Prime Movers

Social movements have repeatedly re-woven the tapestry of our country’s history. We’ve invested in men and women who seek to bend the arc of history toward justice, believing we would see a significant return on our investment as these individuals engage millions in pursuit of social change, thus strengthening civic engagement across the United States.

Prime Movers are emerging and established social movement leaders working from the local to national level in the US to create a more just society. The fellowship emphasizes the professional development of individual leaders who engage masses of people. The program cultivates community development among the leaders, establishing a resource-rich network aimed at sharing knowledge and building supportive relationships across movements. This focus allows leaders to think beyond their organizations and take on broader, more pivotal roles within their movements.

We provide financial support, public policy contacts, advocacy training, networking occasions, opportunities for reflection, and a peer network to strengthen their leadership.

What the Fellows Do

Prime Movers convene in various settings—from informal gatherings to more formal seminars, retreats, and peer-to-peer phone calls. As a community, Prime Movers openly discuss intersecting issues and discover new pathways for leading change. Activities include:

Seminars
Prime Movers opt into expert-led seminars covering everything from movement strategy and personal strategic positioning to theoretical discussions related to mobilizing masses of people. For example, one seminar examined public narrative through Marshall Ganz’ curriculum on identity, agency, and action.

Reflection Retreats
Prime Movers participate in retreats, cloistered away from the demands of movement leadership. The time spent together focuses on a mixture of movement-based conversation and relationship building.

Peer-to-Peer Calls
Prime Movers nourish one another as leaders and discuss current issues that are “top of mind.” The peer community selects topics and fellows take turns serving as facilitators. The goal of these conversations is to have concrete takeaways for participants.

Individual Learning
Prime Movers received grant funds for customized professional development. The grant was distributed over the first two years of their fellowship and is strictly for individual development purposes, not organizational support.

Prime Movers Fellows

Program Leadership

• Iman Abdul-Musawwir, Director