Alexander ’13 & Reddy ’16 Receive Echoing Green Fellowship Awards
Echoing Green has announced the 2017 winners of its highly competitive annual Fellowship awards. Echoing Green is a global organization that spots social entrepreneurs with the greatest potential and invests deeply in their success. The organization accelerates tomorrow’s transformational leaders today. This year, Echoing Green reviewed 2,879 applications from 164 countries, and two Yale Law School alums were among the 36 leaders chosen.
With the help of this award, which comes with seed funding, Amanda Alexander ’13 will be able to launch the Detroit Justice Center (DJC), an innovative community law practice that will work to transform the criminal justice system and build equitable cities. Swapna Reddy ’16 will continue the work of the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project (ASAP), which is eliminating the wrongful deportation of refugees by bringing rapid, remote legal aid to individuals who cannot be served by traditional means.
Every year, Echoing Green provides funding and leadership development to a new class of Fellows. The organization embraces “smart risks” by providing seed funding of up to $90,000 for two years to support the continued growth of leaders and organizations with tremendous potential. These individuals are also welcomed into a lifelong global network of philanthropists, investors, and entrepreneurs who help one another experiment with bold, new ideas.
The Detroit Justice Center will provide desperately needed legal services in a region of the country where they are in short supply. After decades of economic decline and intensified segregation, Detroit is now the poorest major city in the U.S. Sixty percent of the city’s children live in poverty. Detroit’s legal assistance infrastructure is in shambles, and residents facing acute poverty and legal crises have few attorneys to turn to for help.
Using a three-pronged community lawyering approach, the Detroit Justice Center will address collateral consequences of criminal justice involvement, create economic opportunities, and pilot “just city” solutions that cities across the country can use. The DJC will combine direct legal services with systemic solutions, working closely with community organizers to shore up community land trusts, cooperative businesses founded by returning citizens, and restorative justice programs.
Echoing Green is among the most selective fellowships for social entrepreneurs. See statistics about the applicant pool in the 2017 Applicant Snapshot.
“For the past 30 years Echoing Green has identified leaders with bold ideas that are important to the progress of the world,” says Echoing Green President Cheryl L. Dorsey. “In this year -- Echoing Green’s 30th anniversary -- we’re especially proud to continue to grow our community and welcome such a diverse group of innovators to our best-in-class network. We look forward to advancing their leadership journey.”
Support of Echoing Green’s 2017 Fellowship class is made possible through private contributions and the generous support of funders, including the Jerome L. Greene Foundation and the ZOOM Foundation.
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About Echoing Green
Echoing Green identifies tomorrow’s transformational leaders today. Through its Fellowships and other innovative leadership initiatives, Echoing Green spots emerging leaders and invests deeply in their success to accelerate their impact.
Echoing Green has been ahead of the curve for 30 years, supporting visionaries around the world who are transforming economies, racial and gender equity, environmental sustainability, and more. Echoing Green’s unparalleled community of talent consists of 760+ innovators who have launched Teach For America, City Year, One Acre Fund, SKS Microfinance, Public Allies, and more. The organization provides seed-funding and leadership development to a new class of Fellows every year and welcomes them into its lifelong community of leaders.
Echoing Green accelerates talent that will change the world for the better. To learn more, visit EchoingGreen.org.
