James A. Johnson Community Fellowship

The following questions and answers will explain how the closing of the Fannie Mae Foundation will affect the Fannie Mae Foundation James A. Johnson Community Fellowship Program. Please read through this information carefully.

Q: The Foundation recently selected its 2007 James A. Johnson Community Fellows. Will the Foundation continue to support its 2007 Johnson Fellows?

A: Yes. The Foundation recently selected the six Johnson Fellows and the Foundation has made provisions to support them throughout the 2007 Fellowship year.

Q: Will there be a 2008 James A. Johnson Community Fellowship Program?

A: Please direct questions about Fannie Mae's philanthropic programs and initiatives to Fannie Mae's Office of Community and Charitable Giving at community_giving@fanniemae.org or 202-752-1900.

Q: What will happen to past James A. Johnson Community Fellows?

A: The James A. Johnson Community Fellows are part of a broader alumni network of housing leaders. In order to strengthen this network, the Foundation has issued an alumni directory to share contact information with this vast network of alumni from the signature programs. In addition, KnowledgePlex will maintain a Web site for alumni to update their contact information online.

Q: Will the online knowledge tools the James A. Johnson Community Fellows have used in the past continue to be available?

A: Yes. The James A. Johnson Community Fellows group extranet through KnowledgePlex will be maintained and you should continue to interact using this platform and other services available to the affordable housing community through KnowledgePlex.org and DataPlace.org.

Q: What about alumni from the Fannie Mae Foundation leadership programs, such as the Fannie Mae Foundation Fellowship Program to the Kennedy School, the James A. Johnson Community Fellowship Program, the Maxwell Awards of Excellence Program, and the Ash Institute's Innovations in American Government Award?

A: The alumni from the Foundation's leadership programs are part of a broader alumni network of housing leaders. In order to strengthen this network, the Foundation has issued an alumni directory to share contact information with this vast network of alumni from the signature programs. In addition, KnowledgePlex will maintain a Web site for alumni to update their contact information online.

Background on the James A. Johnson Community Fellowship Program

The first of its kind, the James A. Johnson Community Fellowship Program recognizes and rewards urban and rural affordable housing and community development professionals in the nonprofit sector for their years of service to the field.

Created in 1998, the Johnson Community Fellowship Program honors the leadership and distinguished service of James A. Johnson, former chairman of the Fannie Mae Foundation and former Fannie Mae chairman and CEO. The program offers recipients an opportunity to pursue personal and professional development goals that enable them to contribute further to the housing and community development fields.

The 2007 James A. Johnson Fellows are:

Nancy Biberman*, founder and president, Women's Housing and Economic Development Corporation, Bronx, N.Y.
Young Hughley*, president and CEO, Reynoldstown Revitalization Corporation, Atlanta
John Mealey*, executive director, Coachella Valley Housing Coalition, Indio, Calif.
Walter Moreau*, executive director, Foundation Communities, Austin, Texas
David Silva*, executive director, Home Ownership Made Easy, Culver City, Calif.
Sue Taoka*, executive director, Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority, Seattle

* Please click on the name of each Fellow to read about a Fellow and his/her organization.

2007 James A Johnson Fellows Press Release
Overview
Grant Awards
Nomination Process
Eligibility and Selection Criteria

Overview
Each year since 1998, the Fannie Mae Foundation selected up to six seasoned professionals as Johnson Fellows. The Fellows designed and pursued development plans that included research, travel, study, self-designed internships, and other activities that enhance their skills and knowledge. The Foundation supported individuals working in multiple neighborhoods and/or on a citywide, countywide, statewide, or regional basis.

The program's chief goals are to:

Recognize and reward individual dedication and contribution to the affordable housing and community development fields
Increase Johnson Fellows' leadership and professional skills, an outcome that in turn positively affects their neighborhoods and communities
Foster opportunities for new solutions to affordable housing and community development challenges
Enrich the affordable housing and community development knowledge base and shape long-term strategies in the field
Ensure that Fellows meet as a group during the fellowship year and take purposeful time away from their current positions to pursue their personal and professional fellowship goals
Expand the Johnson Fellows' knowledge, enhance their effectiveness, and help them build lasting relationships with other field experts

Overview

The Johnson Fellowship Program provides each Fellow with a $70,000 grant and a stipend of up to $20,000 for travel and education-related expenses. The nonprofit organization with which each fellow is associated (through paid or volunteer employment) may apply for a grant of up to $25,000 for transitional costs related to the temporary absence of the employee or volunteer. (Please note: The grants awarded to James A. Johnson Fellows are considered personal income by the IRS and thus may affect tax status.)

Grant Awards
The Johnson Fellowship Program provides each Fellow with a $70,000 grant and a stipend of up to $20,000 for travel and education-related expenses. The nonprofit organization with which each fellow is associated (through paid or volunteer employment) may apply for a grant of up to $25,000 for transitional costs related to the temporary absence of the employee or volunteer. (Please note: The grants awarded to James A. Johnson Fellows are considered personal income by the IRS and thus may affect tax status.)

Nomination Process
James A. Johnson Fellows are selected through a two-step process:

Step 1: Nomination and Initial Review
The Foundation requests nominations for the Johnson Fellowship from a variety of national housing and community development organizations, and national neighborhood funders.

Step 2: Finalist Applications and National Selection
Finalists will be asked to submit a brief description of how they would use and benefit from the James A. Johnson Fellowship, including i) the impact of the fellowship on the development of their personal and professional goals and expansion of their leadership capabilities, and ii) the impact of the fellowship on the neighborhoods and/or communities they serve. A national selection committee then meets to review finalist information and nominations.

Eligibility and Selection Criteria

Nominees
To be eligible for nomination as a James A. Johnson Fellow, individuals must meet the following criteria:

A minimum of eight years in the affordable housing and community development field
Current full-time (paid or volunteer) duties in the field
Employment or affiliation with a nonprofit organization or community-based nonprofit intermediary organization focused on affordable housing or housing-related community development
Demonstrated leadership abilities
Demonstrated ability to think creatively, define issues, work collaboratively, and implement innovative solutions to community development and affordable housing issues on a local, regional, or national level and in rural or urban settings
A continuing commitment to the field upon completion of the fellowship
A significant impact from the fellowship on the neighborhood/communities in which the nominee serves
No other venues or resources to pursue the opportunities that the fellowship will provide
Validation that timing is optimal for the nominee to utilize this experience, professionally, and personally

Finalists
Individuals selected as finalists will demonstrate:

Strong leadership skills and the ability to think creatively, define issues, work collaboratively, and implement solutions to housing and community development challenges
A significant record of contributions to the affordable housing and community development field

Fellows
At the conclusion of the fellowship, James A. Johnson Fellows will be expected to:

Report on the fellowship's role in advancing their personal and professional goals, including how the experience expanded their leadership capabilities
Document the fellowship's impact on the neighborhoods and communities they serve
Pledge a continuing commitment to the field

2005 Fellows **
2004 Fellows
2003 Fellows
2002 Fellows
2001 Fellows
2000 Fellows
1999 Fellows

** The fellowship period for the 2005 James A. Johnson Fellows spanned from late 2005 to late 2006. The fellowship period for the 2007 James A. Johnson Fellows began in early 2007.