O2 SABBATICAL AWARD

REIGNITE YOUR PURPOSE. EMPOWER YOUR TEAM.

The O2 Sabbatical Award honors dedicated Bay Area nonprofit executive directors with an essential break for rest and renewal. Sabbaticals recharge executive directors and empower leadership throughout an organization. The result is stronger and more resilient teams better prepared to partner with their communities to create positive change.

O2 AWARDEE SPOTLIGHTS

Regina Jackson & Selena Wilson

Former & Current CEO, East Oakland Youth Development Center

“Ms. Regina’s commitment to cultivating the next generation of leaders, and the opportunity her O2 sabbatical provided, played an instrumental role in preparing me for my dream job as CEO of the East Oakland Youth Development Center.” – Selena Wilson

Kimberly Aceves-Iñiguez

Co-Founder & Executive Director, RYSE Center

“I learned that I am more than my job and title, and to treat myself the same way I treat my team—with patience, love, and space to heal and renew.”

José Quiñonez

CEO, Mission Asset Fund

“I am ever so grateful for the gift of time to unplug from work. After 90 days, I came back ready and energized for the next round. I found my second wind.”

Villy Wang

Founder, President & CEO, BAYCAT

“The sabbatical and O2 peer network were such an important part of our journey toward creating more distributed leadership at BAYCAT.”

Rebecca Rolfe

Executive Director, San Francisco LGBT Center

“What the sabbatical opened up for me is the ability to approach and experience work differently. This is extraordinarily helpful as we continue our growth as an organization, which requires a very different focus from me as a leader.”

Patrick Dooley

Artistic Director, Shotgun Players

“As the founding Artistic Director of Shotgun Players, I had been living and breathing every granular detail of our nearly 30-year existence. The sabbatical was the radical interruption I needed to step back and reimagine my life. This summer I’m starting a campaign to fund our own sabbatical program so others can experience this same opportunity!”

SABBATICAL GRANT AWARD

$50,000

FOR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S THREE-MONTH SABBATICAL

$15,000

FOR INTERIM LEADERS & STAFF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

COACHING

BEFORE, DURING & AFTER SABBATICAL

O2 PEER NETWORK

DEEP ENGAGEMENT WITH O2 SABBATICAL ALUMNI

TIMELINE

APPLICATION PERIOD OPENS

SUMMER 2025

APPLICATION SUBMISSION DEADLINE

AUGUST, 2025

NOTIFICATION OF APPLICATION STATUS

MID-NOVEMBER, 2025

FINALIST SITE VISITS & INTERVIEWS

JANUARY 2026

ANNOUNCEMENT OF AWARDS

FEBRUARY 2026

ORIENTATION FOR AWARDEES

MARCH 2026

SABBATICAL START DATE

BY FEBRUARY 1, 2027

ABOUT O2 INITIATIVES

Since 2015, O2 Initiatives has awarded 46 exceptional executive directors and the organizations they lead with sabbatical opportunities. We are committed to investing in Bay Area changemakers who are strengthening their communities and creating innovative solutions to our toughest challenges.