Fellowship Placement Pilot Program Notice for Competition

HUD Announces New Strong Cities, Strong Communities Fellowship Program
Applications Currently Being Accepted

In September 2011, HUD underwent a competitive selection process to identify a third party to administer and manage the Strong Cities, Strong Communities Fellowship program. As a result of this competition process, HUD selected the German Marshall Fund partnership to manage the fellowship program.

The fellowship program is one key component of the Obama Administration’s Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2) Initiative, a federal interagency pilot initiative that aims to strengthen neighborhoods, cities, and regions by enhancing the capacity of local governments to develop and execute economic visions and strategies. There are five pilot cities and one region that participate in SC2: Chester, PA; Detroit, MI; Fresno, CA; Memphis, TN; New Orleans, LA; and the region of Cleveland and Youngstown, OH.

The fellowship program is currently accepting applications. The deadline for applications is March 30, 2012. Please review this page carefully for further details on how you can apply for this program.

Strong Cities, Strong Communities Fellowship Program

The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), in cooperation with Cleveland State University (CSU) and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) is pleased to announce the launch of the Strong Cities, Strong Communities Fellowship Program. The fellowship program is supported by a $2.5 million gift from the Rockefeller Foundation.

The fellowship program will provide pilot cities with a class of highly-skilled fellows who are committed to public service, and who will become the next generation of leaders. It will train and place highly motivated, mid-career professionals in local government agencies for a two-year (24 month) fellowship period. Selected fellows will be placed in one of the seven pilot cities: Chester, PA; Detroit, MI; Fresno, CA; Memphis, TN; New Orleans, LA; Cleveland, OH and Youngstown, OH. Fellows will receive annual stipends in the amount of $60,000 to support fellowship activities. Travel and training costs related to the fellowship program will also be covered. Fellows will begin work on or before September 1, 2012.

Fellowships are open to practitioners in the United States who have experience and expertise in economic development, public administration, community development, planning, housing, education, public finance, health, transportation, or other relevant fields, subject to the needs of each pilot city. Throughout the fellowship period, fellows will work on specific projects and will receive additional training and other support from GMF, CSU, and Virginia Tech. Specifically, fellows will participate in the nationally renowned public management training academy provided by CSU’s Levin College of Urban Affairs. Fellows will also receive ongoing mentoring and support from experienced practitioners and scholars within the Levin College of Urban Affairs and Virginia Tech’s Metropolitan Institute, and will be connected to additional professional training opportunities through these institutions. Finally, fellows will have access to the German Marshall Fund’s international practitioner networks and exchange activities, including the Transatlantic Cities Network and the Cities in Transition project.

Application Process

To apply, you may download and complete the application materials found on this website. You may also download the same application materials from GMF’s website.

Finalists will be interviewed in person by the GMF project team, representatives from the cities, and members of the federal SC2 teams.

Deadline

All required documents including answers to ALL questions, official transcripts and letter of recommendation must be received by the March 30, 2012 to be considered for the fellowship program. Please send all documents or inquiries to:
strongcommunities@gmfus.org

Strong Communities Fellowship Program
c/o The German Marshall Fund of the United States
1744 R Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009

Strong Cities, Strong Communities Twitter Town Hall

To learn more about the SC2 initiative and the fellowship program, HUD is hosting a Twitter town hall with HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Development, Erika Poethig on Tuesday, February 28th at 3:00 p.m. EST. The town hall will provide more details about how interested candidates can apply for the SC2 Fellowship Program. The Secretary and Deputy Assistant Secretary will tweet about eligibility, timing, selection criteria, and other relevant details. The event will be streamed live on HUD’s website. Twitter users will be able to ask questions in advance and during the Town Hall using the hashtag #AskSOHUD.