Civic tech

Civic tech-relevant policy fellowships

The following fellowship programs are especially relevant for civic tech and policy: 

1. US Digital Corps – a 2-year full-time executive branch fellowship for early-career technologists.
2. Presidential Innovation Fellowship – a 1-2 year full-time executive branch fellowship for mid-to-senior-level technology experts.
3. Just Tech Fellowship – a 2-year fellowship for “diverse and cross-sector cohorts of practitioners to imagine and create more just, equitable, and representative technological futures. Fellows have committed to identifying and challenging injustices emerging from new technologies and pursuing solutions that advance social, political, and economic rights.”
4. FUSE Corps – a 1-year executive fellowship for experienced professionals in city and county agencies aiming to accelerate systems change and reduce racial disparities.
5. Civic Tech Institute (Equitech Futures) – a 10-week program for recent graduates and early-career professionals working in governments, nonprofits, and social enterprises.
6. Coding it Forward Fellowship – a paid, 10-week summer opportunity for early-career technologists to innovate in local, state, and federal government offices.
7. Paragon Fellowship – a part-time (5 hours/week) fellowship aiming to “connect students with opportunities in the science and tech policy space [by] researching and writing a policy brief on key issues for their state and local governments”.
8. Siegel Public Interest Technology Summer Fellowship (Princeton University) – an 8-10 week paid technology policy summer internship with a government agency or nonprofit for rising juniors and seniors interested in technology policy.
9. xD Emerging Technology Fellowship (US Census Bureau) – annual fellowship for mid-career technologists to work on technical topics for the US Census Bureau
10. Community Fellowship Program (Code for America) (unclear if this program is still active) – puts technologists in local government positions to help make digital government work.
11. Science & Technology Policy Fellowship (Aspen Tech Policy Hub) – a full-time, paid, three-week program teaching science and technology professional about policy
12. Equitech Scholars Program (Equitech Futures) – an 8-week technical “program for current undergraduates from all disciplines who want to learn how to use cutting-edge technology tools in data science and artificial intelligence to tackle societal challenges” involving “cohort-based classes, mentorship, and networking opportunities”
13. Ford Foundation Technology Fellowship (unclear if this program is still active) – hires technologists to assist in Ford’s grantmaking programs.
14. Media Democracy Fund Public Interest Technology Fellowships (unclear if this program is still active)
    1. Ford/MDF Technology Exchange Matching Fund – creates opportunities for emerging technology leaders around the world to gain experience working with civil society organizations on public interest tech issues.
    2. PhDX: Talent for the 21st Century – a fellowship program designed to pair graduate or PhD level university students with a background in technology with DC-based public interest technology policy organizations for an immersive fellowship experience over two consecutive summers.
15. Mozilla Foundation Fellowships
    1. Open Web Fellowship (unclear if this program is still active) – fellows work in the realm of public interest technology, addressing issues like privacy, security, and inclusion online. These open web activists embed at leading human rights and civil society organizations around the world, lending their technical expertise.
    2. Tech + Society Fellowship – fellows are embedded with local organizations to create a ‘third space’ where key civil society organizations and tech-focused individuals address issues at the intersection of technology and society.
16. Cornell University Public Interest Tech Impact Fellowships
    1. PiTech Runway Startup Postdoc – a paid opportunity for PhDs from anywhere in the world. Fellows join the Jacobs Institute’s Runway program to develop and apply their expertise on behalf of the public interest through the creation of a non-profit or a social-purpose startup.
    2. Siegel PiTech Impact Fellowship for PhD Students – provides Cornell University doctoral students with project matching and direct financial support as they embed within a community, NGO, foundation, or public sector organization.
    3. Siegel PiTech Impact Fellowship for Faculty – supports U.S.-based computer science and engineering faculty who are seeking to pursue a public interest tech venture or initiative during their sabbatical/leave.

General science and technology policy fellowships potentially relevant to civic tech:

1. AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowships (American Association for the Advancement of Science) – a 12-month fellowship in DC with four separate tracks, that places fellows within the executive branch, judicial branch, legislative branch, or in a nonprofit. The fellowship is for individuals with a doctoral-level degree.
2. TechCongress Congressional Innovation Fellowship (TechCongress) – a 10-12 month full-time fellowship for early and mid-career professionals involving placements with a Member of Congress or a Congressional Committee
3. Emerging Scholars in Technology Policy (Princeton University, Center for Information Technology Policy) – a 2-year tech policy research position with coursework and mentoring
4. Horizon Fellowship (Horizon Institute for Public Service) – a 6-24 month full-time US emerging technology policy fellowship facilitating job placements in the US executive branch, Congress, and think tanks for early- and mid-career individuals. (Note that the Horizon Fellowship and this website are both projects of the Horizon Institute.)