The Fellowship Initiative (TFI) is a three-year program developed by JPMorgan Chase to expand opportunities for African American, Latinx, and other young men of color. TFI’s mission is to help young men acquire the skills, knowledge, experience, networks, and other resources they need to succeed academically and professionally. Students apply when they are in the 9th grade; programming begins the summer before their sophomore year and extends through the summer before they enter college. TFI fellows also receive college persistence support.
The Social Justice Learning Institute (SJLI) is the partner organization for the program in Los Angeles.
The Process, Commitment and Criteria for The Fellowship Initiative
The only criteria to participate in the program are that you must be a young person of color and be committed to completing the program. TFI wants to help all students no matter their GPA, or economic status; all students of color are welcome.
To get started, students must complete the application and interview process. Please note that the application and selection process happens every three years. The next application season opens in the Spring of 2026. After the interview process is complete, TFI staff reviews all applications and interview components to select about 40 – 45 students to participate in the program.
The TFI program consists of:
- Classes and workshops three Saturdays a month over three years.
- College access and leadership development
- Academic support and intervention
- College exposure
- Community service, financial literacy, identity development, brotherhood and community development
- Mentorship
Benefits of the The Fellowship Initiative Program
Through the three-year cohort, students are paired up with a mentor through JPMorgan Chase who supports them throughout the program. Mentors provide students with life skills and personal experience of being professionals of color.
Additionally, one of the highlights of the program is the college tours, which include Northern and Southern California colleges, as well as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), exposing fellows to college students who look like them. Fellows are able to ask college students questions, learn about what resources are available to them, and understand what it takes to be successful in college.
Lastly, SJLI takes a holistic approach to wellness and partners with Vibrant, an organization that supports students’ and families’ well-being. Students are connected with a clinical case manager who offers 1 on 1 check-in and can provide various resources to them and their families.
Students become a part of an alumni network of TFI Fellows who have gone before them. A brotherhood that spans across the country as The Fellowship Initiative is a National Program that exists in other cities such as Oakland, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, New York, and D.C.
Colleges and Universities The Fellowship Initiative Participants Have Graduated From or Are Currently Attending:
- American University
- Arizona State University
- California State University, Channel Islands
- California State University, Chico
- California State University, Dominguez Hills
- California State University, East Bay
- California State University, Fullerton
- California State University, Long Beach
- California State University, Los Angeles
- California State University, Northridge
- California State University, Sacramento
- Cal Poly Humboldt
- Cal Poly Pomona
- Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
- DePaul University
- Loyola Marymount University
- Morgan State
- Princeton University
- San Jose State University
- Southern University
- Stanford University
- Texas Southern University
- Tulane University
- University of California, Los Angeles
- University of California, Merced
- University of California, San Diego
- University of Nevada, Las Vegas
- University of San Francisco
- University of California, Berkeley
- University of California, Davis
- University of California, Riverside
- University of California, Santa Cruz
- University of Oklahoma
How To Get Involved with The Fellowship Initiative
For more information and to get involved, contact Molly Katz, Regional Programs Manager, at mkatz@sjli.org.
