Supports not-for-profit leaders with an opportunity to study at Harvard Business School in the United States.

The Harvard Club of Australia Ferris Family Fellowships help fulfil the increasing demand for managerial skills and strategic decision-making within the not-for-profit sector. The course will assist participants to examine their missions, develop new strategies and improve the effectiveness of their organisations.

About the course

Today's non-profit organisations are faced with shifting demands for services, resource constraints, and diverse operational challenges. They must also learn to navigate the advent of new technology and new sources of funding. To fulfill their missions, non-profit leaders must step up their game and create organizations that can thrive in the midst of change. Exploring crucial concepts and skills for non-profit leadership, this program will prepare you to strengthen management and accountability while leading the evolution needed to create an effective, high-performing organization.

This program delivers the strategic perspectives, practical frameworks, and leadership skills you need to drive high performance across the organization. You will leave prepared to take decisive action and create a more responsive, successful, and sustainable non-profit organisation.

What you will learn

Through a rich learning experience that includes faculty presentations, case studies on non-profit organisations, group exercises, and structured and informal group discussions, you will explore how today’s non-profit leaders are tackling a broad range of challenges. As you enhance core skills crucial to leading non-profit organisations, you will prepare to implement new strategies and drive change across your organisation.

There are two Non-Profit Fellowships available for 2026. The award of $A20,000 each covers the course fees, accommodation, meals and travel to/from Boston. HCA also encourage Fellows to visit kindred organisations while in North America.

Applicants for the 2026 Fellowships must:

• Be an Australian citizen or Australian permanent resident
• Be the full-time head of their organisation (General Manager, Chief Executive or Executive Director)
• Have been in that organisation in that role or directly reporting to it for at least 12 months
• Be committed to full-time attendance at the 2025 SPNM course, to live on campus and to arrive no later than 25 July 2026 (course dates are 26July - 31 July 2026)
• Have not previously attended this or any similar course
• Commit to attend the Harvard Club's Awards event to be held in Sydney in May 2026 at noon.

The applicant must lead a not-for-profit organisation that:

• Has at least 5 full-time employees and an operating budget greater than A$1.5 million
• Directly serves the Australian community and is not principally a fundraising, advocacy or coordinating entity
• Has a functioning Board of Directors; is audited and produces an Annual Report
• Meets the Australian definition of a Nonprofit, with Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) Item 1 status

Selection of Fellows will be based on the same basis as Harvard uses to select course participants. Particular emphasis will be placed on:

• The specific challenge/opportunity the applicant wishes to address at the SPNM course
• The applicant's overall goals and vision in attending the course
• The organisation's and the applicant's ability to have impact in the community
• The applicant's ability to improve nonprofit leadership skills within Australia

• Email: admin@harvardclub.org.au