Bush Fellowship 2027: Up to $150,000 for Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota Leaders

Bush Fellowship 2027: Up to $150,000 for Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota Leaders

The Bush Fellowship is a two-year opportunity for people who are already making change happen and need time, resources and focused development to become more effective leaders. For the 2027 program, the Bush Foundation plans to select up to 30 Fellows and provide each with up to $150,000 to carry out a self-designed leadership plan. The program welcomes leaders from business, government, nonprofit organizations and other sectors.

Applications open at 8:00 a.m. Central Time on September 22, 2026, and close at noon Central Time on October 6, 2026. The application period is short, so the useful work begins before the form opens. Applicants should use the current Bush Foundation criteria and questions to shape a specific plan for their own leadership growth, rather than submitting a general proposal for a community project or a request to fund an organization.

This distinction is central. The Fellowship is an investment in an individual leader and that person’s capacity to create equitable, large-scale change. It is not a project grant, business grant or unrestricted award that can be passed to another person or organization. A strong application connects three things: a credible record of impact, a meaningful vision for change in the region, and a realistic but ambitious plan for the skills, experiences and relationships the applicant needs next.

Key details

The award is described as “up to” $150,000, not a guaranteed flat payment for every Fellow. The official page also says Fellowships are for up to two years. The Foundation explains that Fellows determine how to use the resources according to their plans, while the program imposes limits that are shared with each new class. Applicants should not assume that every proposed cost will be approved or that the award is an employee salary.

What the Bush Fellowship supports

The Fellowship supports a self-designed leadership program. In practical terms, that means the applicant identifies the development needed to lead a larger or more durable effort, then builds a plan around activities that would be difficult to pursue without substantial time and financial support. The plan might include study, travel to learn from another movement, a significant reduction in work commitments, or time away from a current role to focus on a major leadership transition.

The Bush Foundation gives examples that show the range of acceptable plans. One example is learning public-policy advocacy and building skills for complex problem solving through a policy fellows program. Another is visiting New Zealand to learn from language-revitalization work while applying those lessons to an applicant’s own leadership context. These examples are not a menu of required activities. They illustrate that the Fellowship can support a carefully chosen combination of experiences when the applicant can explain how those experiences will change their leadership trajectory.

The program is not intended to pay for the creation, expansion or completion of a project. Funds cannot be directed to another person or organization, used to fund a business or program, used to pay off debt, or used for lobbying, political contributions or campaign-related expenses. Treat these restrictions as part of the fit test before investing time in an application.

Who is eligible

The basic eligibility rules are specific. By the application deadline, an applicant must be at least 24 years old. The applicant must live in Minnesota, North Dakota or South Dakota, or be a resident of one of the 23 Native nations that share the same geography. The applicant must also have lived in the region for at least one continuous year before applying.

The Foundation states that there are no specific citizenship requirements. A person who is not a U.S. citizen may still be eligible, although the Foundation says it might have to withhold income taxes on Fellowship payments and report those payments and withholdings to the Internal Revenue Service. That is an important financial-planning point: eligibility does not necessarily mean the full nominal award will arrive without tax treatment.

Prior recipients are not eligible. The exclusion covers people who previously received a Bush Fellowship, Bush Artist Fellowship, Bush Leadership Fellowship, Bush Medical Fellowship or Enduring Vision Award. Family members of a current Bush Foundation staff member or board member are also excluded under the Foundation’s stated family-member definition.

Meeting the basic rules does not make an application competitive. The Foundation says it looks for leaders with a track record of impact, outstanding character, openness to learning, a vision for equitable large-scale change, and a clear plan for their own development. The relevant question is not simply whether an applicant has held a leadership title. It is whether the applicant can show that they have made progress through obstacles, brought people together, learned from different perspectives and produced results that matter in their community.

Government and elected officials should review the additional restrictions carefully. The Foundation says that certain officials may use a Fellowship only in a degree-granting program because of Internal Revenue Service rules. If that situation may apply to you, contact the Foundation before finalizing a plan.

How the application is assessed

The official criteria organize the application around three connected areas. The first is the applicant’s impact as a leader. The Foundation asks about the applicant’s journey, track record, problem solving, community relationships, integrity, inclusive leadership and willingness to learn. The second is the applicant’s vision for change: the large-scale equitable change they want to help make happen and why that change is needed. The third is the Fellowship plan, including the goals, experiences, skills, connections and support that would make the applicant more effective.

The application questions make the expected evidence unusually clear. One prompt asks for a track record in creating change and allows a written response of up to 1,500 characters, roughly 300 words, or a short recorded video or audio response of up to two minutes. The applicant chooses one format rather than submitting both. Other questions ask about the vision for change, the people and support needed, the applicant’s connection to affected communities, overall leadership goals and the specific leadership plan. The published maximums range from about 300 to 500 words depending on the question.

The selection process involves more than the written form. Bush alumni review all applications and choose roughly 90 semifinalists. Semifinalists provide references. Bush staff members conduct reference and background checks for finalists, and finalists interview with panels of community reviewers from across the region. The community reviewers choose the next class. This means the written application needs to be clear to people who may know the region and leadership challenges but may not know the applicant’s specialist field.

Preparing before applications open

Start by writing a one-page explanation of your leadership arc. List the problem you saw, the action you took, the people you worked with, the obstacle you faced and the result that followed. Then describe the change you want to help make happen in the region, who is affected, why it persists and how your own experience connects you to the work. Avoid claiming that you alone will solve a structural problem: the Foundation asks who needs to be involved and what support is needed.

Identify the leadership gap behind the application. It might involve influencing policy, building cross-sector partnerships, managing a larger institution, communicating across communities, navigating conflict, deepening subject expertise or sustaining yourself through demanding work. Name the situations in which the missing capacity limits your effectiveness instead of writing only that you need “leadership training.”

Build the Fellowship plan from that gap. For each proposed activity, record the skill or relationship it will develop, why the activity is difficult to access now, how it connects to the vision, and what you will be able to do differently afterward. A plan might include several complementary experiences rather than one course. The Foundation does not prescribe one format, so the quality of the reasoning matters more than making the plan look like a standard academic syllabus.

Use the Foundation’s downloadable criteria and application questions to draft offline. The Foundation recommends working offline, even though the online form can save progress. Ask two reviewers to read the draft: one person who understands your work and one person who does not share your professional vocabulary. Their job is to identify unsupported leaps, unclear timing and places where the plan sounds like project funding.

Timeline and submission planning

The 2027 application window opens September 22 and closes October 6, giving applicants about two weeks to submit. The official page lists semifinalist notifications for December 1–4, 2026, and finalist notifications for March 10–15, 2027. It says selected Fellows must attend a Bush Fellowship retreat May 19–21, 2027, and that the 2027 Fellows will be publicly announced in June 2027.

The current official page includes a finalist-interview entry dated April 15, April 19 and April 22, but labels those dates as 2026 even though the surrounding schedule is for the 2027 Fellowship. Do not rely on that year label when arranging availability; confirm the interview schedule with the Foundation if you advance.

Before September 22, confirm your residency history, age on October 6 and any prior Bush Foundation award. Make a calendar reminder for the opening morning, but do not wait until then to write. Check whether your proposed activities can fit within the program’s two-year limit and whether any part of the plan would be a prohibited payment to an organization, business funding, debt repayment or political expense.

The public page does not state a separate document checklist beyond the online questions, references for semifinalists and later review steps. The online form is the controlling source for registration fields, response limits and any requested attachments. Save the submitted version, note the submission time and retain copies of anything you provide to references.

Common mistakes to avoid

The most serious mistake is presenting a project budget instead of a leadership plan. A community initiative may be the reason you need to grow, but the Fellowship is not meant to pay for staff, equipment, program delivery or an organization’s operating costs. Reframe the application around the individual capacity you need to build and the experiences that will help you lead the work.

Another mistake is treating the $150,000 maximum as an automatic personal payout. The award is up to that amount and supports a plan for up to two years. Explain the time and resources your plan genuinely needs, and do not add expenses merely to approach the ceiling.

Avoid vague claims about impact. “I have inspired my community” is difficult to assess without an example. Show what you changed, who participated, what resistance or uncertainty you navigated and what happened next. Also avoid describing leadership as solitary. The reviewers want to understand how you bring people together and how you are connected to people most affected by the change.

Do not hide the development plan inside a list of credentials. A degree, promotion or conference may be useful, but the application needs to explain how a particular experience will alter your effectiveness. Finally, do not outsource your voice. The Foundation says applicants may use AI tools to simplify writing or remove jargon, but may not use AI to generate their ideas or write the application. You should remain the main writer and editor, and the final responses should sound like you.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply if I am not a U.S. citizen?

Yes, the official criteria say there are no specific citizenship requirements. Non-U.S. citizens should review possible tax withholding and reporting consequences with the Bush Foundation and a qualified tax adviser.

Can I use the award to fund my nonprofit or company?

No. The Foundation says Fellowship funds cannot be used to fund a business or program and cannot be directed to another person or organization. A plan may strengthen your ability to lead work connected to an organization, but it must be designed as an individual leadership investment.

Does the plan have to be a degree program?

Not generally. The Foundation describes a range of possible self-designed plans. Government and elected officials may face a special restriction requiring use of the Fellowship in a degree-granting program.

Is there a required professional sector?

No single sector is required. The Foundation welcomes leaders from business, government, nonprofit organizations and other sectors. The application must still show a track record, a vision for equitable change and a strong reason for the proposed leadership development.

How many people receive the Fellowship?

The Bush Foundation says it selects up to 30 Bush Fellows each year. It also describes the program as highly competitive and reports almost 1,200 applications for the 2026 Fellowship.

Where should I confirm the application questions?

Use the official Bush Fellowship opportunity page and its linked “Application and criteria” page. The criteria page contains the current eligibility rules, selection criteria, character limits and application prompts. Contact the Foundation through its official contact hub if the online form does not meet your needs or if your eligibility is unusual.

Official links and next steps

Read the Bush Fellowship program page for the 2027 dates, award structure, selection process, spending limits and preparation resources. Then review the Bush Fellowship application questions and criteria before drafting.

The best next step is to finish a complete offline draft before September 22. Check that every answer points back to the same leadership vision, that your plan is for your own development, and that your regional connection and track record are easy to verify. If the Foundation’s 2027 online form changes the instructions, follow the form and current official guidance at submission time.