Zsolt Pethe had a vision of creating a nonprofit organization that would encourage young people in his native country of Hungary to embrace the ethos of volunteerism. With the help of the Echoing Green Foundation, he has not only turned his dream into a reality, but he has expanded it into seven other countries in Central and Eastern Europe.

Echoing Green, a nonprofit foundation, provides fellowships to individuals

"Because Echoing Green gave me the chance to pursue my vision, I am now living the kind of life I always dreamed about, where both my heart and mind are engaged in a struggle for social justice." - - Betty Hung, Fellow '97, Founder of Community Empowerment and Organizing Project, where they said it

who have a commitment to social change. It provides seed money and technical support to those who want to create innovative public service programs.

The foundation's name comes from William Blake's poem "The Echoing Green." It was founded a decade ago and has funded more than 300 fellows in the US and abroad. Fellowship projects have impacted five continents and 28 countries. Cheryl Dorsey, acting president, notes that approximately 15 to 20 percent of projects are located outside the US. Aspiring fellows from all over the world can apply for international grants.

A Venture Capital Approach to Social Change

Many may think the terms "venture capital" and "social change" don't belong in the same sentence. Echoing Green disagrees. Its goal is to bring a venture capital approach to public service. The foundation looks for social entrepreneurs -- creative individuals willing to take risks to build new models for social change. The venture capital piece comes in through the support Echoing Green provides in terms of seed grants, technical assistance and initiatives to achieve sustainability.

Pethe recently become an Echoing Green fellow. His organization, DIA, is working to build a volunteer infrastructure among young people in their own communities, a fairly new cultural concept in Eastern Europe. According to Pethe, the assistance he has received in areas such as organizational structure, fundraising, finance and project management is "just as important as the actual funding."

Dorsey agrees and explains the foundation, in a recent self-assessment, has concluded it has been "successful at finding the best social entrepreneurs, and those chosen are becoming leaders in their field as well as cultivating leadership in and among their staffs."

Becoming a Fellow

The application process is explained in detail on the organization's Web site (www.echoinggreen.org). The fellowship is two years in length and provides a stipend of $30,000 per year -- for a total of $60,000. Benefits like healthcare and access to training and technical assistance are also provided.

All fields that serve the public interest are eligible. In the past, projects have included environmental efforts, arts, education, children's and youth services, economic development and human/civil rights projects.

Applicants must be at least 18 years of age and ready to make a full-time commitment to the development of the project - 35-plus hours per week -- for a minimum of two consecutive years.

Additionally, each project must be in the start-up phase. Echoing Green also excludes research or lobbying activities, focusing primarily on service provision. An unusual -- and potentially appealing -- aspect of the foundation is that it will fund international applicants.