For Nonprofit & Civic Professionals
Fellowship for Nonprofit & Civic Professionals
The ICJS Fellowship for Nonprofit & Civic Professionals brings together local nonprofit and civic leaders for intensive study and dialogue. Drawing on the resources of diverse religious traditions, fellows discover how an interreligious lens can strengthen their efforts to build a more just Baltimore.
Engaging Muslim, Christian, and Jewish perspectives alongside current thinking on interreligious dialogue, fellows explore the role of religious pluralism in a democratic society. They connect across religious and non-religious identities and wide-ranging professional backgrounds—from advocacy and the arts to public health and government.
Along the way, fellows discover how authentic encounter with the other can transform their leadership and our shared public life. They leave equipped to weave interreligious understanding into their organizational goals.
Molly Silverstein (msilverstein@icjs.org), Program Director for Nonprofit and Civic Professionals, leads this fellowship. The next cohort begins in person in October 2026. To learn more, fill out the form below:
Fellowship Benefits
- Participate in a diverse adult learning community
- Network with other professionals in the nonprofit/civic sector
- Design and share a project specifically tailored to your community
- Learn skills for engaging in dialogue across difference
- Gain inspiration, clarity, and intention that you can bring back to your work
- Receive a stipend upon completing the fellowship
Fellowship Commitments
- Attend 14 monthly meetings in person
- Prepare and present an original project to bring back to your community
- Write a reflection piece on your learning
- Engage with religion in the public square by attending five outside learning experiences
- Engage in thoughtful dialogue with a cohort of diverse professionals
Building Civic Leadership Across Difference
Molly Silverstein, Program Director for the ICJS Fellowship for Nonprofit and Civic Professionals, speaks about her path into interreligious work, what distinguishes this fellowship in the civic landscape, and why interreligious learning is essential for leaders working to build a multireligious democracy.
Fellowship for Nonprofit and Civic Leaders Rosters
Coming Together as a Community of Believers
“If we could somehow invigorate a whole community of believers in this city to understand that the destiny of Baltimore is waiting for us all to come together…we could make some great changes in this city.“
—Leon F. Pinkett III, ICJS 2021 Fellow
Nonprofit & Civic Professional Voices
A Reconsideration of ‘Separation of Church and State’
I grew up believing “the separation of church and state” was gospel. I fought anyone who tried to tell me otherwise. It didn’t help my position that I grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah, where most residents were Mormon and upfront about it. I was an outlier—the one kid in school who didn’t stand…
Finding My Voice as a Nonreligious ‘None’
I grew up in a mixed-religion family—one side Jewish, one side Methodist. My parents were effectively nonreligious, but they took my siblings and me to Unitarian Sunday school and encouraged learning about other religions. Because of my background, I was intrigued to learn about the Fellowship for Nonprofit and Civic Professionals at the Institute for…
Wrestling to Be Open: Developing my interreligious fluency
I am a firm believer in the power of one-on-one relational meetings in my ministry and professional life. Starting my new job at the Governor’s Office for Children on December 10, 2025, I planned to meet one-on-one with at least half of my new colleagues within my first 90 days. It was a weekday morning…
Deeply Rooted in My Faith: The lost property of wisdom
I joined the ICJS Fellowship for Civic and Nonprofit Professionals carrying a concern common to many people whose faith has been fortified through trials and affirmed through a multitude of blessings. As a Black American Muslim deeply committed to my communities and to the work of sharing the beauty, ethics, and truth of Islam, I…