Nominate for the Henry Crown Fellowship

NOMINATION CRITERIA

Individuals cannot apply for the Henry Crown Fellowship Program; they must be nominated by recognized leaders of the business and professional communities or by Fellows, Senior Mentors, and members of the Henry Crown Fellowship Board of Overseers or the Aspen Institute Board of Trustees.

Individuals recommended as candidates for the Henry Crown Fellowship Program should:

Be between 30-45 years old . Please be sure to ask for your candidate’s date of birth. Candidates must be 45 or under as of June 30 in the year the program begins.

. Please be sure to ask for your candidate’s date of birth. Candidates must be 45 or under as of June 30 in the year the program begins. Be successful . We want primarily domestic, for-profit leaders we appreciate success is defined in many ways, but our overwhelming preference is for business leaders and they will always form the bulk of any class. We realize success in some fields does not yield financial rewards…we do have limited scholarship funds to get Fellows to the seminars.

We want primarily domestic, for-profit leaders we appreciate success is defined in many ways, but our overwhelming preference is for business leaders and they will always form the bulk of any class. We realize success in some fields does not yield financial rewards…we do have limited scholarship funds to get Fellows to the seminars. Be entrepreneurial – We look for a track record of starting things. With some candidates, this is hard to tease out of a bio and resume, so it’s important for the nominator to address this in their letter of recommendation.

– We look for a track record of starting things. With some candidates, this is hard to tease out of a bio and resume, so it’s important for the nominator to address this in their letter of recommendation. Have resilience and “grit” – We like to see candidates who have weathered challenges, even failure, either professionally or personally.

– We like to see candidates who have weathered challenges, even failure, either professionally or personally. Be at an inflection point – This is challenging, but vitally important. Essentially “ready to paint on a broader canvas.

– This is challenging, but vitally important. Essentially “ready to paint on a broader canvas. Understand the time commitment – We expect 100% participation and we publish our seminar dates in advance. Help us by stressing this non-negotiable. Offers of “just missing a bit” or “calling in” are not acceptable. As Henry Crown Fellows, the bonding process is of utmost importance for each individual and the class as a whole.

– We expect 100% participation and we publish our seminar dates in advance. Help us by stressing this non-negotiable. Offers of “just missing a bit” or “calling in” are not acceptable. As Henry Crown Fellows, the bonding process is of utmost importance for each individual and the class as a whole. Understand the Venture requirement – The Henry Crown Fellowship was designed, yes, to provide a pause that recalibrates, refreshes and inspires; but, equally important, the Fellowship was designed to encourage entrepreneurial thinkers to step up with creative solutions to some of society’s more intractable challenges.

– The Henry Crown Fellowship was designed, yes, to provide a pause that recalibrates, refreshes and inspires; but, equally important, the Fellowship was designed to encourage entrepreneurial thinkers to step up with creative solutions to some of society’s more intractable challenges. Not be “fully-baked” – There are many business people and social entrepreneurs already doing great things for society and we want to create more of these people by finding candidates who need a “nudge” to apply their business acumen and entrepreneurial talents to improve the world.

– There are many business people and social entrepreneurs already doing great things for society and we want to create more of these people by finding candidates who need a “nudge” to apply their business acumen and entrepreneurial talents to improve the world. Be willing to come to the table fully open and engaged – We look for candidates with a willingness to be fully present, authentic, vulnerable and kind; men and women willing to listen to differing points of view with an open mind and heart.

– We look for candidates with a willingness to be fully present, authentic, vulnerable and kind; men and women willing to listen to differing points of view with an open mind and heart. Bring diversity to our pool – We look for diversity of gender, ethnicity, geography, industry, size of company, politics, religion, marital status, age and more.

NOMINATION PROCEDURES

Individuals may not apply to the Henry Crown Fellowship Program; they must be nominated by recognized leaders of business and community organizations or by Aspen Institute trustees, Fellows, senior mentors, or members of the Henry Crown Fellowship Board. Nominators are asked to submit a letter stating their reasons for recommending the candidate, with a special focus on (a) the candidate’s entrepreneurial experience and (b) why you think this is the right time in his/her life and career to participate in the program. Please include a résumé indicating the candidate’s educational background, current position, age, email and phone number, voluntary activities and any information that will help us evaluate their qualifications for the program.

Nominations for classes are accepted from August 1 through August 31, annually.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Henry Crown Fellowship will not be launching a new class in 2021. Nominations for the 2022 Class will be accepted August 1-31, 2021. Please contact stacy.zimmerman@aspeninstitute.org for any questions or additional information.

CLICK HERE FOR A LIST OF FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR NOMINATION PROCESS