Applicant Coaching Guide

Click here to download the entire Applicant Coaching Guide. To only download the Guide for Coaches, click here.

To view these documents you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader - click here to download. 

What is the purpose of this guide?

Last year, Echoing Green received nearly 1,500 applications for just 20 fellowships. In such a competitive pool, the top candidates stood out not just by demonstrating a good idea or a passion for their work, but by sharpening their applications through an intense vetting process. And thus, this year, we recommend that all candidates serious about competing for a fellowship go through a similar review process prior to submitting an application. To this end, we have created a coaching toolkit that will allow you to develop and fine-tune your application, just as past fellows have. For additional help, our original application guide is still available for download by clicking here. 

What is the coaching toolkit?

The toolkit is a pre-application review process that helps candidates polish their ideas through a combination of personal reflection and external feedback. In addition to helping candidates submit more competitive applications to Echoing Green, the learning generated by these tools can be reused with just about any other funder, making the process a wise long-term investment.

Before initiating the coaching process, be certain that you have sufficient time to devote to it. Ideally, you should begin the process at least a month before submitting your application, which will give you about a week for each step in the process.

Participation is highly recommended and self-directed through our free tools. The coaching process will take you through the following steps:

1. Find a coach

2. Complete the tools

3. Draft your application

4. Get feedback

5. Revise and submit your application