Rural Philanthropy Fellowship Opportunities

The Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation and Herrick Foundation are excited to share information about a group of job opportunities for a cohort of Rural Philanthropy Fellows. 

The Rural Philanthropy Fellows Cohort will be comprised of 15 fellows – 12 Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Rural Philanthropy Fellows and 3 Herrick Foundation Philanthropy Fellows.  Each two-year Fellowship offers a professional a unique opportunity to make meaningful contributions to either Michigan or New York philanthropy and the larger philanthropic community.  This candidate could be an emerging or established leader who is passionate about entering the field of philanthropy and having an impact.  Through grant support made by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation and the Herrick Foundation, the Fellows will support and be employed by the community foundations to support their rural-focused efforts.

Each community foundation listed is managing their own hiring process for their Fellow.  Please contact the community foundations directly if you have a question about a specific job opportunity. 

NEW YORK-BASED: 

• Allegany County Area Foundation – https://irp.cdn-website.com/e2a58903/files/uploaded/Communications+Fellow+2025+ACAF.pdf
• Cattaraugus CF – https://www.cattfoundation.org/employment-opportunities 
• Chautauqua Region CF –  https://www.crcfonline.org/careers
• Northern Chautauqua CF – https://www.nccfoundation.org/about/staff/fellowship/
• CF of Greater Buffalo (for role serving the Niagara Area Foundation and Wyoming Foundation affiliate funds) –  https://www.cfgb.org/careers/ralph-c-wilson-jr-philanthropy-fellow/
• Rochester Area CF Public Policy (for role serving Orleans and Genesee Counties) –https://www.racf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Public-Policy-Fellow_TheCommunityFoundation_RJWF-FINAL.pdf
• Rochester Area CF Communications (for role serving rural Monroe county) – https://www.racf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Marketing-and-Comms-Fellow._TheCommunityFoundation_RJWF-FINAL.pdf

MICHIGAN-BASED: 

• Ann Arbor Area CF (for role serving rural Washtenaw County) – Coming soon!
• CF of Monroe County – https://cfmonroe.org/join-our-team
• CF of Southeast MI (for role serving rural portions of Livingston, Oakland and Macomb counties) – https://workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/default/mdf/recruitment/recruitment.html?cid=9015ff60-476c-4058-a0f7-cf49138a2884&ccId=19000101_000001&jobId=536437&lang=en_US&source=CC2
• CF of Southeast MI Data Learning Fellow (for role serving rural portions of Livingston, Oakland and Macomb counties) – https://workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/default/mdf/recruitment/recruitment.html?cid=9015ff60-476c-4058-a0f7-cf49138a2884&ccId=19000101_000001&jobId=536434&lang=en_US&source=CC2
• CF of St. Clair County- https://stclairfoundation.org/join-our-team-5/ 
• Jackson CF – https://www.jacksoncf.org/news-events 
• Lenawee CF – https://lenaweecommunityfoundation.com/jobs/
• Petoskey & Harbor Springs Area CF – https://www.phsacf.org/about/job-opportunities 

For more information about the Rural Philanthropy Fellows Cohort overall, please contact Carrie Pickett-Erway, with CPE Consulting, LLC, Program Manager at cpicketterway@outlook.com