Fellowship - Building Organizational Capacity to Expand Healthcare Access

Due to Medi‑Cal updates, Fresno County residents can access healthcare from eligible community‑based organizations. Fresno County partners aim to equip these organizations with the tools and knowledge they need to participate in this opportunity. The Executive Fellow will support this work by developing tools, education programs, and relationships necessary to build organizations’ capacity. As a result of this work, Fresno residents from all backgrounds will be able to access quality care through this community‑based health model.

Fellowship Dates: April 27, 2026 – April 23, 2027

Salary: Executive Fellows are FUSE employees and receive an annual base salary of $95,000. Fellows can also access various health, dental, and vision insurance benefits. Compensation for this year of public service is not intended to represent market‑rate compensation for the experienced professionals in our program.

FUSE is a national nonprofit dedicated to increasing the capacity of local governments to work more effectively for communities. We embed private sector executives in city and county agencies to lead projects that improve public services and accelerate systems change. Since 2012, FUSE has led over 400 projects in 58 governments across 26 states, impacting a total population equivalent to 1 in 10 Americans.

When designing each fellowship project, FUSE works closely with government partners and community stakeholders to define a scope of work that will achieve substantive progress toward high‑priority local needs. Projects address today’s most pressing challenges and opportunities, including affordable housing, economic mobility, climate resilience, public safety, infrastructure, technology, and more.

FUSE conducts a full executive search for each individual project to ensure that the selected candidate has at least 15 years of professional experience, the required competencies for the role, and deep connections to the community being served.

Executive Fellows are embedded in government agencies working with senior leaders for at least one year of full‑time work. Prospective responsibilities may include thorough data analytics and research, developing enhanced operations and financial models, building change management and strategic planning processes, and/or building broad coalitions to support project implementation efforts. Executive Fellows are data‑driven and results‑oriented and able to effectively manage complex projects.

They build strong relationships with a broad array of stakeholders, foster alignment within and across various layers of government, and build partnerships between governments and communities.

Throughout the fellowships, Executive Fellows receive training, coaching, and professional support to help achieve their project goals.

Fresno County serves approximately 4,300 households with community‑based health programs (e.g., home visitation programs, community health worker programs, etc.) with an estimated need of 10,000 households. Community‑based organizations (CBOs) are critical for last‑mile public health delivery. While these organizations typically have small budgets and staff, they catalyze a large impact. The CBO community‑based health workforce (e.g., community health workers, home visitors, doulas, promotoras) are especially effective, because they treat/support the whole person and have trust, connections, and insight related to their local communities.

During COVID‑19, many CBOs delivered lifesaving information, support, and supplies to families in Fresno County. While their public health work was effective, the pandemic revealed that CBOs frequently lack the administrative and operational capacity to manage, often administratively intensive, government funding requirements. This limits their ability to pursue strategic grants, scale up good work, and serve their communities through more diverse support.

During the pandemic, the County of Fresno was able to make arrangements for financial and administrative oversight of the federal funding that went to local CBOs, but those resources were for extraordinary circumstances. CalAIM,…