ECF Welcomes 2025 ECF Fellows for In-Person Orientation
The Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF) welcomed the 2025 ECF Fellows to its New York City office this September. The Fellows gathered to share their stories, discuss their fellowship-supported work, and explore how their projects inform one another. ECF Fellows and Senior Advisory Committee member Jacqueline Plumez led a storytelling and strategic communications workshop for the Fellows. Alumni of the ECF Fellowship and diocesan leaders joined the new Fellows for a concluding Eucharist and lunch at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine.
An in-person orientation has historically been a key part of the ECF Fellows’ experience. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the orientation was shortened and conducted online, affecting Fellows’ ability to connect with other class members and Foundation staff. We are pleased to bring back this important milestone for the 2025 ECF Fellows class.
“This move supports the program’s goal of revitalization, beginning with strengthening relationships among our ECF Fellows and alumni”, Dail St. Claire, President and CEO, recounted. “We look forward to future opportunities for our ECF Fellows to share their work, collaborate, and further develop as leaders in The Episcopal Church.”
Toward the end of the orientation, one Fellow highlighted a key theme to the group: a common thread running through both the academic studies and ministry projects of our 2025 ECF Fellows is their focus on the idea of community. “This is already such a profound insight, one that couldn’t be possible without the intentional time set apart for this orientation, and I am confident that the Fellows are just getting started,” said Jacob Sierra, manager of the ECF Fellowship Partners Program.
We invite you to learn more about the 2025 ECF Fellows and their projects. Applications for the 2026 ECF Fellowship will open in November 2025. Details about the ECF Fellowship Partners Program and the application process for the 2026 ECF Fellowship are available on the Foundation’s website, here.