The Kettering Foundation’s Dayton Democracy Fellowship is a program that supports innovative leaders, changemakers, and dreamers who are building movements for inclusive democracy in their communities and in our wider world.

Dayton Democracy Fellows bring a diverse range of experiences and beliefs to their work and represent a wide range of backgrounds, identities, and sectors. While diverse, they are united in their commitments to justice, inclusive democracy, expanding and deepening belonging, and promoting citizen and government accountability. They are distinguished by their commitment to building accessible on-ramps and pathways for everyday people to work together and experience the benefits of democratic collaboration firsthand. Additionally, the Dayton Democracy Fellows are working in creative and exciting ways to disrupt antidemocratic power structures while building new, vibrant, and inclusive democratic structures via grassroots organizing, popular education, relationship-building, and engaged research.

The Dayton Democracy Fellows meet regularly for networking, collaborative learning, and strategizing. They are involved in planning the Kettering Foundation Dayton Democracy Summit. The fellowship is designed not only to support the work of the fellows in their communities, but also to produce, translate, and provide robust research and powerful narratives that drive the advancement and defense of democracy.