Weitz Fellowship program relaunches at Carleton for 2025
The Weitz Fellows program is a unique, Carleton-exclusive opportunity for graduating seniors in the nonprofit sector.

Carleton is proud to announce that the Weitz Fellows program — a unique, Carleton-exclusive opportunity for graduating seniors in the nonprofit sector — is relaunching for 2025 after a year-long pause.
The Weitz Fellowship provides one-year, full-time jobs for nine Carleton graduates at nine nonprofit organizations in Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska. Positions are paid, include benefits and funding for professional development, and provide cross-functional, professional experience in all aspects of a fellow’s organization. This is an unparalleled opportunity for any Carl interested in beginning a career in one or multiple of the program’s given categories: advocacy and education, arts and film, law and policy, and nonprofit management. The fellowships give Carleton graduates the tools to tackle complex problems with creativity and confidence and position them well for any future career path they may pursue.
Sites for 2025 include the ACLU of Nebraska (new this year), Film Streams, I Be Black Girl (new this year), Joslyn Art Museum, Nebraska Appleseed Center for Law in the Public Interest, Nebraska Civic Engagement Table, The Rose Theater (new this year), The Union for Contemporary Art, and Women’s Fund of Omaha.

“The Weitz Fellowship offers a unique entry-level experience,” said Chad Ellsworth, associate director of the Career Center and one of the main organizers of the Weitz Fellows program. “Fellows not only gain practical job skills but also are able to make meaningful contributions to their organizations and the Omaha and Lincoln communities. What really stands out is the program’s strong support network, from the Weitz family to Jack [Becker ’86, the program’s liaison] to the cohort who live and work in close proximity to one another. In rotational-type roles in nonprofit organizations, fellows are exposed to various aspects of nonprofit work, allowing them to apply and develop their skills early in their careers, all of which takes place in two of the highest ranked cities for young professionals.”
The Weitz Fellows program launched in 2011 with just one Carleton graduate as a partnership with Joslyn Art Museum, where Jack Becker ’86 serves as executive director and CEO. Organized through the Weitz Family Foundation — which Barbara Weitz ’70 and Wally Weitz ’70 established in 1999 with their children Katie ’96, Roger ’99, and Drew ’02 — the fellowship program is one of many ways in which the Weitz family gives back to the Carleton community.
Since 2011, the fellowship has greatly expanded and made a significant impact in the Omaha and Lincoln communities, with 66 total fellows having joined 14 different organizations over the years. In 2023, managerial changes in the Weitz Family Foundation prompted the program to begin what they called the “Pause Year.” No fellows were accepted for the 2023–24 academic year while the program was intentionally redesigned in order to continue providing a great experience for Carleton graduates and supporting the great work being done in the nonprofit communities of Nebraska.
Now, in its relaunch, the program has implemented more formal connections between fellows, the Foundation, participating organizations, and supervisors; established an official alumni group to help support fellows working in Omaha and Lincoln in addition to serving as program advisors for future initiatives; and updated salary and benefits policies and financial support for Carls, including a new process for emergency funding. Organizations will also rotate once every three years, in order to provide a wide range of opportunities for everyone involved in the program.
Carleton hosted a celebration of the relaunch on Thursday, October 10, 2024, at the Weitz Center for Creativity on campus. After approximately 24 faculty and staff members learned about the program in their own dedicated session, about 68 students attended an informational dinner catered by local restaurants Desi Diner and Tin Tea.

Special guests included Barbara Weitz, Katie Weitz, Jack Becker, and a number of Weitz Fellowship alumni, who spoke to the impact of the experience on their lives and careers. Spencer Wigmore ’11, an art history major who served as the first-ever fellow for Joslyn Art Museum, and Natalia Tu ’21, a sociology/anthropology major who was a fellow with the Women’s Fund of Omaha, were both featured speakers at the event. Other alumni in attendance included: Julia Olson ’13 (art history, Joslyn Art Museum); Avery Davis ’20 (studio art, Joslyn Art Museum); Erica Helgerud ’20 (English, Opera Omaha); Mika Takamori ’20 (studio art and history, Nebraska Appleseed); Bill Yang ’21 (biology and history, Nebraska Civic Engagement Table); and Clarissa Guzman ’22 (sociology/anthropology, Nebraska Appleseed).
To learn more about the Weitz Fellows program, the cohort experience, and the mission and work of this year’s organizations, register for the Weitz Fellowship information session with all nine participating organizations, to be held on January 23, 2025.