Application: Bridging the Bay, Igniting Leaders of Change 2027

Question Title

About Bridging the Bay, Igniting Leaders of Change

Bridging the Bay, Igniting Leaders of Change, now in its sixth year, will offer experiential and intensive leadership development and support to executive leaders guiding pre-kindergarten through 12th grade youth-serving nonprofits. The 42-hour program will be delivered in person through leadership development seminars.

In this critical moment, executive leaders of youth-serving nonprofits must invest in their own leadership to sustain impact. By modeling balance, at both the systems (macro) and everyday practice (micro) levels, they create the conditions for their teams and communities to thrive.

Participants will gain essential leadership skills, deepen sector connections, and strengthen self-care behaviors. The curriculum will be delivered over the course of six in-person sessions and will include experiential activities to learn and practice Coro’s six key leadership skills (self-awareness, communication, critical thinking, inclusion, collaboration, and influence). Topics may include: peer consultancy/coaching, navigating conflict and difficult conversations, financial leadership, systems and resource mapping, and more.

Celebrating its sixth year, Bridging the Bay continues to invest in the leaders who are shaping the future of Bay Area youth.

Generation Thrive is offering this program at no cost for all participants.

About Us

Generation Thrive, a partnership between the Golden State Community Foundation and Kaiser Permanente, works to advance educational attainment, wellness, and equity for Bay Area youth by providing capacity building and collaboration opportunities for youth-serving nonprofits and educators, and wellness programming for the youth they serve.

About Our Partner

Coro California is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that trains, supports, and connects leaders of all ages and backgrounds to foster a thriving democracy and tackle society's biggest challenges together.

Together Generation Thrive and Coro California launched Bridging the Bay, Igniting Leaders of Change. Bridging the Bay is a leadership program for executive directors and c-suite executives who lead San Francisco Bay Area nonprofits focused on educational equity and academic outcomes for Bay Area youth.

Program Outcomes
Strengthen executive leadership

Equip nonprofit executives with advanced leadership skills to effectively guide their organizations

Prioritize community

Build a trusted peer network of leaders who share strategies, resources, and explore partnership opportunities beyond the program
Renewed and refreshed commitment to the nonprofit sector

Advance organizational impact

Empower leaders to apply new perspectives and tools to address critical challenges within their organizations and communities

Provide tactical skill building

As informed by the cohort, deliver learnings on specific topics through modules and potential expert guest speakers
Potentially including but not limited to: financial management, legal navigation, sustainability, and balance

Program Components

42-hour experiential learning curriculum over six sessions focused on six core leadership practices: self-awareness, communication, critical thinking, inclusion, collaboration, and influence
Peer consultancies where participants problem-solve real-time organizational challenges with the support and guidance of fellow participants
Dedicated time and structure to design and lead an Independent Project that addresses an organizational need, applies leadership skills, and results in a practical, high-quality deliverable
Introduce practical leadership frameworks and tools while giving participants opportunities to practice inquiry, build strategic networks, and strengthen self-care
Build an alumni community of leaders who continue collaboration, partnership, and connection

Participant Criteria

Nonprofit professional serving pre-kindergarten through 12th grade Bay Area youth with at least 10 years of professional experience
Currently holds an executive and/or c-suite level position with a nonprofit organization in the Bay Area
Strong intellectual curiosity and desire to grow leadership skills
Passion for positively impacting the lives of young people and their communities
Able to attend ALL six full-day sessions, including graduation
Able to complete the pre-, post-, and intersession assignments

Attendance Policy

Participants should clear their calendars for all scheduled sessions. 100% attendance is the expectation for all participants. Leadership is about making hard choices. Given the limited number of sessions, you may be asked to leave the program if you miss a session. Each session is based on the knowledge, skills, and experience garnered in previous sessions. Therefore, any absence has an impact on the dynamics and the learning process of all participants. No activities or meetings conflicting with the program should be scheduled.

Program Dates

All sessions will take place at a Generation Thrive space in Oakland and/or San Francisco from 9:30am – 4:30pm with a 1 hour meal break from 12:00pm – 1:00pm. When applying for this program, you must hold the following dates to participate in Bridging the Bay:

Orientation and Program Kickoff: Thursday, January 14
Session 1: Thursday, February 4
Session 2: Thursday, February 25
Session 3: Thursday, March 18
Session 4: Thursday, April 8
Session 5: Thursday, April 29
Session 6 and Graduation: Thursday, May 20 (including graduation celebration 5pm - 7pm)

Intersession Meeting Holds

This time is reserved for projection completion, peer consultancies, and additional meeting times, should it be necessary. The sessions will take place virtually from 9:30am - 10:30am.

Intersession 1: Tuesday, February 9
Intersession 2: Tuesday, March 2
Intersession 3: Tuesday, March 23
Intersession 4: Tuesday, April 13
Intersession 5: Tuesday, May 4

Question Title

APPLICATION FORM

About Bridging the Bay, Igniting Leaders of Change:

Please complete and submit this entire application by December 14, 2026

Please do not submit any additional supplemental application materials

For more information and inquiries, please contact Golden State Community Foundation Senior Manager, Britt Burkett at bburkett@goldenstate.com (Required.)

First Name

Last Name

What are your gender pronouns (e.g. she/her, he/him, they/them)?

Email Address

Phone Number

Organization

Title

How many years have you been at your current organization?

Total number of youth your organization serves annually

Total number of families your organization serves annually

Please add a link to your public LinkedIn profile

Have you participated in a Coro program before and if so, which one and what year did you graduate?

Question Title

How did you hear about Bridging the Bay? (Please select all applicable boxes) (Required.)

Golden State Warriors/Valkyries/Golden State Community Foundation Staff

Coro Alumni/Staff/Board

Kaiser Permanente

Bridging the Bay Alumni (Please state Alumni name in "Other")

Generation Thrive Newsletter

Friend/Colleague

Instagram

Facebook

Other (please specify)

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How many years of professional experience do you have? (Required.)

Less than 10 years

10 - 12 years

12 - 14 years

15+ years

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In which region of the Bay Area do you live? (Required.)

East Bay

North Bay

Peninsula

San Francisco

South Bay

Prefer not to answer

Other (please specify)

Question Title

In which region of the Bay Area do you work? (Required.)

East Bay

North Bay

Peninsula

San Francisco

South Bay

Prefer not to answer

Other (please specify)

Essay Questions (250 word max for each response)

Question Title

As we welcome our 6th cohort of the program, why are you interested in participating in Bridging the Bay at this moment in your leadership journey, and how does the program align with your goals? (250 words max) (Required.)

Question Title

Leaders often face challenges at both the macro (systems, structures, strategy) and micro (habits, routines, interactions) levels. What is one process you would like to analyze or shift, whether big-picture or everyday, and what draws you to it? (250 words max) (Required.)

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This program requires active participation and peer-to-peer learning. What perspectives, experiences, or strengths will you contribute to support the cohort’s collective learning? (250 words max) (Required.)

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What skills or topic areas do you want to explore and gain new insights on in the program? (Required.)

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What is the primary focus area of your organization? (Required.)

Career preparation

College access

College persistence and completion

Elementary literacy

Middle school enrichment

Out-of-school time (afterschool, summer, etc.)

School readiness

STEAM

Workforce development

Other (please specify)

Statement of Commitment

Your application will not be considered unless all of the following statements are checked.

Question Title

Attendance policy: due to the experiential, cumulative nature of the program methodology, attendance is required at all seminars. Leadership is about making hard choices, and we know that participants will have many competing demands of their time. If a participant chooses to miss a session, they will be choosing to leave the program. 100% attendance is the expectation for all participants. (Required.)

I understand and accept

I do not accept

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I understand that, if selected, I am joining a learning community and will devote the time and energy necessary to ensure my effective participation in the cohort. I understand that the program requires a willingness to try on ideas that may expand my perspectives. (Required.)

I understand and accept

I do not accept

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I understand the cohort will engage in a project that will allow us to practice our leadership skills, leverage our shared expertise, and influence policy or practices in nonprofit or educational spaces. I understand this may require up to 20 hours of additional time outside of the session to complete. (Required.)

I understand and accept

I do not accept

Question Title

Coro and the Golden State Community Foundation values and strives to represent diverse perspectives, identities, experiences, and worldviews in our programs, staff, board, and across our network. We believe that everyone benefits from having many facets of diversity represented in their Coro experience. Because of this, we ask for more information about your background, identities, and affiliations, with the understanding that language around identities is continually evolving. We greatly appreciate your willingness to fill out the section below to the best of your ability.

What is your age? (Required.)

25-34 years old

35-44 years old

45-54 years old

55 years old and up

Prefer not to answer

Question Title

How do you racially/ethnically identify? (Check all that apply) (Required.)

African

African American

Black

Asian

Asian American

Hispanic

Latino/Latina

Latinx

Middle Eastern

Native American

Native Hawaiian

Pacific Islander

White

Multiracial or multiethnic

Decline to state

Prefer to self-describe (open text field)

Other (please specify)

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Coro and the Golden State Community Foundation do not discriminate on the basis of gender identity or expression. In order to track the effectiveness of our recruiting efforts and ensure we consider the needs of all our program participants, please consider the following question. What is your gender? (Required.)

Female (born female and identify as female)

Male (born male and identify as male)

Intersex

Non-Conforming/Non-Binary

Trans Female/Trans Woman (transitioned/ing to female)

Trans Male/Trans Man (transitioned/ing to male)

Decline to state

Prefer to self-describe (open text field)

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Do you identify as being part of the LGBTQ+ community? (Required.)

Yes

Decline to state

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Are you a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces? (Required.)

Yes

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What is the highest degree you have received or are currently pursuing? (Required.)

High School diploma

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree

Professional school degree (MD, JD, etc.)

Doctorate degree

Decline to state

Application: Bridging the Bay, Igniting Leaders of Change 2027

Question Title

Question Title

Question Title

How did you hear about Bridging the Bay? (Please select all applicable boxes) (Required.)

Question Title

How many years of professional experience do you have? (Required.)

Question Title

In which region of the Bay Area do you live? (Required.)

Question Title

In which region of the Bay Area do you work? (Required.)

Question Title

As we welcome our 6th cohort of the program, why are you interested in participating in Bridging the Bay at this moment in your leadership journey, and how does the program align with your goals? (250 words max) (Required.)

Question Title

Leaders often face challenges at both the macro (systems, structures, strategy) and micro (habits, routines, interactions) levels. What is one process you would like to analyze or shift, whether big-picture or everyday, and what draws you to it? (250 words max) (Required.)

Question Title

This program requires active participation and peer-to-peer learning. What perspectives, experiences, or strengths will you contribute to support the cohort’s collective learning? (250 words max) (Required.)

Question Title

What skills or topic areas do you want to explore and gain new insights on in the program? (Required.)

Question Title

Other topic(s) not listed above

Question Title

What is the primary focus area of your organization? (Required.)

Question Title

Question Title

I understand that, if selected, I am joining a learning community and will devote the time and energy necessary to ensure my effective participation in the cohort. I understand that the program requires a willingness to try on ideas that may expand my perspectives. (Required.)

Question Title

Question Title

Question Title

How do you racially/ethnically identify? (Check all that apply) (Required.)

Question Title

Question Title

Do you identify as being part of the LGBTQ+ community? (Required.)

Question Title

Are you a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces? (Required.)

Question Title

What is the highest degree you have received or are currently pursuing? (Required.)