LEAD Fellowship Program

Leadership Development

First launched in 2017, the BlaqOut Leadership Academy (LEAD) Fellowship is a capacity-building program specifically designed to empower and cultivate the next generation of Black LGBTQ+ leaders. The immersive experience equips participants with essential leadership skills, fosters community engagement, and promotes social advocacy through a structured educational curriculum, individual development plans, executive coaching, facilitated mentoring, and peer learning.

The 12-month program offers a cohort-style learning environment and recruits and graduates up to five fellows. Recruits are drawn from BlaqOut’s current membership, outreach programs, and the broader community.

Through the LEAD Fellowship, BlaqOut aims to address the unique challenges faced by Black LGBTQ+ individuals while nurturing their potential to drive positive change. It is a transformative experience — for our fellows, BlaqOut, and the community we serve.

Program Goals

The goals of the LEAD Fellowship Program are to:

Program Objectives

Participants in the LEAD Fellowship will achieve:

Increased basic knowledge of HIV/AIDS and how various social influencers impact health outcomes, especially with regard to HIV/AIDS
Increased ability to mobilize the Black LGBTQ community utilizing proven mobilization strategies for so-called “hard-to-reach” populations
Participation in a national network of AIDS service organizations (ASOs), community-based organizations (CBOs), and traditional Black institutions (TBIs) that are committed to ending the epidemic and ready to collaborate on innovative efforts
Participation and coordination of a local coalition of ASOs, CBOs and TBIs that are committed to the programmatic goals of BlaqOut

Programmatic Approach

The LEAD Fellowship embraces four fundamental aspects of community mobilization:

Assessment: Fellows learn how to conduct several styles of community needs assessments and how to understand their characteristics and influences
Strategic Planning: Building on findings from the community needs assessment, fellows learn strategies to mobilize through strategic partnerships and coalitions and action planning. National and local HIV/AIDS policies and mobilization efforts are reviewed
Implementation: Fellows will plan and carry out at least one focused outreach event that brings together nontraditional partners and incorporates specific needs identified in the assessment phase
Monitoring and Evaluation: Fellows will assess the impact of their mobilization efforts and related challenges with regard to program objectives in order to develop sustainable mobilization campaigns

Programmatic Elements

Learning + Development: Intensive skills-building around leadership and research
Tailored Development Plans: Addressing technical and professional skills gaps
Mentoring + Executive Coaching: 1-on-1 learning from organizational/community leaders
Special Projects: Planning and management of outreach events and activities