We have a problem: our best and brightest talent isn't tackling our toughest issues. But we have good news too: our youngest generation is hungry to take these challenges on — especially in the places they call home. Lead For America leans into this drive by creating community-centered public service programs for our most passionate and capable young people to help make their communities strong, vibrant, and compassionate.
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Our programs seek to direct homegrown talent where it's needed most — often in towns and counties where the challenges are outpacing the resources available. We look for community members who prioritize humility, service, and collective impact over self-advancement, who are just as committed to developing their character as they are their careers, and who are willing to question and vigorously pursue the intersection of their talents and the world’s deep need.
Our Programs
Joe Grochmal, Hometown Fellow '19
"I was drawn to the fellowship by my desire to contribute to the continued success of my hometown and to work alongside other young people with similar hopes, dreams, and passions for their communities."
— Joe Grochmal, Fellow
Fellows at Catalyst Institute '19
Our Grounding
Our Mission
By 2040, 1 million of our nation's most dynamic and diverse leaders working on our communities' toughest challenges.
Our Commitment
We commit to diversity and inclusion. To equity. To compassion in all we do. And to the courage to envision a better future.
Our Values
Service in Sacrifice | Equity in Action | Embodied Integrity
Innovation in All Things | Fearless Transparency
Our Vision
A more perfect union built upon communities that care.
Our Progress to Date
93 Fellows
in 81 different communities
45 Corps Members
selected and supported
State affiliates launched in
North Carolina + Minnesota

Fellows at Catalyst Institute
Advocated for
Domestic GI Bill
Placed
Summer Fellows in 4 states
GovChallenges + Summer Fellows in
8 states
$2.5 million+ raised to support local change-making.
90% of all funds raised locally.
100% of fellowships funded by host contracts and local
philanthropy.
Convergent
Leadership
Convergent leadership is Lead For America’s central theory of leadership. Inspired by the lives and work of those who have dedicated themselves to service, we developed this model to act as a foundation for everything that we do. Each LFA community member strives to embody convergent leadership: we hold ourselves accountable to what it asks of us, use it to inform strategic decisions, and look to the model to ground our training and learning.
To be a convergent leader is to show that another way of living is possible. Convergent leaders strive to operate at the intersection of foresight, service, innovation, and justice, balancing a rootedness in community with a profound understanding of their own change-making potential. To be a convergent leader is to continuously strive towards this intersection. It is a life commitment.

Our Team
Chief Executive Officer,
Co-Founder
Chief Operating Officer,
Co-Founder
Executive Director, Lead For Minnesota; Co-Founder LFA
Executive Director, Lead For North Carolina;
Co-Founder LFA
Chief Program Officer
Program Manager
Deputy Director, Lead For Minnesota
Happiness Coordinator
Director of Programs, Lead For Minnesota
Community Partnerships Manager, Lead For America
Recruitment and Selection Manager, Lead For America
Finance Manager, Lead For Minnesota