W.K. Kellogg Foundation and IREX Launch Alumni Catalyst to Extend the Impact of Fellowship Programs

The next advance in the Impact Fellowships Network will help fellowship providers keep alumni connected, strengthen shared systems, and turn leadership development into lasting community impact.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The W.K. Kellogg Foundation and IREX today announced the launch of Alumni Catalyst, a new initiative to strengthen alumni engagement, collaboration, and measurable impact across fellowship programs worldwide. With support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Alumni Catalyst will help IREX pilot practical tools, learning opportunities, and cross-program connections that enable fellowship providers to sustain alumni networks and extend the value of leadership development into communities.

Alumni Catalyst builds on IREX's leadership in fellowships and represents the next advance in the Impact Fellowships Network (IFN), a global community of more than 850 fellowship professionals. IFN brings together implementers, funders, researchers, and practitioners to strengthen how fellowship programs develop leaders, support alumni, and translate learning into long-term community and systems change.

The initiative addresses a critical challenge for philanthropy and social impact organizations: fellowship programs often create transformative experiences, but many need stronger systems to keep alumni connected, active, and visible over time. Alumni Catalyst will help close that gap by connecting alumni across programs, reducing duplication, and strengthening evidence about what drives lasting impact.

Over the next two years, Alumni Catalyst will pilot alumni engagement mapping, practical toolkits, learning and networking opportunities, an Alumni Advisory Council, and select in-person convenings. The initiative is designed to complement existing alumni efforts while generating models that fellowship programs can adapt across geographies, missions, and sectors.

The launch builds on field-wide learning led by IREX and its partners, including the Fellowship Alumni Network Survey (FANS) and the IFN 2026 Impact Study. Alumni Catalyst will turn those insights into practical resources, stronger collaboration, and shared services that help fellowship programs sustain impact after formal programming ends.

"The W.K. Kellogg Foundation is proud to support Alumni Catalyst because it builds on outstanding results and helps redefine what long-term fellowship impact can look like," said Xiomara Enriquez, Leadership Programs Officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. "IREX has created a trusted global community of fellowship practitioners and a strong evidence base for keeping leaders connected, supported, and engaged. Alumni Catalyst will extend that impact, so the skills and commitments developed through fellowships continue to benefit communities for years to come."

"We are grateful to the W.K. Kellogg Foundation for its generous support and deep commitment to programs that help people learn, lead, and thrive," said Aleksander Dardeli, President and CEO of IREX. "Around the world, fellowship alumni are strengthening institutions, bridging divides, and creating opportunity in their communities. With the Foundation's partnership, IREX can help the field build stronger alumni systems, turn evidence into action, and extend the benefits of leadership development worldwide."

Together, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and IREX are helping fellowship providers move from isolated alumni engagement efforts to a stronger, more connected global community. By equipping programs with practical tools, evidence, and new opportunities for collaboration, Alumni Catalyst will help alumni continue applying their skills, strengthening institutions, and advancing progress in the communities they serve.

About the W.K. Kellogg Foundation

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, founded in 1930 as an independent, private foundation by breakfast cereal innovator and entrepreneur Will Keith Kellogg, is among the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States. Guided by the belief that all children should have an equal opportunity to thrive, the foundation works with communities to create conditions that support thriving children, working families, and equitable communities. Learn more at wkkf.org.

About IREX

IREX: International Research & Exchanges Board is a forward-looking global solutions provider that partners with communities, governments, institutions, funders, donors, and businesses to empower people to learn, lead, and thrive. IREX delivers evidence-informed approaches that help leaders bridge divides, learners succeed in the world of work, and people thrive in a technology-, AI-, and data-driven world. Learn more at irex.org.

Media Contacts:
W.K. Kellogg Foundation Media Relations, [email protected] 
James Mahoney, IREX Director, Brand Marketing and Strategic Communications, 4 [email protected] | +1.202.247.9401

SOURCE IREX: International Research & Exchanges Board