FELLOWSHIP APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN

Make A Play Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that prepares high-achieving college athletes for professional success at leading companies.

Participating in our fellowships costs nothing! All our fellowships are completely free and 100% virtual, ensuring accessibility for everyone.

We estimate that Phase 1 requires a two-hour commitment each week, while Phase 2 requires a one-hour commitment per week.

Absolutely! We are the only professional development program specifically designed for athletes. All of our Fellows are student-athletes across 41 different sports, ranging from equestrian to basketball to artistic swimming. Each fellowship is structured to fit your schedule as a student-athlete, rather than to conflict with it. The time commitment is just ~1.5 hours per week, primarily consisting of asynchronous learning, and is conducted entirely online.

If you prefer not to take on any additional commitments during your season, we operate on a 4-League calendar: Winter League, Spring League, Summer League, and Fall League. This ensures that there is always a program available for you to apply to.

Some of our notable alumni who have achieved significant success both on and off the field include:

• Ariana Ramsey, OLY - MAP Spring League '22 | U.S. Women's Olympic Rugby Team
• Dubem Amene - MAP Fall '22 League | Nigerian Men's Olympic Track & Field Team
• Isabella Whittaker - MAP Summer League '21 | U.S. Women's Olympic Track & Field Team
• Jade Rose - MAP Winter League '23 | Canadian Women's Olympic Soccer Team
• Lauren Scruggs - MAP Summer League '21 | U.S. Women's Olympic Rugby Team
• Megumi Field - MAP Winter League '25 | U.S. Women's Olympic Artistic Swimming Team
• Naomi Girma - MAP Spring League '22 | U.S. Women's Olympic Soccer Team
• Udodi Onwuzurike - MAP Spring League '22 | Nigerian Men's Olympic Track & Field Team 

Unfortunately, all of our fellowships are unpaid and mainly educational. However, there’s no need to worry. Think of this as a work-based learning experience designed to help you gain practical skills in your chosen industry. The goal of this fellowship is to prepare you for a paid internship or full-time position by the time you complete the program.

While securing an internship or full-time job is certainly our goal, we cannot guarantee that you will receive an offer from a title sponsor or any company. However, you can take comfort in knowing that the effort you put into the fellowship will directly influence your outcomes. Since 2020, we have successfully helped over 1,000 athletes find positions at top companies. Check out some of our recent "free agent signings" to see their success stories.

Great question! Companies that sponsor each MAP fellowship are committed to the growth, development, and skill enhancement of the student-athlete community. They demonstrate this commitment by sponsoring both phases of their specific fellowship.

Being a Title Sponsor for Phase 1 ("Regular Season") of a fellowship means that all three mock interviews our Fellows participate in during this phase are tailored to specific roles at the Title Sponsor's company. This helps build brand awareness and allows our athletes to become more comfortable aligning their interview answers with the specific roles and values of these companies. For example, Guggenheim is our Fall Diamond League Title Sponsor, so our 2025 Fall Diamond League Fellows will simulate interviews for the "Summer 2026 Investment Banking Analyst" position at Guggenheim to sharpen their skills.

Sponsoring Phase 2 ("Playoffs") is somewhat more straightforward. Our Title Sponsors work with our Student Support Team to develop a dynamic case study that involves a unique business problem specific to their company. Athletes then pair up in teams to solve that case study and ultimately present their final recommendations live, virtually, to leaders at that company, culminating their fellowship experience.