ACT Fellowship: A Full-Time Programme for Learning Philanthropy Through Practice
The ACT Fellowship is a full-time programme for early to mid-career professionals who want to learn what it takes to bring an investor’s lens to philanthropy. It is designed for people interested in backing founders who are building innovative solutions for India’s most pressing challenges. Fellows work alongside the ACT team and learn through real work from day one, rather than through observation alone. The programme is structured as an apprenticeship, with substantive responsibilities across the full grant-making lifecycle. For the 2026-27 cohort, ACT will take in four Fellows for a nine-month engagement, with the possibility of extension up to two years.
What the ACT Fellowship Is Designed to Do
The ACT Fellowship is built around a clear idea: learning happens by doing. It is a full-time programme for early to mid-career professionals who want to understand how an investor’s lens can be applied to philanthropy. That means fellows are not placed on the sidelines. Instead, they work within the ACT team and contribute to real decisions and real support for grantees. The programme is described as an apprenticeship, which reflects its hands-on nature and its emphasis on practical learning from the first day.
The fellowship is also focused on a specific kind of impact work. Fellows support the process of backing founders who are building innovative solutions for India’s most pressing challenges. This makes the programme relevant for people who want exposure to both philanthropy and founder support, while working in a setting where judgment, research, and portfolio support all matter. The work is substantive from day one, so the experience is centered on active contribution rather than passive learning.
Another important feature of the fellowship is that it spans the full grant-making lifecycle. Fellows contribute across sector research and investment scouting, due diligence and investment committee preparation, and hands-on portfolio support. This broad scope means the role is not limited to one narrow task. Instead, it offers a complete view of how grant-making decisions are supported and how grantees are backed after those decisions are made.
The work is substantive from day one.
For professionals who want a structured way to learn by doing, the fellowship offers a direct path into the day-to-day work of the ACT team. The programme combines learning, responsibility, and exposure to multiple stages of the grant-making process. It is intended for people who want to understand not just the outcome of philanthropic decisions, but also the research, evaluation, and support that shape them.
Core ideas behind the fellowship
- Full-time programme for early to mid-career professionals.
- Built for those who want to bring an investor’s lens to philanthropy.
- Focused on backing founders building innovative solutions for India’s most pressing challenges.
- Structured as an apprenticeship with learning by doing.
- Work begins with real responsibilities from day one.
How Fellows Work Within the ACT Team
Fellows are placed inside the ACT team and contribute across the full grant-making lifecycle. This means the role is integrated into the team’s work rather than separated from it. From the beginning, fellows are expected to participate in the processes that help shape grant-making decisions and support the portfolio of grantees. The fellowship therefore functions as both a learning opportunity and a working role.
One part of the fellowship involves sector research and investment scouting. In this phase, fellows help identify high-potential founders and explore sectors relevant to the programme’s focus. This work supports the team’s ability to find promising opportunities and understand the landscape in which those founders operate. It is one of the ways fellows learn how the ACT team evaluates where to look and what to prioritize.
Another part of the role is due diligence and investment committee preparation. Fellows support the behind-the-scenes work that informs grant-making decisions. This includes helping the team prepare for investment committee discussions, which suggests a role that requires careful analysis, organization, and attention to detail. The fellowship therefore offers exposure to the decision-making process itself, not just the outcomes.
Fellows also provide hands-on portfolio support. This means they contribute to supporting ACT’s portfolio of grantees after decisions are made. The role is not only about scouting and evaluation; it also includes ongoing support. That makes the fellowship broader than a research assignment and more like a complete apprenticeship in grant-making and portfolio engagement.
The combination of these responsibilities gives fellows a view of the full lifecycle of grant-making. They move through research, scouting, due diligence, committee preparation, and portfolio support as part of one integrated experience. This structure is especially relevant for people who want to understand how philanthropic backing is assessed, discussed, and supported in practice.
Areas of contribution across the lifecycle
- Sector research
- Investment scouting
- Due diligence
- Investment committee preparation
- Hands-on portfolio support
Who the Fellowship Is For and What the Cohort Looks Like
The ACT Fellowship is intended for early to mid-career professionals. That description sets the tone for the programme: it is aimed at people who already have some professional experience and now want to deepen their understanding of philanthropy through direct work. The fellowship is not presented as a short observational placement. Instead, it is a full-time programme that expects fellows to engage seriously with the team’s work.
The 2026-27 cohort will include four Fellows. This small cohort size suggests a focused experience, with each fellow likely contributing meaningfully across the programme’s responsibilities. Because the work is substantive from day one, the cohort structure appears designed to support close engagement with the ACT team and with the work itself. The fellowship is therefore both selective in scale and broad in scope.
The engagement lasts nine months, with the possibility of extension up to two years. This gives the programme a defined initial period while also allowing for longer involvement. The extension possibility indicates that the fellowship can continue beyond the first phase, depending on the programme’s structure and needs. The combination of a nine-month engagement and possible extension gives the fellowship both a clear starting point and room for continuity.
Because the fellowship is full-time, it is positioned as a serious professional commitment. The role is not described as part-time or occasional. Instead, it asks fellows to work alongside the ACT team in a way that supports learning through immersion. For professionals who want to understand the practical side of philanthropic decision-making, this format creates a direct and sustained experience.
The 2026-27 cohort will take in four Fellows.
The fellowship’s design suggests that it is best suited to people who want to contribute actively while learning the mechanics of grant-making. It brings together research, evaluation, committee preparation, and portfolio support in one role. For early to mid-career professionals, that combination can provide a broad and practical view of how ACT works with founders and grantees.
Cohort and engagement details
| Detail | Information provided |
|---|---|
| Cohort | 2026-27 cohort |
| Number of Fellows | Four Fellows |
| Engagement length | Nine months |
| Extension | Possible extension up to two years |
What Fellows Learn Through the Programme
The fellowship is explicitly framed as a way to learn what it takes to bring an investor’s lens to philanthropy. That phrase captures the central learning goal of the programme. Fellows are not only supporting work; they are also absorbing how decisions are made, how opportunities are assessed, and how philanthropic backing is approached in practice. The learning is embedded in the work itself, which is why the programme is described as an apprenticeship.
Because fellows contribute across the full grant-making lifecycle, they gain exposure to multiple stages of the process. They can see how sector research informs investment scouting, how due diligence supports grant-making decisions, and how investment committee preparation helps shape discussion. They also see how portfolio support continues after decisions are made. This sequence gives the fellowship a practical learning arc that moves from discovery to evaluation to support.
The programme also teaches fellows how to work alongside a team on real problems. The ACT team is involved in scouting for high-potential founders and supporting grantees, and fellows contribute to that work directly. This means the learning environment is collaborative and grounded in actual responsibilities. Rather than learning in abstraction, fellows learn through participation in the team’s ongoing work.
Another important learning dimension is the focus on innovative solutions for India’s most pressing challenges. The fellowship is tied to a mission-oriented context, which gives the work a clear purpose. Fellows are not only learning process; they are learning within a framework that connects philanthropy to founders and to pressing challenges in India. That combination of mission and method is central to the programme’s identity.
The fellowship’s structure also reinforces accountability. Since the work is substantive from day one, fellows are expected to contribute meaningfully from the start. This creates a learning environment where responsibility and growth go together. For professionals who want a practical apprenticeship rather than a purely observational experience, the programme offers a direct way to build understanding through action.
Learning themes in the fellowship
- Bringing an investor’s lens to philanthropy.
- Learning through an apprenticeship model.
- Understanding the full grant-making lifecycle.
- Working on real problems with the ACT team.
- Supporting founders and grantees in a mission-driven setting.
Compensation and Completion Details
The ACT Fellowship includes a monthly stipend of INR 90,000. This is one of the few concrete programme details provided, and it gives a clear picture of the fellowship’s support structure. The stipend is offered during the fellowship engagement and is part of the programme’s overall package for fellows.
In addition to the stipend, ACT offers an experience letter on completing the programme. This is a completion benefit tied to finishing the fellowship. It reflects the formal nature of the engagement and provides a documented record of participation once the programme is completed.
Together, the stipend and experience letter define the practical support and recognition associated with the fellowship. The stipend supports the full-time nature of the role, while the experience letter marks completion. These details are straightforward, but they are important for understanding what the programme offers in return for the fellow’s time and contribution.
The programme offers a monthly stipend of INR 90,000 and an experience letter on completing the programme.
Because the fellowship is full-time and involves substantive work from day one, these completion and compensation details help frame the role as a professional engagement. The programme is not described with additional benefits or conditions beyond what is provided, so the stipend and experience letter are the key stated terms. For candidates considering the fellowship, these are the clearest practical elements of the opportunity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the ACT Fellowship?
The ACT Fellowship is a full-time programme for early to mid-career professionals. It is designed for people who want to learn what it takes to bring an investor’s lens to philanthropy. Fellows work alongside the ACT team and contribute to scouting founders, due diligence, and portfolio support.
Who is the fellowship for?
The fellowship is for early to mid-career professionals. It is intended for people who want to back founders building innovative solutions for India’s most pressing challenges. The programme is structured as an apprenticeship, so it suits those who want to learn through direct work.
What kind of work do fellows do?
Fellows contribute across the full grant-making lifecycle. Their work includes sector research and investment scouting, due diligence and investment committee preparation, and hands-on portfolio support. The work is substantive from day one and is done within the ACT team.
How long is the fellowship?
The 2026-27 cohort will take in four Fellows for a nine-month engagement. There is also the possibility of extension up to two years. The programme therefore has a defined initial period with room for longer involvement.
What compensation or completion support is offered?
The fellowship offers a monthly stipend of INR 90,000. ACT also provides an experience letter on completing the programme. These are the stated compensation and completion details included for the fellowship.
How does the fellowship help fellows learn?
The fellowship is described as an apprenticeship, which means fellows learn by doing. They work on real problems alongside the ACT team from day one. Through research, scouting, due diligence, committee preparation, and portfolio support, they learn how philanthropy works in practice.
Conclusion
The ACT Fellowship is a full-time, hands-on programme for early to mid-career professionals who want to understand philanthropy through an investor’s lens. It combines learning and contribution in one apprenticeship-style experience, with fellows working alongside the ACT team from day one. Across sector research, investment scouting, due diligence, investment committee preparation, and portfolio support, the role covers the full grant-making lifecycle. For the 2026-27 cohort, four Fellows will join for nine months, with the possibility of extension up to two years. The programme also includes a monthly stipend of INR 90,000 and an experience letter on completion.
