The ACC Experience

Below are basic eligibility guidelines for candidates considering the National Hometown Fellowship: 1. Be a U.S. Citizen, National, or Lawful Permanent Resident. 2. Possess a high school diploma or GED equivalent. 3. Be able to make a full-time commitment (the fellowship is full-time). 4. Will not hold full-time employment during the fellowship. Other obligations should not interfere with the normal programming of the fellowship (i.e. 40 hours/week placement, trainings). 5. Will not be enrolled in a full-time Undergraduate or Professional degree program during the fellowship and agree to maintain full healthcare coverage during the entirety of the fellowship recognizing LFA provides reimbursements for certain eligible healthcare premiums. 6. Have not already served four (4) or more AmeriCorps and/or VISTA terms. (AmeriCorps/VISTA members can not serve more than four terms. If you have served four terms, we, unfortunately, cannot continue with your application) Take the Fellowship Eligibility Quiz to find if you are eligible for the Fellowship.

Due to federal eligibility requirements of our AmeriCorps grant, Lead for America may only accept U.S. citizens, nationals, or legal permanent residents for admission into the Fellowship. Unfortunately, this means that at the present moment, DACA recipients and OPT students are not eligible for the Fellowship.

The National Hometown Fellowship is a launching pad for a career in public leadership. As such, the vast majority of our Fellows are recent graduates and young professionals, and much of our programming is geared towards this stage in one's professional career. That said, we are simply looking for dynamic and passionate leaders who want to inject energy into, and give back to the community where they have strong ties. We welcome candidates of all ages, so if this program sounds like a good fit for you, feel free to apply today!

The Fellowship experience is very intense and LFA expects Fellows to focus as much of their time as possible on impacting their communities. Fellows typically do not hold simultaneous employment or have academic responsibilities. However, we understand that each individual's situation is unique and welcome candidates letting us know of their circumstances so that our team can discuss with them whether the Fellowship is a good fit given the situation. Ultimately, Fellows are committed to serving in their roles for roughly 40 hours per week and attending all LFA retreats and trainings. Fellows must get approval from the LFA staff and their host organization if additional employment or education affects their Fellowship obligations.

Lead For America works to build stronger communities for everyone by cultivating locally rooted, transformational leaders. We believe that in order to enact transformational change, leaders must make a long-term commitment to the places they serve. That is why we look for Fellows who are passionate about a given place. While this place doesn't necessarily need to be where the applicant grew up (although this certainly contributes to a strong application), the applicant does need to make a compelling case for why they are profoundly connected to the community and why they see themselves serving that place over the course of their career. Over time, this commitment might evolve to serving their county, region, state, or even the nation as a whole, but this service must always be rooted in proximity to the communities that they know best. A significant majority of current Fellows grew up in the community or nearby region where they serve, but some Fellows went to college or spent at least a few years living in their desired community, and in rare cases, Fellows built a deeply rooted relationship with their host community through past internships or strong family ties. All Fellows have strong personal connections to their host region and equally strong desire to serve that region after the Fellowship. Note that candidates for host led positions with LFA’s state affiliates can apply to serve any community in the state, as long as they have a strong commitment to serve the state long term.

In general, Fellows who join either through the applicant-led or host-led application process are all National Hometown Fellows and enjoy the same benefits and experiences (see Fellow Roadmap here). The difference lies in the application process. The applicant-led process is a “create-your-own'' Fellowship model. Applicant-led candidates are asked to brainstorm potential host organizations in the community they hope to serve. If selected as an Endorsed Finalist, applicant-led candidates receive support from LFA staff to identify, communicate with, and ultimately match with a host organization. Once a host organization has been secured, the candidate, LFA staff, and the host organization collectively create a project scope. Candidates are then officially members of the upcoming Fellowship cohort. The host-led process is more structured. Somewhat the opposite of the applicant-led Fellowship, host-led opportunities become available when an organization requests a Fellow to help them tackle a specific project scope in a specific community. Once an applicant becomes an Endorsed Finalist, they will then interview with this host organization instead of trying to find their own host.

The deadline to submit an application for the applicant-led National Fellowship is March 25th, 2022. This is a rolling application, meaning candidates will be notified within 1-2 weeks on whether they have been selected to move forward in the application process. Every year, LFA announces host led Fellowship opportunities in which a host organization and project scope has already been confirmed in a specific community. These opportunities will be announced in February 2022 and will have an application deadline of April 15th, 2022. Candidates for a host-led opportunity will be notified during the week of April 22nd if they have been selected to move forward. To learn more about the application process, please visit the Candidate Hub.

The deadline to submit an application for any host-led Fellowship placement is April 15th, 2022. This is NOT a rolling application, meaning that every candidate's application will be reviewed after the application deadline. Candidates can expect to hear back from the selection committee by April 18th, 2022 about next steps or with a notification that their application was not selected to move forward. To learn more about the application process, please visit the Candidate Hub.

Lead For America has two different Fellowship tracks: applicant-led and host-led. For applicant-led placements, candidates apply to serve any community in the country where they have a strong personal tie. This Fellowship operates on a rolling admission cycle, so the time from submitting an application to becoming an Endorsed Finalist takes roughly one month. Once an Endorsed Finalist, a candidate then works with LFA staff to secure a host organization which can take roughly 4-6 weeks, but sometimes longer. For host-led placements, LFA has already secured a host organization and project scope. Candidates can start applying to these placements when they are released in mid-February, but won’t be notified if they are moving forward until after our application deadline on April 15th. After two rounds of interviews in May, all host led Fellows are selected by June 3rd, 2022. Ultimately, all selected Fellows begin their LFA journey on August 8th, 2022 when they begin the 12-day Summer Institute in Washington DC and then start their Fellowship placement on August 22nd, 2022. You can read more about the application process by visiting the Candidate Hub.

Lead For America knows that “home” can mean something different for everyone, especially for folks who have lived in multiple communities. For LFA, we most want to support you in staying or returning to a place that feels most like home to you, and where you see yourself serving in the long term. If this applies to multiple communities for you, please note that in your application.

Candidates for the National Fellowship (applicant-led) do not need to have secured or spoken to a potential host organization before applying. LFA staff works with applicant-led candidates to identify, contact, and secure a host organization alongside Endorsed Finalists after their Finalist Interview. While we cannot guarantee we will find a suitable host that aligns with our host criteria, we expect that a majority of applicant led Endorsed Finalists will ultimately match with a host. That being said, candidates can submit up to three (3) nominations before their finalist interview that come from members of their community. Nominations show that candidates are taking initiative about thinking of who their potential host organization could be and the type of impact they hope to make in your community. Nominations are optional, meaning they can only help your Fellowship candidacy, not hurt it. You can learn more about the nomination process by visiting the online Candidate Hub here.

Lead For America host organizations must be one of the following: government entities (e.g. city/municipal, county, tribal, regional commission) and nonprofits. We focus on Fellows securing a host organization that is locally focused, though statewide, regional, and national hosts that have a presence in a given community are possible host organization options. Hosts cannot have partisan affiliations. In addition, as a federal AmeriCorps program, there are prohibited activities LFA Fellows cannot participate in. You can view those here.

When submitting either the Fellowship Eligibility Quiz or the full application, candidates will receive a confirmation email with additional details. If you did not receive a confirmation email in your inbox or in your spam folder within 24 hours of submission, then email info@lead4america.org letting us know.

Lead For America receives hundreds of applications every year. Roughly one in every ten candidates is selected to join the upcoming Fellow cohort. For 2022, we plan to confirm 75-100 new Fellows from across the country.

Our Fellows are remarkable individuals who serve as catalysts for a revitalization of our country. All applicants are evaluated for 1) character and integrity; 2) leadership potential; 3) commitment to place; 4) commitment to a life of public service; 5) and commitment to bridge building. More specifically: - All Fellows are highly capable individuals who have previously demonstrated their capacity for leadership and impact. Moreover, they are deeply committed to place, specifically where they call “home.” Great candidates want to serve the communities that helped make them who they are, planning to make a long-term commitment so their success story can be a reality for others, too. - Fellows are innovative, hard working, and results-driven. Candidates are co-creators of their Fellowship experience, working with LFA and their host to shape their project scope, and in the case of applicant-led positions, identify potential host organizations and pitch the Fellowship to those possible hosts. This process requires a strong entrepreneurial spirit and willingness to share their vision of change. - Ideal candidates are willing and excited to work with and develop friendships with others, especially those who come from different backgrounds and hold different beliefs than themselves. - Ultimately, the ideal LFA Fellow is dedicated to becoming a transformative leader addressing the critical challenges in their community, state, and country for decades to come.

Because our mission is to build a leadership force of moral, dynamic, locally-rooted, and long-term committed leaders serving the communities they call home, we only place Fellows in communities they have strong connections to. This usually means that a Fellow was raised in that community (not necessarily born) and spent a significant amount of time in that community. This could also mean where a Fellow went to college, has strong family ties to, or a place where the Fellow lived for a significant portion of their lives. This is especially true for our applicant-led National Fellowship. For host-led Fellowships, candidates who feel strongly about serving their home-state are welcome to apply to placements that are outside of a community they have lived in. Fellows have served communities of all sizes — we have had Fellows serve in places as large as Los Angeles County and Detroit, Michigan to towns as small as Madison, West Virginia (pop: 3,000) and Monument Valley, Utah (pop: 1,000), and everything in between. For large metropolitan areas such communities like New York, New York or San Francisco, California, we look for candidates who want to tackle city-wide challenges within the smaller communities (e.g. neighborhoods, boroughs) of that city.

If you are applying for the applicant-led National Fellowship opportunity, then you will play a key role in the process of securing a host organization. During the Host Matching process, you and a member of the LFA Staff will work to identify three (3) potential host organizations in your community that best match with your passions and desired impact. Our team communicates with these potential host organizations to identify a host who will: 1) meet our rigorous standards for providing an outstanding mentorship experience 2) is able to provide the necessary financial contribution to fund the position; 3) is excited about working with you during the Fellowship year. In order to provide our offering of resources for your training, scholarship, and leadership development, we require that host organizations provide funding for your position. Due to this funding requirement, our host selection standards, and the hosts’ willingness to mentor the Fellow, this means that not every organization is able to host a Fellow and in some cases, Endorsed Finalists are unable to match with a host. In these cases, Endorsed Finalists are offered an opportunity to review our list of host-led Fellowship opportunities for a potential match. If you are applying for a host-led National Fellowship opportunity, then the host organization has already been identified ahead of time.

Lead For America sends many messages to potential candidates. If you received a message for LFA, you likely have demonstrated experience and/or a geographic match with one of our Fellowship opportunities. Our Fellowship program is highly selective, as roughly one out of every ten candidates becomes a Fellow. We also have a limited number of positions available each year, meaning that some great candidates may not ultimately be selected. We encourage many of our Finalists to apply for a future application cycle and/or reach out to our network of peer organizations who offer other opportunities to serve.

For Lead For America Fellows, the program lasts for nearly one full calendar year, including training. Training begins on August 8th, 2022, placements begin on August 22nd, and the placements conclude on July 22nd, 2023 before Fellowship Graduation in August, 2023. At the conclusion of the one-year Fellowship, Fellows join a network of leaders from across the country. The hope is that every Fellow views service as a lifelong commitment and stays connected to their LFA community just as long.

Our Fellowship begins with the LFA Summer Institute, a 12-day leadership summit and training which runs from August 8-20th, 2022. Fellows begin their Fellowship placements shortly after on August 22nd, 2022.

Lead for America has several affiliate programs that are either located in a specific region or address a specific challenge (view all here). No matter the program, Fellows in an affiliate have a very similar experience to Fellows who are not. All Fellows attend the LFA Changemaker Summit, get matched 1:1 with mentors, join their national cohort, and take part in all the other Fellow experiences (see Fellowship Roadmap here). Affiliate Fellows enjoy additional regional training, cohort meetups, and mentorship. Candidates residing in an affiliate region apply through the same application process as all other Fellows.

All LFA Fellows become AmeriCorps members upon joining the Fellowship. AmeriCorps is a federal national service program that offers incredible benefits alongside the benefits of being an LFA Fellow. While accumulating service or training hours, or otherwise performing activities supported by the AmeriCorps program or Lead For America, Fellows may not engage with certain prohibited activities as stated under AmeriCorps regulations. Listed below are a few examples of prohibited activities. For a full list, please contact a member of the Lead For America team or email us at: info@lead4america.org. Examples of prohibited activities: - Attempting to influence legislation; - Organizing or engaging in protests, petitions, boycotts, or strikes; - Engaging in partisan political activities, or other activities designed to influence the outcome of an election to any public office; - Participating in, or endorsing, events or activities that are likely to include advocacy for or against political parties, political platforms, political candidates, proposed legislation, or elected officials; - Engaging in religious instruction, conducting worship services, providing instruction as part of a program that includes mandatory religious instruction or worship, constructing or operating facilities devoted to religious instruction or worship, maintaining facilities primarily or inherently devoted to religious instruction or worship, or engaging in any form of religious proselytization; - Providing a direct benefit to— a business organized for profit; a labor union; a partisan political organization; and a nonprofit organization that fails to comply with the restrictions contained in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 related to engaging in political activities or substantial amount of lobbying except that nothing in these provisions shall be construed to prevent participants from engaging in advocacy activities undertaken at their own initiative; - Conducting a voter registration drive or using CNCS funds to conduct a voter registration drive; - Providing abortion services or referrals for receipt of such services; and other activities as outlined in AmeriCorps regulations.

Fellows are placed in a paid, full-time placement in which they work on a critical challenge alongside an existing community leader in their hometown or home state. Working together for 35 hours per week, the placement serves as a leadership apprenticeship for the Fellow. Outside of the leadership apprenticeship, Fellows begin their service with a community-wide listening tour. Fellows talk with community members from all walks of life to understand the challenges, assets, and opportunities of their community. Following the listening tour, each Fellow will be responsible for launching a community venture––a project of the Fellow’s choosing that addresses a critical challenge they have identified. If you are an applicant-led Fellow, you will play a key role in designing your project scope with your chosen Host Organization. If you are a host-led Fellow, a project scope has already been developed by the host. However, all project scopes must fall outside of the linked prohibited activities due to AmeriCorps regulations. Project scopes can vary considerably, but always put Fellows in a position of leadership over a key challenge facing their community. A few example include: Class of 2019 Fellow Evan Bonsall who served as the Assistant to the County Administrator in Marquette, Michigan and helped lead on an affordable housing program, Lake Superior shoreline restoration projects, and supporting local small businesses. During the Fellowship, Evan ran and was elected to the Marquette City Council, becoming the youngest ever city councilmember after receiving the most votes in a six-person race. Class of 2020 Fellow Kenzi Lafferty of Aledo, Illinois served as a Program Manager with High-Tech Small Town, a nonprofit focused on helping rural towns achieve economic revitalization through tech employment and tech enabled businesses. Class of 2021 Fellow Maddie Long is a Digital Equity Coordinator with the Mayor of Little Rock’s office in Arkansas. Maddie is working to promote digital equity in Little Rock—in connectivity, literacy, and devices—so that the residents of Little Rock may better pursue educational opportunities, economic empowerment, and civic engagement available only through digital means. Class of 2019 Fellow Shandiin Herrera served as Policy Analyst for the local Oljato Chapter of the Navajo Nation tribal government in Monument Valley, Utah. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Shandiin and three other members of the Navajo Nation created a non-profit and raised over $18 million to provide PPE and other essential supplies to their community.

Currently, a majority of Fellows work in communities without other Fellows. However, we also have some Fellow clusters in particular communities and states. As the Fellowship grows, we plan to have multiple Fellows in the majority of states every year, helping build a leadership network throughout every state and region.

All Fellows are selected for their lifelong dedication to public service, community, and country. After the term of their Fellowship, Fellows pursue the next step in their public service journey with the support and resources of Lead For America. While Fellows provide immediate value to the community, it is the long-term impact of having a representative, locally-rooted, and nationally-connected leadership force that we believe will drive transformative change for our nation. Many Fellows secure full-time roles with their host organizations, pursue graduate school, start their own organization, run for local office, and/or pivot to a new opportunity that allows them to continue their service. Throughout the Fellowship, community mentors and Fellow Advisors help Fellows discern their next steps. Alumni gain access to several resources to help them in their service journey after the Fellowship. Through our graduate school partners, alumni can receive scholarship money for top graduate public policy programs. Fellowship alumni can apply for up to $2,500 in startup grants to help launch an initiative or organization in their community. Throughout the trainings, retreats, networking opportunities, and community building activities, Fellows build lifelong friendships and connections with not only their cohort, but Lead For America’s growing system of local changemakers and partners. Knowing it takes a village to strengthen our nation, LFA alumni join a connected virtual community that brings together alumni from other service programs to help further build the collective network of sharing ideas, resources, and opportunities.

Because of the COVID-19 outbreak, our training opportunities for Fellows may adapt to a virtual environment given public health considerations at that time. That being said, LFA current plans for the pre-service training to begin in late July 2022 in-person while following health precautions to ensure a safe environment for all.

Every Fellow receives the same base stipend of $30,000 for the one-year Fellowship. Note that this stipend is taxable. Fellows also can receive reimbursements for medical premiums (fully paid premiums for Bronze plans, and up to $386/month for Silver or Gold). To be eligible, a Fellow’s healthcare plan must meet Minimum Essential Coverage requirements, and they must directly pay for their own insurance costs (not paying a spouse or family member). Note that all health care reimbursements are taxable. The additional benefits of the LFA Fellowship experience is valued at tens of thousands of dollars and not included in the stipend total. This includes fully paid for training, Fellow Exchange, scholarships for student loans and graduate school, potential seed-funding for Fellow projects, and much more.

As a Fellow, you're going to be pushed and you're going to be challenged. But you're also going to have access to world-class training, a community of friends and peers, a national network of public service leaders, and mentors to guide you along your public service career. Most importantly, you're going to be doing work that really matters at the local level. Below is a list of the benefits Fellows receive during and after their Fellowship: Training - Fully paid 12-day Summer Institute in Washington D.C. at the beginning of your Fellowship. - Fully paid mid-point retreat with your cohort in Kansas. - Fully paid Fellow Exchange experience, where Fellows visit and learn from other members of their cohort. - Participate in virtual trainings and plenary conversations. - Access to the LFA Discovery Fund that provides resources to attend professional skill-building events. - Past training partners include Harvard Kennedy School, UNC School of Government, Urban Rural Action, Community Renewal International, Tisch College of Civic Life, and leaders such as Shreveport (LA) Mayor Adrian Perkins, Acting Chief Executive Officer of AmeriCorps Mal Coles, Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Amanda Nguyen, and the Mayor of Ithaca (NY) Svante Myrick. Support - Monthly calls with an LFA Fellow Advisor to ensure you are meeting your professional and personal goals and planning for the future. - An Employee Assistance Program that provides legal, financial, tax, and mental health resources. - A hand-selected, local mentor who is a leader in their field, tailored to Fellow’s personal aspirations. Alumni - Segal AmeriCorps Education Award - Fellows will earn $6,495 in scholarship funding for every 1,700 hours of service (one program year) that can be applied to current educational expenses or to repay qualified student loans. Learn more here. Note this scholarship is taxable and a person cannot earn more than the aggregate value of two, full-time education awards. - Alumni graduate scholarships to a growing list of top MPA and MPP schools, including the Fels Institute at the University of Pennsylvania and the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown. - Grants of up to $2,500 for alumni to launch entrepreneurial initiatives to serve their community. - A lifelong community of some of the most talented, passionate, and dynamic change-makers in the country. Living Allowance - A $30,000 taxable stipend. - Opportunity to receive reimbursements for medical premiums (fully paid premiums for Bronze plans, and up to $386/month for Silver or Gold). To be eligible, a Fellow’s healthcare plan must meet Minimum Essential Coverage requirements, and they must directly pay for their own insurance costs (not paying a spouse or family member).

We offer a Hardship Relief Fund for Fellows who experience unexpected financial hardship or who need emergency support during the program. This fund can provide up to $3,000 in taxable funds during the Fellowship. Note that all Fellows receive a $30,000/year taxable stipend when beginning the program.

Lead For America is a federal one-year AmeriCorps national service program. As an AmeriCorps member, Fellows receive:​ - AmeriCorps Segal Education Award worth $6,495 and available upon successful completion of your first (or second) year of the Fellowship. Can be used for future schooling or to repay qualified student loans. ​ - Student loan forbearance for qualified student loans. - Health insurance reimbursements: basic health, vision and dental coverage AmeriCorps helps activate more than 80,000 Americans in intensive service each year at nonprofits, schools, public agencies, and community and faith-based groups across the country. Since the program’s founding in 1994, over 1 million AmeriCorps members have contributed more than 1.4 billion hours in service across America while tackling pressing issues and mobilizing more than 2.3 million volunteers for the organizations they serve. As a Lead For America Fellow, you will join this national network of AmeriCorps service members!

Lead For America host organizations must be locally focused and service-driven. Hosts are nonprofits and local government entities (e.g. city, county, tribal, regional commission). Lead For America is a federal AmeriCorps program, and as such, Hosts are restricted from participating in prohibited activities, including providing direct benefits to for-profit entities. Below are a few examples of current hosting organizations: Local Governments / Agencies Atlanta Regional Commission Auburn Development Council (NE) City of Salina, KS County of Hawaiʻi, HI Fond du Lac Reservation (MN) Non-Profits 3Arts Empower Evergreen High-Tech Small Town MASS Design Group Southwest Initiative Foundation Utah Department of Health The Kohala Center Berea Partners for Education Knoxville Chamber of Commerce Minnesota's Women Consortium Newman University Shenandoah Community Capital Fund

Provide Meaningful, Challenging, and Engaging Work Our Fellows have a proven track record of getting things done. They are ready to learn and apply their skills to benefit their community. Fellows thrive when put in positions of leadership. Be a Mentor Fellow-Host relationships work best when Hosts view their Fellows as long-term investments in their community. We ask Hosts to help Fellows build networks, understand the local landscape, and cultivate an actionable vision for a better community. Host organizations are expected to designate a mentor who will be directly responsible for overseeing and mentoring a Fellow. Scope a Project Before a Fellow begins their full-time role, Hosts and a member of the LFA team will co-create a Project Scope, outlining the Fellow's position description. Project Scopes focus on the community challenges a Fellow will be tasked to help address, their basic responsibilities, and key outcome objectives. Project Scopes are designed to fit within the scope of work conducted by the host organization and the skills/interests of the Fellow. Have a Welcoming Team Environment Our Fellows have committed to the concept of bridge building, meaning they are willing and eager to work with folks who come from different walks of life. We ask that your organization welcome Fellows as members of the team, and align with these values as well. Make an Effort to Retain Fellows LFA works hard to recruit the best homegrown leaders. We want to work with Hosts invested in finding ways to retain these leaders in their community, long-term. That could mean making a full-time offer post-Fellowship, or connecting them to other career-building opportunities.

To host a LFA Hometown Fellow, please submit a 2022 National Fellowship Host Application (https://leadforamerica.pinpointhq.com/en/jobs/33241). If your application is accepted, a member of our team will contact you within 2-3 business days to discuss program expectations and next steps. Note that LFA has a limited number of Fellowships we can place each year, and due to the competitive nature of the process, submission of the Host Application is not a guarantee of acceptance. If you are interested in hosting a Fellow in Hawaiʻi, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina, or Poughkeepsie, please contact our affiliate program staff to learn more: Lead for Hawaiʻi - Alexis Ching, alexis.ching@lead4america.org Lead for Kansas - Annika Wooton, annika.wooton@lead4america.org Lead for Minnesota - Anisha Zak, anisha.zak@lead4america.org Lead for Nebraska - Rebecca Johnson, rebecca.johnson@lead4america.org Lead for North Carolina - Dylan Russell, dylan.russell@lead4america.org Lead for Poughkeepsie - Wesley Dixon, wesley.dixon@lead4america.org