The Impact Fellowships Summit (IFS)
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The Impact Fellowships Summit (IFS) is a convening for leaders and designers of fellowship programs that support leaders driving positive change in communities. Participants learn, share ideas and resources, and connect as members of the impact fellowships community.
IFS 2025 Highlights
This year's Impact Fellowships Summit focused on "Navigating New Horizons in the Fellowships Space," providing an opportunity for the fellowships community to engage with new challenges and opportunities in fellowships, centering belonging and impact measurement. There were three tracks under this theme that guided collective engagement and learning:
- Resilient Program Strategies: Sustaining Impact Through Dynamic Funding Landscapes (United States Government, philanthropy, private sector, etc.)
- Fellowship Operations Excellence: Strategies & Systems for Responsive & High-Performance Program Management
- Data-Driven Storytelling: Converting Fellowship Metrics into Meaningful Narratives for Impact
Overview and Timeline for IFS
- 2025 – IFS was a three-day virtual and in-person convening centered on the theme, Navigating New Horizons. Fellowship programs with very different structures and scopes (i.e. global, regional, national, local networks) discussed strategies to common challenges of operating with limited and uncertain resources.
- 2023 – IFS was held as a hybrid event on the theme All About Alumni. The research conducted under Fellowship Alumni Network Study (FANS) was presented.
- 2021 – The theme for this year's IFS was Beyond Fellowship Adaptation: Towards Sustained, Inclusive, and Systemic Impact and focused on the impacts of COVID-19.
- 2020 – IFS was held virtually on the topic Diverse and Equitable Leadership for a Changing World.
- 2019 – 86 organizations attended IFS on the theme Dynamic Leadership for a Changing World.
- 2018 – IREX took on the primary implementation role of IFS.
- 2016 – IFS was founded by Atlas Corps, ProInspire, and Public Allies to foster inclusive learning.
IREX looks forward to continuing to leverage its expertise to evolve the structure and content of the summit and push the boundaries of a traditional learning conference, while maintaining the original spirit of collaboration, flexibility, and learning.
Previous Agendas
2025 Agenda on Navigating New Horizons in the Fellowships Space
2023 Agenda on Sustaining Equitable Networks and Getting to Positive Change
2021 Agenda on Beyond Fellowship Adaptation: Towards Sustained, Inclusive & Systemic Impact
2020 Agenda on Diverse and Equitable Leadership for a Changing World
2019 Agenda on Dynamic Leadership for a Changing World