About ProFellow

ProFellow.com is the leading U.S. resource for information on professional and academic fellowships, awards, accelerators, and fully funded graduate programs. ProFellow’s mission is to advance the careers of U.S. early to mid-career professionals, students, and scholars by making competitive funding opportunities accessible and transparent. Through free resources and community-driven content, we share knowledge about competitive fellowships and graduate study and support emerging leaders dedicated to social impact.

ProFellow offers free resources, including our free, comprehensive database of fellowships and top graduate programs, through the support of esteemed universities and organizations who advertise their opportunities to our unique audience of fellowship seekers, graduate school applicants, thought leaders, social entrepreneurs and scholars.

We have been dedicated to our mission since our founding in 2011 and are now a recognized industry leader in U.S. higher education and leadership development.

Our Values

We believe in knowledge-sharing. Before our founding, fellowships and grants for individuals were primarily shared by word-of-mouth. Our mission is to make opportunities for career advancement and graduate study more accessible and inclusive, and support a diverse audience in applying to these awards.

We believe in the power of positive support. We encourage everyone with aspirations to apply for competitive opportunities that will help them achieve their goals. We are strongly against gatekeeping and elitism, and believe no one should be discouraged from receiving support in the valuable process of applying for competitive opportunities.

We believe in leveling the playing field. Acknowledging the challenges many groups face in accessing information and support, our work aims to help level the playing field for competitive programs, which are the stepping stones to leadership in higher education, public service, business, and innovation.

We believe in paying it forward. Our community was forged by current and former fellows who reaped the benefits of fellowships and now wish to help others gain these same benefits. All of our content is voluntarily contributed by current and former fellows who generously share their knowledge.

ProFellow Co-founders

Dr. Vicki Johnson, Founder & CEO

Dr. Vicki Johnson is a four-time fellow, top Ph.D. scholar, and an award-winning social entrepreneur. She is a speaker and author known globally for her unique expertise on developing competitive applications. Through her workshops and courses, including the Fully Funded Course and Mentorship Program (2019-2025) she has supported the journeys of thousands of graduate school and fellowship applicants, resulting in more than $500 million in funding awards. Vicki is an alumna of the New York City Urban Fellows Program (2001-2), the German Chancellor Fellowship (2003-4), the Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellowship (2005) and the Ian Axford Fellowship in Public Policy (2011) administered by Fulbright New Zealand. Connect with Dr. Vicki Johnson at her website.

Ryan Johnson, Co-founder and Technical Advisor

Ryan Johnson is a customer and data-driven executive for high-growth AI, data services, B2B SaaS, and marketplace companies with a passion for social impact missions. He blends technical integration, data-driven market insights, and operational strategy to drive innovation and efficiency across the ProFellow platform.

How can current and former fellows get involved?

Please join ProFellow’s International Fellows Network of current and former fellows globally! We have a LinkedIn group of more than 2,000 members, a regular newsletter and we host in-person events for fellows in Washington, DC, New York City, San Francisco and Berlin, Germany. Some of our events have been fully sponsored by fellowship organizations and universities, including the Robertson Foundation for Government, Stanford University, and Cultural Vistas, among others.

ProFellow’s content is voluntarily produced by current and former fellows who aim to pay it forward by sharing their experiences and insights to help the next generation of aspiring fellows. If you have won a fellowship, which we define as any merit-based program that is time-limited, offers a stipend or grant, and has a competitive application process, we would be pleased to have you contribute to ProFellow. Please contact us for more information.