Transforming Government from the Inside Out

Code for America is now accepting applications for the 2019 Community Fellowship! Last year, we officially re-launched our fellowship model to create conditions where change can “stick” and transform government from the inside out. Rather than send tech talent to another location, we shifted to supporting local technologists who are already invested in their communities. The Community Fellowship program pairs members of the Code for America Brigade Network with their local governments to improve service delivery for the people who need them most — the community’s most vulnerable residents.

With the Community Fellowship, we are giving invested community members an opportunity to experience what it’s really like to work in government — and giving government a chance to see what it’s like to have tech talent on staff. In the inaugural Fellowship year, we saw incredibly promising results — both from the projects themselves as well as their resonance with our government partners, the Brigade Network, and the Code for America team. 2018 projects focused on affordable housing in Austin , equitable transportation access in Honolulu, improving San Jose’s 311 services by ensuring that they are accessible to even the most vulnerable residents, and an open data dashboard to analyze outcomes in Asheville along racial lines, and give that information to the community.

 

We are looking for Brigade members with a variety of skill sets, including developers, designers, procurement experts, policy wonks, product managers, researchers, and more. What are the requirements? You need to live in the city in which you plan to work, you need an established government partner, and you need to be willing to commit to a six month Fellowship. All active Code for America Brigade members are eligible to apply. If you’re not currently a Brigade member, and would like to apply, please join a Brigade . If there’s no Brigade near you, and you have government partnership and a strong project in mind, we might be able to help you start a Brigade .

“I am so happy I had the chance to participate in this Fellowship! I met so many amazing people, deepened my understanding of the city and the local government that keeps it running, and got to be part of building an application that has the potential to change people’s lives. Not something you get to experience every day!” — 2018 Fellow Britney Lyons, Austin, TX

Community Fellows will be embedded within their local government (either as temporary employees or independent contractors with Code for America) to work on improving service delivery to underserved people in the area. If you’re interested in learning more about the Fellowship, we encourage you to review some of our most frequently asked questions about the program. We also recommend that you take a look at these sample questions from the Fellowship application. While these may not be the final questions, they will help you frame your project in a way that’s most applicable to what we’re looking for.

Along with the hands-on experience of working in government, Fellows will have valuable opportunities to learn from others in the public interest technology space. Fellows participate in a mentorship program with talented civic technologists, and enjoy complimentary travel to keystone events such as Code for America Summit, Brigade Congress, a closing ceremony at Code for America’s San Francisco office, and more!