Application Process

If you are interested in applying for the Accelerator, please complete our interest form. Contact our team at connect@redf.org if you have any questions.

Applications for our 2025 Cohort will open August 15, 2024. The team will review applications on a first-come, first-served basis. The final day to submit applications is November 4, 2024.

You can view the Accelerator Informational webinar recording and presentation at the links below. We have broken the webinar down into three parts:

  • REDF Accelerator Informational Webinar Deck (link here)
  • Part 1: Introduction to REDF & Accelerator Program Overview (link here)
  • Part 2: Application & Selection Overview (link here)
  • Part 3: Q&A Session (link here)

For questions regarding eligibility you can view our eligibility on our website here. Please contact the REDF team at connect@redf.org if you have any questions.

Yes! We understand that your business will continue to evolve and grow, and we will stay in touch to learn if a future program is a better fit for your enterprise.

If you lead a social enterprise that has already been through the Accelerator but have since launched a new business line, you may be eligible to reapply. If you are unsure if your organization is eligible for the program, please contact connect@redf.org.

Teams and enterprises who have been through the Accelerator or the Growth Portfolio (previously called the Venture Philanthropy Portfolio) are not eligible to participate in the Accelerator program.

We operate our review process with the lens of inclusion-centered decision-making — meaning our goal as an Accelerator is to accept every leader into our program that is eligible and ready. During our review process, we are looking for reasons to include leaders in our program, not exclude them. 

Participant Criteria

This program is designed for a leadership team of two from the social enterprise with decision-making authority & power to implement changes within their organization. Examples of past participant roles include CEOs and executive directors, founders, and social enterprise directors. Please reach out to us at connect@redf.org if you are unsure who from your enterprise should participate.

We approach our role as conveners with a deep sense of responsibility for the health and safety of everyone in attendance. Participants are expected to comply with our COVID policy. 

Participant Experience

  • At completion of the 2025 cohort program, ESEs are awarded a $40,000 unrestricted grant to begin applying these learnings.
  • Grants are disbursed after the successful completion of the program and deliverables. You can view the detailed attendance and participation policy here.

The three cohort convenings, each a full week long, are times when you should plan to be “out of office.” 

In between convenings, plan to allocate 2 – 5 hours per week connecting with peer feedback groups and making progress on the projects you identify in the program. 

We anticipate each participant dedicating about 150 hours to this program in total:

  • Month 1: 4-6 hours of preparation activities before programming begins (example: welcome session, orientation, team alignment)
  • Month 2: 40 hour in-person convening week + 3 hours/week inter-session
  • Month 3: 2-5 hours of peer work each week 
  • Month 4: 30 hour virtual convening week + 3 hours/week inter-session 
  • Month 5: 2-5 hours of peer work each week
  • Month 6: 40 hour in-person convening week + 3 hours/week inter-session 

One of the deliverables all teams work on in the Accelerator is an implementation plan. The expectation is that all participants of the Accelerator create a plan to take learnings and tools back to their business with the intention to implement changes in their business and program.

Additionally, all program materials (decks, workbooks, shared materials from the cohort, etc.) will be made accessible via REDF Academy – our online learning management system. We will also offer suggestions for how to involve your broader team in specific projects. After graduating from the Accelerator, each leadership pair and their extended team will have access to expanded offerings via our larger Community.

Program and Travel Costs

There is no fee to participate in the Accelerator. For our in-person cohort convenings, hotel accommodations and breakfast and lunch are provided. Participating leaders are responsible for purchasing their travel (plane tickets, etc.) to our in-person convening locations. REDF offers a limited number of travel stipends to support leaders who face financial hardship in attending the in-person cohort convenings. The stipend amount may not cover the full cost of your travel.

We understand that in-person cohort convenings require a significant travel commitment. Our second cohort convening is virtual to offset the time required away from your enterprise. Please note that during this virtual convening the workshops will still be full-day (with added accommodations and tailored scheduling to manage “screen time”).