Close Up Fellow

Civic Fellows are energetic, recent college graduates with a passion for service, civic education, public policy, and government. Civic Fellows join the Close Up Foundation for a year-long term as we help high school and middle school students discover their own power as citizens.

As a Civic Fellow, you’ll become part of Close Up’s tightly knit team of civic educators, working together to serve young people of all backgrounds in a varied, fast-paced environment. You’ll have the opportunity to:

• Lead civic education programs (in our nation’s capital and the virtual space) for diverse students from across the country, helping them discuss and debate the issues that matter to them.
• Serve as a mentor and tutor for local students in community engagement programs
• Meet and build relationships with elected officials, nonprofit leaders, and policy experts.
• Participate in professional development sessions with skilled educators, learning best practices and strategies to take with you after Close Up.
• Spearhead efforts to research, evaluate, and improve the efficacy of our work.
  
  

The duties of a Civic Fellow vary from week to week. Most weeks, you’ll staff multi-day civic education programs in Washington, DC, leading students through study visits to memorials, meetings with elected officials, and engaging simulations, discussions, and debates. Other weeks, you’ll tutor local students in writing, public speaking, and other civic engagement skills to address pandemic learning loss.

Compensation, Benefits, And Experience

As you engage students of all perspectives and help them move beyond the echo chambers of social media, you’ll also receive invaluable experience and benefits, including:

• A salary (before tax) of $1,711.67 per paycheck, payable twice a month
• Up to a $500 relocation reimbursement
• Generous benefits (including medical and dental insurance, no-cost life/AD&D insurance, FSA plan, retirement plan, all meals while working on program, mass transit subsidy, monthly cell-phone stipend, and the opportunity to earn free graduate credit)
• Exposure to elected officials, policy experts, and issue advocates
• An extensive network of alumni, schools, and leaders in politics, policy, and the nonprofit world
• Eligibility for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program
• Comprehensive training and coaching
• Leadership and skill development
• Expertise in civics and educational systems and practices
• Eligibility for the Close Up Civic Educator Award