Lead for America Fellow
The National Hometown Fellows (for all placements outside of North Carolina) is accepting rolling applications until 11:59 pm PST March 1st, 2019.
The Lead for North Carolina Ultimate Application deadline is 11:59 pm PST March 1, 2019
Who We Are
We believe that a single visionary leader rooted in humility can change a community. Many working together can transform our country.
Lead for America selects, trains, and places our nation’s most promising young leaders in two-year paid fellowships in local governments as a means of strengthening America’s public institutions and supporting our local communities.
Over the course of the two years, LFA Fellows will gain a new perspective and appreciation for local government, understand the most pressing issues facing our communities, be equipped with tools to enact communal and systemic change, establish relationships with partner universities and organizations, and gain opportunities to engage with a growing alumni network of passionate leaders, who together will continue to serve as transformational public service leaders in communities across the nation.
What We're Looking For
Lead for America places a particular emphasis on selecting and supporting Fellows who, beyond demonstrating integrity, resilience, and innovative thinking, see the fellowship as a means of continuing service to a community, particularly if that community currently struggles to attract and retain talent. For some Fellows that may be their hometown or college town; for others, it may be a community they have otherwise lived in, visited, or studied. In all cases, prospective Fellows must be able to articulate why they want to serve in a particular town, region, or state. Those who apply to be Hometown Fellows must be able to also demonstrate a strong personal connection to the desired host community.
Lead for North Carolina Fellows vs. Hometown Fellows
Lead for America offers two fellowship tracks: Lead for North Carolina and Hometown Fellows. Lead for North Carolina Fellows will be matched with a local city or county government office in North Carolina. In addition, these Fellows will receive 5 weeks of training at the 2019 Lead for America Summer Institute at UNC-Chapel Hill to prepare them for their work in local governance.
With support from Lead for America, Hometown Fellows will secure a position with local governments inside or outside North Carolina in communities to which they already have a strong personal connection: this could include the place where they grew up, where they went to college, or a community where they otherwise have other strong ties. Hometown Fellows will also receive extensive training, with the length and nature of the training dependent on the placement site. LFA staff will reach out to all Hometown Fellow semifinalists to discuss the collaborative process of securing placement sites. Both Lead for North Carolina and Hometown Fellows will attend a one week conference in summer 2019 in Washington, D.C., and will receive parallel support structures, fellowship experiences, and alumni benefits.
Eligibility Guidelines
- Be a US Citizen, Permanent Resident, or DACA Recipient.
- If in college, be on track to earn undergraduate degree by July 2019, and if graduated, have earned undergraduate degree in 2016 or later.
If you have any questions, please see our FAQ page, or reach out to the Lead for America team at fellowship@lead4america.org.