Downtown Academy Class X Application
Applications are Now Closed
Before applying, please review the Class X Syllabus to review program requirements and fees.
About Downtown Academy
Fresno’s Leading Young Professionals established Downtown Academy in 2010 to answer the question: how do we make Downtown Fresno a vibrant place to live and work? In 2016, the Downtown Fresno Partnership and Fresno’s Leading Young Professionals joined forces to make the program even bigger and better. This year, the program enters its 10th cohort with well over 200 graduating members.
So, what is Downtown Academy? Downtown Academy is a 9-month award-winning collaborative program designed to connect key business, government, and community leaders with forward-thinking young professionals to explore Downtown Fresno, how we got here and where we’re headed. Downtown Academy is exclusively offered to members of Fresno’s Leading Young Professionals.
Downtown Academy received the 2016 Leadership & Management Excellence Award from the International Downtown Association and has been referred to by former Fresno mayor, Ashley Swearengin, as “one of the best programs to come out of the revitalization movement”.
Program Goals
- A class curriculum that explores the complexities of urban renewal.
- An overnight field trip to other cities to help visualize successful revitalization strategies.
- Completion of volunteer hours and a group project that directly advance revitalization efforts.
- Become a downtown champion, and member of a tight-knit group that supports vibrancy, innovation, advocacy, and partnerships in our downtown!
Program Timeline
- June 13th, 2022: August 9th, 2022: Application Cycle Open
- August 11th, 2022: Class X List Announced
- Late August, 2022: May, 2023: Program
- August 26th, 2022: Class X Agreement signed and submitted *updated*
- September 8th, 2022: First Day of Class
- May 2023: Graduation