Shelter leaders are invited to apply for the 2026-2027 University of Wisconsin Northern Tier Shelter Fellowship Program!
The University of Wisconsin-Madison Shelter Medicine Program’s Northern Tier Shelter Fellowship is open to organizations in Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Up to two leadership staff per shelter may participate. Recommended staff are shelter directors or managers +/- another key leadership member (e.g., director of operations). Preference will be given to organizations that haven’t recently been fellows. A primary goal of the fellowship is for fellows to make at least one substantial positive change in their shelter. Candidates should be willing and empowered to make meaningful change throughout the fellowship. Learn more about the fellowship here.
Fellows will be invited to participate in a 3 1/2 day (plus travel) in-person Fellowship Camp, which consists of a combination of lecture and discussion surrounding foundational principles in sheltering and community care as well as visits to local shelters. Camp will be held March 3-6, 2026, in Madison, Wisconsin, and all fellows are required to attend. Travel, lodging (shared rooms), and meal expenses will be covered by generous grantors.
Following camp, regular Zoom calls will commence. We will meet on Zoom every other week for 1.5 hours every other Tuesday at 8am Alaska/9am Pacific/10am Mountain/11am Central time.
The UW Shelter Medicine Program commits to fighting against systemic oppression, which will be reflected throughout the fellowship program. Our statement can be found here: https://www.uwsheltermedicine.com/library/resources/joint-statement-from-uw-and-ucd-shelter-medicine-programs-on-commitment-to-fighting-against-systemic-oppression.
Before you begin filling in the application, please have available all documents that you’ll need to upload since the application cannot be edited after submission. The application can be found HERE.
Deadline for submission is 9am Central Time on Monday, December 8, 2025. If selected for an interview, these will occur between December 12th and 17th. Questions regarding the Northern Tier Fellowship Program or application can be sent to uwsheltermedicine@vetmed.wisc.edu.