The Prentice Family Foundation’s Western New York Prosperity Fellowship Program is a truly innovative program for college and graduate students with an entrepreneurial drive who want to make a difference in Western New York.
The Fellowship Program assists undergraduate and graduate students at the State University of New York at Buffalo (UB) and Canisius College who are actively preparing for careers that further economic development and growth in the Western New York area. The Fellowship Program combines financial assistance, in the form of scholarships, with paid, credit-bearing internships to assist Fellows in acquiring both academic and practical experiences in their intended professions. Fellows are given the opportunity to intern in their chosen fields of interest, where they work alongside and are mentored by leaders in upper-level management.
UB and Canisius administer the Fellowship Program with their own specific admission standards and levels of financial assistance. However, a common requirement is that in exchange for receiving the benefits of the Fellowship Program, Prosperity Fellows must commit to working in the eight counties that comprise Western New York for at least two of the ten years following their graduation, thereby giving back economically to the region they have pledged to support.
Although UB and Canisius each have their own standards and application process for applying for a Fellowship, as well as their own requirements regarding the internship program, they both offer their Fellows a high level of instruction and hands-on experiences that are designed to instill an understanding of the economic challenges and opportunities awaiting them as they undertake their post-graduation careers.