Business Services:
Advance Cohort Program
The Advance Cohort Program is a ten-month, cohort-based learning experience designed for entrepreneurs, small business owners, and nonprofit leaders navigating shifts in federal, state, and local procurement and changing funding environments. The program integrates structured workshops, individualized coaching, applied assignments, and ecosystem mapping to strengthen internal systems, clarify growth strategies, and prepare organizations for long-term sustainability. Participants will also receive monthly coaching as part of their experience.
Advance is grounded in Leadership Montgomery’s cross-sector approach to leadership, focused on helping participants make high-stakes decisions in the face of disruption. The program emphasizes practical application, accountability, and understanding how choices related to funding, strategy, and partnerships impact both individual organizations and the broader ecosystem.
The curriculum moves participants from assessment and strategic clarity to system strengthening, procurement readiness, and funding and financing strategies, culminating in a finalized strategic or business plan supported by peer learning and expert guidance.
Cohort Fee: $50/ per person
Applications for the Advance Program are due May 20, 2026
About Advance
Session Topics:
Session 1: Launching Together: Orientation and Foundation
Session 2: Designing Your Path Forward
Session 3: Build a Financial Backbone
Session 4: Strengthening Operations and Accountability
Session 5: Storytelling and Reach
Session 6: Expanding Impact and Partnerships
Session 7: Digital Transformation
Session 8: Strategic Procurement Pathways and Readiness
Session 9: Funding, Financing, and Resource Development
Session 10: Program Completion and Plan Presentation
Session Dates:
May 27, 2026
June 23, 2026
July 21, 2026
August 25, 2026
September 29, 2026
October 27, 2026
November 24, 2026
December 15, 2026
January 12, 2027
February 23, 2027
All sessions are from 8:30 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. at Leadership Montgomery | 6010 Executive Blvd., Suite 200 | Rockville, MD | 20852
Applications for the Advance Program are due May 20, 2026
Why Now
Federal changes are having a cascading and rippling effect on how organizations operate, grow, and remain viable. For entrepreneurs, small businesses, and nonprofit leaders alike, this moment demands clear decisions about where to focus, which opportunities to pursue, and how to align strategy with capacity.
Advance is designed to help participants make these decisions now, through strengthening systems, testing assumptions, and translating strategy into action.
Who should Apply?
Advance uses an applied, practitioner-led instructional model. Sessions emphasize
- Decision-making under uncertainty
- Practical tools and frameworks
- Cross-sector peer learning is intentionally designed to surface different assumptions, constraints, and decision logics across business, nonprofit, and public-sector environments.
- Integration across strategy, finance, operations, procurement, and resource development
Participants are expected to actively engage, complete assignments between sessions, and contribute to the cohort’s collective learning.
Participant Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, a participant will be able to:
- Analyze their organization’s current business or operating model and identify risks and opportunities related to procurement and funding shifts
- Strengthen financial, operational, and compliance systems that support stability and growth
- Assess procurement readiness and identify appropriate federal, state, or local opportunities
- Develop partnerships and strategic alliances to support expansion and resilience
- Articulate a clear growth or sustainability strategy grounded in data and market realities
- Leverage Montgomery County’s business and nonprofit ecosystem more effectively
- Present a cohesive strategic or business plan aligned with near- and mid-term goals