Deadline: September 18, 2026
Applications are open for the Nivishe Mental Health Fellowship Cohort 7. The Nivishe Mental Health Fellowship is a prestigious 12-week virtual fellowship for emerging and established changemakers who want to move beyond awareness and gain a deeper understanding of mental health from both African and global perspectives. Through sessions led by mental health experts, practitioners, researchers, and leaders, fellows explore topics ranging from community mental health and lived experience to neuropsychology, helping them understand how the brain, mind, environment, and society influence wellbeing.
This is not a fellowship where you simply learn about mental health, it is a space where you learn how to act on it. Grounded in African realities, the fellowship creates opportunities to engage with diverse perspectives, strengthen leadership skills, build meaningful networks, and develop practical approaches to addressing mental health challenges within your own community.
The fellowship concludes with a Community Impact Capstone Project, where fellows turn learning into action by designing and implementing an initiative that reaches community members directly. Previous fellows have led community dialogues, radio programs, awareness campaigns, school interventions, and outreach activities. They believe knowledge should create a ripple effect, empowering one fellow to influence hundreds of others and contribute to lasting change.
Eligibility
They are looking for passionate individuals who:
- Are committed to eliminating mental health disparities and promoting mental well-being in their communities.
- Are 18 years and above. While the fellowship is primarily aimed at young leaders aged 18-35, applicants above 35 with a strong track record of community leadership, advocacy, or social impact are strongly encouraged to apply.
- Are engaged in or interested in mental health, community development, advocacy, education, healthcare, research, humanitarian work, or related fields.
- Hold or aspire to leadership positions and have the ability to influence positive change within their communities or institutions.
- Value diversity, inclusion, and learning from different perspectives and lived experiences.
- Have access to a computer and reliable internet connection and can actively participate in virtual sessions.
- Can design and implement a Community Impact Capstone Project that applies fellowship learning to benefit their community.
Selection Criteria
Applications will be assessed based on:
- Leadership Potential and Community Impact: Demonstrated leadership experience, initiative, and commitment to creating positive change.
- Commitment to Mental Health Advancement: Clear interest in promoting mental health, well-being, or related social issues.
- Availability and Engagement: Ability to actively participate in all fellowship sessions, collaborative activities, and assignments.
- Lived Experience and Personal Motivation: They recognize the value of lived experience and welcome applicants whose personal journeys inform their commitment to mental health advocacy and systems change.
- Diversity and Inclusion: They aim to build a cohort representing diverse identities, geographies, cultures, professions, and lived experiences.
- Community Impact Capstone Proposal: Strength and feasibility of the proposed Community Impact Capstone Project, including the potential to reach and positively influence a minimum of 200 community members.
Application
For more information, visit Nivishe Mental Health Fellowship.
