What are you doing to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the Fellowship community?

We believe that the health and safety of our community comes first, which is why we decided to transition the Fellowship to an entirely virtual opportunity—starting with this past summer’s cohort. Therefore, there is no expectation that Fellows will meet in-person or travel.



Are opportunities available for international students or non-U.S. citizens?

If you are ineligible to apply to the Fellowship, we encourage you to subscribe to our newsletter and join our Facebook group to learn about other opportunities that are open to citizens and non-citizens alike. We also recommend checking out the First Act Fund, our funding opportunity which is open to individuals of all citizenships.



I have interdisciplinary skills. Can I apply to multiple roles?

Fellows have the opportunity to wear many hats over the course of the Fellowship and often use many different skill sets depending on agency, position, and project. As a result, there is only one application—and all members of our cohort are referred to as “Civic Digital Fellows.”



Will I get to choose which government agencies I am considered for?

No, we do the matching for applicants and host agencies. Fellowship placement is ultimately based on your skillset, interests, and the needs of the agency. If you have a particular background that you feel is relevant to the matching process, you are encouraged to include it in your application.



Can I start late or end early?

Due to security clearance and onboarding procedures, we are unable to change the Fellowship start or end dates. If you are a quarter-system student, we’ll work with you and your institution to make arrangements so that you can start on time with the rest of your cohort.



How many Fellows will be accepted?

While we would love to offer a spot to all of our incredible applicants, we unfortunately have limited capacity. The Fellowship cohort has increased in size each summer—and our team expects continued growth in the coming years. However, since the Fall Fellowship is a new opportunity, we do not expect the cohort to be as large as prior ones.



Is the Civic Digital Fellowship offered in the fall or spring?

Fall 2020 will be our first time offering the Civic Digital Fellowship during the fall. There are currently no plans to offer the Fellowship in Spring 2021, but we plan on welcoming another cohort in Summer 2021.