United Kingdom Acumen Fellowship 2027: 9-Month Leadership Programme for Social Entrepreneurs and Leaders

Overview

The United Kingdom Acumen Fellowship 2027 is a nine-month leadership development programme run through Acumen Academy for social entrepreneurs and leaders in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is meant for people who are building and scaling solutions to poverty and social inequality. Participants learn alongside a cohort of peers from different places, sectors and backgrounds, with a focus on strengthening leadership, deepening organisational impact and understanding the systems behind the problems they tackle.

The programme runs from February to October 2027.

Who can apply

The Fellowship targets leaders who have already built an organisation, initiative or social enterprise that is demonstrating meaningful impact, rather than people still exploring an idea. Applicants should have a credible vision for expanding their impact, work on poverty, inequality, opportunity or related challenges, and want to strengthen their leadership as the organisation grows. Acumen looks for leaders who have built something that works, who are committed to dignity and opportunity for people living in poverty, and who are thinking beyond incremental growth towards wider systemic change.

Areas of work highlighted include education, employment, healthcare, food systems, livelihoods, economic inclusion, poverty reduction, social inequality and community development.

What the programme covers

Acumen Academy describes its approach as moral leadership. The programme helps leaders keep their organisation's values while growing, communicate a compelling vision to partners and sources of capital, handle uncertainty and competing priorities, build collective action, define what success means and stay connected to the communities they serve.

How to apply

The listing text does not describe the application steps in detail, so applicants should consult the official Acumen Academy information.

Key dates

Applications are open from 22 September to 3 November 2026, closing on 3 November 2026. The Fellowship itself takes place from February to October 2027.