Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, is an international community of business and social entrepreneurs who are actively changing the fields in which they work. Ashoka lays claim to nearly 2,000 Fellows across 63 countries. Using a cutting edge nominator network, Ashoka chooses its applicants, locating the most innovative entrepreneurs with the strongest prospects for impact locally, nationally, and globally. Candidates are asked to stand for a rigorous qualification review addressing accomplishments, impact, creativity, personality and ethical fibre. In Canada, an exemplary Fellowship has emerged, made up of award-winning social entrepreneurs affecting change from Newfoundland to Victoria. This strategic selection process makes Ashoka an excellent resource for Canadian policymakers, private funders and social investors interested in investing in massive, positive change.

Ashoka’s lifetime fellowship supports individuals, their ideas and their organizations through a full cycle of social innovation. A three-year living stipend sanctions full-time devotion to projects, driving innovation evaluation and evolution. Strategic partnerships provide pro-bono training and consulting services for our Fellows through McKinsey & Co., Hill & Knowlton, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP and the International Senior Lawyers Project, streamlining innovation implementation. An international Fellowship network links citizen sector projects nationally, and facilitates the export of proven models across continents and around the globe.