This article was written by a former TechCongress Fellow otherwise unaffiliated with this website.

TechCongress allows people with STEM degrees or other technical backgrounds to get first-hand policy experience by serving for 10-12 months in the US Congress (the “Hill”) in Washington DC. Fellows support tech policy in Congress, serving as policy advisors to members of Congress of both parties in areas including AI, cybersecurity, privacy, defense technology, election security, and more. 

TechCongress has both a mid-career program—the 12-month Senior Congressional Innovation Fellowship—and an early-career program—the 10-month Congressional Innovation Fellowship. The two programs are very similar and differ only in their duration, experience requirements, and stipend, as explained below.

The applications for both tracks open in July, close in August, and the fellowships begin that coming January.

Why you should consider the TechCongress Fellowship

TechCongress is a prestigious program designed to place individuals with technical backgrounds in the US Congress to serve as policy advisors. Since its founding in 2015, TechCongress has placed over 100 fellows with members of Congress and various committees, offering a rare opportunity to directly work in tech policy and legislation.

The fellowship is a great opportunity to test your fit for policy work and develop your public service career. It serves as a pipeline into roles on the Hill (see our full list of congressional fellowships), in the executive branch, in think tanks, or in civil society and public interest technology. 

TechCongress is nonpartisan and has placed fellows with many notable members such as Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senators Tim Scott, Elizabeth Warren, Tom Cotton, Amy Klobuchar, and Representative Darrell Issa, as well as committees like the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and the Senate Commerce Committee.

Eligibility

TechCongress requires all fellows to: 

• Be a US citizen, legal permanent resident, or dreamer (i.e. DACA recipients).
• Relocate to Washington DC for the fellowship. Remote participation is not possible.

Desired qualities for all fellows include:

• Experience in the technology sector, excellent communication skills, and technical ability.
• Ability to explain complex technology concepts to non-technical audiences.
• Proven track record of initiative and collaboration.
• Preparedness for a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
• Professional experience working in technology. There is not necessarily a need to come from formal training in a computer science or engineering degree. 
• Commitment to continuing in public policy or public interest technology.

Given the focus on tech policy, most TechCongress fellows have STEM degrees, though this is not a hard requirement. Technical work experience—for example, as a software engineer in a tech company—and a demonstrated interest in technology can compensate for lacking relevant formal credentials.

While the base requirements for all fellows are the same, the two fellowship tracks have different experience requirements. 

Senior Congressional Innovation Fellows must have:

• Minimum of eight years of work or postgraduate study.

Congressional Innovation Fellows must have:

• Two to six years of professional experience, or recent graduates of a technical degree program with some work or graduate experience.
• Applicants can apply while still in the process of completing a graduate degree, provided it is projected to end by the start date of the fellowship. 
• Recent graduates with Bachelor’s degrees with no work experience are not eligible.

Fellowship structure and experience

Structure and timelines

All fellows regardless of their track complete the same processes; the only differences between the tracks are the level of experience required, salary, and end date:

	Duration	Experience required	Stipend (2024)
Congressional Innovation Fellowship	10 months	2-6 years of experience	$70,000/year
Senior Congressional Innovation Fellowship	12 months	Minimum 8 years of experience	$93,000/year

The fellowship consists of four broad phases: orientation, placement, congressional work, and alumni. TechCongress requires fellows to be located in DC, including for orientation.

1. Orientation begins in January and is three weeks long. Fellows participate in workshops to learn about policymaking in Congress, including learning about: the legislative process, House and Senate floor procedures, committee jurisdiction and processes, memo writing, and oversight letters and investigations. Fellows also meet with civil society groups, tech policy leaders, and other stakeholders to understand the landscape.
2. Placement is another three weeks. TechCongress helps fellows connect and meet with Member offices and committees to find their placement. This involves leveraging alumni networks, TechCongress’ existing relationships with offices, and fellows’ individual efforts in reaching out to offices. The TechCongress leadership and alumni all provide support, through check-ins and mentoring, to ensure that the fellows are on track and find the right fit. Placement times vary, but no fellow has ever failed to find a placement. 
3. Congressional work in a host office or committee begins after the placement period and constitutes the main part of the fellowship. For Senior fellows, this lasts for 12 months; for early-career fellows, this lasts for 10 months. During this time, TechCongress organizes regular check-ins and events. The staff is available for support throughout the entire fellowship. Towards the end, TechCongress provides career coaching and facilitates conversations on next steps. 
4. Alumni form an active and supportive community. They can participate in events, give advice to future fellows, and stay engaged through the active fellowship Slack.

Where can you work in Congress? 

TechCongress allows you to work in any personal office or committee of either party, both in the Senate and the House of Representatives. See this full list of offices and committees where fellows have served.

One limitation is that some committees working on national security or intelligence topics require security clearances and may be reluctant to host fellows; TechCongress cannot sponsor new clearances.

What type of work do you do during your placement?

All fellows are embedded in an office, and often report directly to a senior staffer such as a Chief of Staff or Staff Director. Congress is often compared to a collection of 535 different start ups: each office has its own structures, workflow, and priorities. Thus, each fellow’s experience is going to be different. But, broadly, fellows will act as a policy advisor and perform duties similar to other congressional staff, including:

• “Researching relevant policymaking (on issues like cyber and election security, data and biometric privacy, AI policy, autonomous vehicle regulations, health IT, encryption, disinformation, and many others).
• Helping educate Members and staff about these issues.
• Writing legislation.
• Preparing for and organizing Committee hearings, markups, or investigations.
• Building coalitions with partners and other groups.”

Some specific examples of past work include:

• “Changing defense procurement rules to allow startups to better compete for contracts
• Helping draft the House Judiciary Committee’s Antitrust Subcommittee report on tech monopolies
• Advising the House Modernization Committee’s recommendations to make Congress more responsive and effective
• Helping pass the OPEN Government Data Act into law
• Raising the level of tech policy discussion in Congress, including around artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and tech procurement”

What are the salary and benefits?

As of 2024, Senior Congressional Innovation Fellows receive an annual $93,000 stipend. Congressional Innovation Fellows receive the equivalent of an annual $70,000 stipend during the 10-month program ($5,833/mo.). All fellows receive health insurance, relocation, travel, initial housing, and clothing benefits. 

The full salary and benefits are:

• $93,000/year (Senior Innovation Fellow) or $70,000/year stipend (Innovation Fellow)
• Health insurance supplement of up to $425/month
• Relocation allowance of up to $2,000
• Travel allowance of up to $2,000
• Reimbursement of up to $2,000 for accommodation for the first month of the fellowship in the Washington DC area to ease the transition
• A $500 clothing allowance for purchases of professional attire

What are professional development opportunities?

During the fellowship, fellows gain valuable first-hand work experience in Congress, learning about and participating in the legislative process. 

Additionally, the fellowship provides mentorship, a strong alumni network, and regular events for the fellows with stakeholders across tech policy. Fellows have a $2,000 professional development stipend, which can be used for purposes such as attending conferences and completing courses. TechCongress also provides a career coach to prepare fellows for their job search after program completion. 

The networking events are not only available to current fellows, but also to alumni. The alumni network is highly active, both in person and on Slack.

What are (government) opportunities after the fellowship?

Fellows tend to follow a few different tracks after the program: stay on the Hill, work elsewhere in the US government, work for civil society / nonprofit / think tanks, go into the private sector in a policy oriented role, or pursue a (further) graduate degree. Roughly one third of fellows stay in government, a third works for civil society organizations and think tanks, and a third goes into industry. 

Some examples of previous post-fellowship opportunities included jobs with offices in Congress, the ACLU, the Department of State, the Center for Democracy and Technology, Schmidt Futures, Upturn, the Foundation for American Innovation, and many more. TechCongress provides support for fellows interested in staying on the Hill or transitioning to the executive branch.

Can I do work that is relevant to emerging technology policy?

Yes! TechCongress is focused on compute-driven technologies, including AI, cyber security, disinformation, election security, privacy, and defense technology. Topics such as biotech, energy, or nuclear generally fall outside of TechCongress’ scope.

What are potential downsides of the fellowship?

As outlined in our Congress guide, working on the Hill is not for everyone. For example, it can be very fast-paced, require high social and networking skills, be very communication centric, and, of course, political. If you enjoy more independent projects, technical work, or academic research, Congress might not be the best fit. But, as explained above, each congressional office is different, so you might be able to find an office that can better accommodate your preferences and style of work. 

TechCongress is an excellent opportunity to contribute to and understand US tech policy. Other congressional fellowships—such as the Horizon Fellowship and AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowship—are structurally similar and offer comparable benefits (though unlike TechCongress, both Horizon and AAAS may allow fellows to renew for a second fellowship year).

Becoming a TechCongress Fellow

What does the application process involve?

While official application statistics aren’t published, the TechCongress applications are very competitive.

The application opens once a year and the multi-step selection process takes around two months. The first stage is an online application that includes: essays on a candidate’s qualifications and motivation, a tech policy memo, a resume, and the contact for two references. Letters of recommendation are not required. 

After the first review of applications, candidates will be invited to a 20-minute interview. If they progress, the candidates will undergo a 45-minute second round interview and the references will be contacted. 

Applications tips

 This page includes helpful application tips and videos, including an official TechCongress “application 101” and a recorded workshop on the policy essay, including a list of “do’s and don’ts”.

Since TechCongress is designed to be a stepping stone into government roles, it helps to come in with a clear idea of how this fellowship will directly lead to your next career step. It’s also helpful to have a good sense of the key policy developments on the Hill, especially in tech policy, and where you might want to be placed.

Some tips for the policy essay in the application include (the linked page includes more advice):

• “Do think of specific policy matters. For example, instead of just talking about AI broadly, you can specifically talk about the use of AI as it relates to the use of facial recognition in law enforcement.
• Do make a specific recommendation. Is there a regulation that could be adopted? Is there a bill that you would advice a member to co-sponsor?
• Do take advantage of the word count allotted. We want to see a developed investigation into a policy issue.
• Don’t write a short description. Aim to provide background information, state the problem, and provide specific recommendations.”

What qualities does the fellowship look for?

The fellowship website highlights several qualities that the program selects for: 

• “Potential for leadership in technology policy.
• Professional achievements and technical ability.
• Commitment to building a diverse and cross-sector technology policy ecosystem.
• Potential for future growth and career advancement.
• Interpersonal, communication and “tech-translation” skills.
• Individual plans for incorporating the fellowship experience into specific career goals.”

Appendix: Helpful resources

• TechCongress podcast featuring interviews with past fellows on their experience. 
• Tips and videos about the application process
• A Reddit Q&A with Travis Moore, the founder and Executive Director of TechCongress
• The TechCongress Policy Opportunities for Technologists newsletter, which compiles tech policy job opportunities.

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