Celebrating New Micah Fellows

Since 2014, Faith Matters Network has accompanied and trained more than 10,000 spiritually grounded leaders and provided a national platform for them to share their work. Through this, FMN has cultivated a national reputation for excellence in the field of communal care and transformational leadership development.

In Spring 2021, FMN partnered with the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation and Methodist Foundation of Arkansas on the launch of Micah Fellow Program– a signature initiative with a mission of equipping faith leaders in Arkansas to end poverty and advocate for economic justice. Over the course of two years and two cohorts, the Micah Fellows Program grew into a learning community of 24 fellows across the state devoted to nurturing moral leadership around anti-poverty work in Arkansas, where nearly one out of every two households struggle to make ends meet.

Building on the success of the first two cohorts, Faith Matters Network received funding to host a third cohort that began Winter 2024 and a fourth cohort that will begin Fall 2025. These two cohorts are a part of FMN’s Learning Journey and seek to expand its programming components of cohort learning, retreat gatherings, distribution of mini-grants, as well as one-on-one spiritual formation with participants. Micah Fellows’ third cohort consists of eight leaders and clergy throughout the state that are engaging in monthly live calls centered on key questions and skills in the work of economic justice and mobility. They also received funds to lead a community project in partnership with a local organization or ministry that is focused on addressing advocacy and advancing awareness within the A.L.I.C.E framework — Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed — which is a way of understanding and measuring the financial hardship experienced by families and populations that earn above federal poverty level but still struggle to afford basic necessities. Through these mini-grants, participants have the opportunity to aid in creating a more sustainable economic future for their community. The third cohort will wrap up by September 2025 with one last celebration gathering where they will reflect on the experiences that have shaped their leadership, calling and inspire them to continue making an impact towards a more equitable  future for the state of Arkansas. The fourth cohort is set to begin shortly afterwards in Fall 2025.