Trailblazer Fellowship

Established in 2022, our Trailblazer Fellowship allows previous grantees who are currently in 9th - 12th grades to apply for a second grant to fund a dream or get a head start on their road to independence, college, and career.

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Take your dreams further

Application open. Closes August 1, 2025.

Our Trailblazer Fellowship prepares participants to dream bolder as you prepare for your next stage. The Trailblazer experience will allows grantees to thrive through connection, confidence, creativity, individuality, risk-taking, and courage. As a Fellow, you'll:

  • Receive up to $2500 to pursue a dream

  • Participate in a year-long cohort* experience of self-discovery, goal setting, and skill building activities, including networking opportunities and a mentorship experience (You'll be required to attend no more than four cohort meetings.)

  • Learn about your individual strengths and how to apply them

  • Have the opportunity to deepen relationships with mentors, cohort fellows, and the Ann Bancroft Foundation community and other services to fuel dreaming and turn those dreams into realities

  • Develop insights and skills to pursue additional opportunities and resources

    *A cohort is small group of individuals who come together regularly to learn and grow together under the guidance of an experienced facilitator. This is an interactive experience focused on development and building relationships.

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  • Eligibility

    You could be eligible for a Trailblazer Fellowship if you're:

    • A previous ABF grant recipient who has completed your original ABF grant activity at the time of your application

    • A resident of Minnesota

    • In high school (9th-12th grade)

      There are no citizenship requirements.

      You cannot apply if a family member is a current staff or board member of the Ann Bancroft Foundation.

  • Phase 1

    The application focuses on short-answer questions about yourself. We want to hear about your bold dream and experience with your initial ABF grant, In addition, we'd like to learn what you're proud of yourself for, and what advice you'd give to your younger self at this point.

  • Phase 2

    You'll be notified via email if you're invited to complete phase two. In this phase, the short-answer questions focus on your sense of community, what activity you want to pursue, and your mentor. Additional questions, such as who you'd like to share a meal with, and an issue you care about add insight into your application. 

    Your mentor will also have some short-answer questions to complete about you (the applicant).

  • Phase 3

    Finally, applicants will be notified via email if you're invited to a 15-minute interview with two ABF staff members. You'll be asked about what you hope to gain in the fellowship experience, a time when you took a difficult action supporting a peer, and your strengths and growth opportunities. 

    After the interviews, the final Fellowship cohort will be selected.

Learn more about our 2024-2025 class of Trailblazer Fellows.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

As one of the few girls taking engineering electives in high school, my voice is often ignored. Now I have learned the importance of being treated as equal.
Trailblazer
When a girl has confidence, everything is possible.
Ann Bancroft
Founder & Director Emerita
At the core of our mission lies an unshakeable belief in the potential of girl-identifying youth across our state. We firmly hold that the power to create change resides within every girl, and our role is not to manufacture that power but to provide them with the tools and opportunities to harness it.
Ethelind Kaba
Executive Director