The Barr Fellows program is designed to focus on leadership. It is intended to honor the contributions of the Boston area's most gifted and experienced nonprofit and public school leaders by giving them an opportunity for replenishment, and by supporting their organizations during this time. These leaders primarily come from nonprofits working within the Barr Foundation's program areas of education, environment and the arts, but the interdisciplinary nature of the problems we seek to address calls for a broader mix and therefore also includes leaders from housing and social services. The growing diversity of our city, especially the increase in immigrant populations, also suggests that effective leaders must develop a global perspective. We have built that learning into our design as well. There are two components to the Barr Fellows program. The first component is a fellowship awarded to 12 leaders that consists of a three month sabbatical and five retreats over the course of three years. The sabbatical is designed uniquely in that the first two weeks bring the Fellows together as a cohort for deep immersion in an inspirational context.
The second component is designed to support the leaders' organizations. Support to the organization will be both financial and technical so that the leader's absence is a source of organizational development rather than a deficit. By focusing attention on the interim management of the organization, the program can promote organizational development and mentor new leadership.
Through this program, the Foundation expects to increase the collective contribution that both the leaders and their organizations make to their fields and the Boston area over the next decade.
The Barr Fellows program is designed to focus on leadership. It is intended to honor the contributions of the Boston area's most gifted and experienced nonprofit and public school leaders by giving them an opportunity for replenishment, and by supporting their organizations during this time. These leaders primarily come from nonprofits working within the Barr Foundation's program areas of education, environment and the arts, but the interdisciplinary nature of the problems we seek to address calls for a broader mix and therefore also includes leaders from housing and social services. The growing diversity of our city, especially the increase in immigrant populations, also suggests that effective leaders must develop a global perspective. We have built that learning into our design as well. 
