months of completion of the Piper Fellowship. Reports should detail learnings of the professional development activities and how the experiences will be applied and help better serve the mission of the organization.
Participate in periodic activities during the Fellowship year and in subsequent years to build on individual and shared experiences, foster continued professional development, and stimulate potential collaboration among the Piper Fellow organizations.