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Fellows Program in Public Affairs

Training the next generation of civic leaders across California

The Fellows Program in Public Affairs is the gold standard in public affairs training with a proven track record of advancing civic engagement and accelerating the careers of remarkable leaders. This rigorous, full-time fellowship prepares emerging civic leaders to shape the spirit and integrity of their communities, organizations, and country. Fellows learn and practice essential leadership skills while forging connections across sectors, navigating complex challenges, and developing strategies to create tangible change. Through immersive professional placements, regional explorations, and transformative leadership training, you’ll gain knowledge, skills, and a network that positions you for lifelong success across varied settings.

Coro California’s Fellows Program in Public Affairs is offered in both the Greater Los Angeles Area and San Francisco Bay Area.

Application Currently Closed

The application cycle has closed. Submit an Interest Form to receive recruitment updates.

INTEREST FORM

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Program Overview

  • Rotate through professional placements, gaining hands-on experience across sectors including business, nonprofit, government, labor, and electoral politics. Fellows work closely with top leaders and tackle high-profile assignments.
  • Explore regional systems through Focus Weeks that dive deep into pressing civic issues. Fellows conduct site visits, expert interviews, and independent research, deepening understanding of critical regional challenges.
  • Engage in leadership interviews in closed-door sessions with influential cross-sector leaders who offer candid insights about navigating career challenges and opportunities.
  • Build your leadership toolkit through weekly facilitated seminars focusing on effective and ethical leadership practices including inquiry, adaptive leadership, systems thinking, communication, critical thinking, and stakeholder analysis.
  • Apply learning through projects completing explorations of complex regional systems and curating Spring Projects for partner organizations as a culmination of fellowship learning.
  • Join a powerful network of 15,000+ Coro alumni including United States Senators, elected officials, corporate leaders, and changemakers across the nation.
Explore Calendar

Program Benefits

  • Gain esteemed credentials from a nationally-recognized fellowship with an 80+ year track record of high-impact civic leadership and professional development training.
  • Build a professional portfolio showcasing tangible deliverables, including placement projects, Spring Projects, civic and policy analyses, and demonstrated leadership competencies for future employers and graduate programs.
  • Accelerate career advancement by directly engaging with industry leaders, tackling real-world civic and organizational issues, and expanding social capital through high-caliber professional experiences.
  • Deepen political and policy knowledge, developing nuanced understanding of key institutions, sectors, opportunities, and challenges shaping communities and policy landscapes.
  • Master leadership practices, learning and applying proven strategies for navigating change, systems thinking, effective communication, critical thinking, evaluation, inquiry, and objective analysis.
  • Benefit from lifelong alumni resources, including continuing education sessions, networking events with decision-makers, exclusive digital platforms, and digital credentials.
Download Benefits Guide

Ideal Candidates & Eligibility

  • Recent graduates or early-career professionals who will have attained a bachelor’s degree before the fellowship begins; candidates with 1-3 years post-college experience are especially encouraged [for the Bay Area cohort].
  • Committed to ethical leadership and motivated to help strengthen democracy and society through positive changemaking and civic engagement.
  • Welcome different perspectives, bringing intellectual curiosity, an open mind, and willingness to learn from and collaborate with people across identities, ideologies, sectors, and generations.
  • Authorized to work in the United States for the full duration of the Fellowship Program without restrictions.
  • Can commit fully to full-time fellowship participation without outside employment; the program’s intensive nature prohibits concurrent full-time or part-time work.
  • Located in or willing to relocate to Los Angeles or the Bay Area for the fellowship’s duration and participate in professional placements across the region.

Format & Curriculum

Program Structure

  • Los Angeles: Nine-month full-time Fellowship running from September through May.
  • Bay Area: Seven-month full-time Fellowship running from August through March.
  • Both Bay Area and Los Angeles: Professional placements across sectors, Focus Weeks exploring regional issues, leadership interviews with influential leaders, and weekly facilitated seminars.

Curriculum Components

  • Professional Placements: Rotations through business, nonprofit, government, labor, and/or electoral politics sectors (in election years) provide direct exposure to institutions and build professional networks. Fellows work closely with supervisors on meaningful assignments, creating tangible organizational impact.
  • Focus Weeks: In-depth explorations of pressing regional issues and other critical topics through site visits, expert interviews, and independent research.
  • Leadership Seminars: Weekly facilitated sessions build a leadership toolkit, offering proven strategies for adaptive leadership, systems thinking, effective communication, critical thinking and inquiry, evaluation skills, and stakeholder analysis.
  • High-Profile Projects: Across the length of the program, fellows will engage in individual, small group, and cohort-wide projects that explore regional systems, test leadership skills, and provide individually-curated deliverables for partner organizations.

Learning Approach

Coro’s experiential methods center active practice over passive listening. You’ll engage in case discussions, leadership simulations, peer exchanges, and reflective exercises. Facilitators create space for mindfulness, vulnerability, and authentic connection, fostering psychological safety for adaptive collaboration and innovation.

Program Philosophy

Coro’s approach emphasizes three core principles: active leadership practice as lifelong learning, relating productively across differences in identities and perspectives, and embracing curiosity and vulnerability as foundations for authentic leadership and meaningful change.

Cost & Financial Support

Tuition

The Fellows Program in Public Affairs is tuition-free, subsidized from $50,000 by generous sponsors. Fellows receive extraordinary value for immersive, full-time professional development.

Stipends

  • Los Angeles: Coro offers a limited number of need-based monthly stipends up to $2,200 per participant to offset participation expenses. Additional one-time relocation stipends may be awarded. Applicants invited to Selection Day receive instructions for stipend consideration.
  • Bay Area: Coro offers a limited number of monthly stipends up to $3,000 per participant to offset program expenses.
  • Both Bay Area and Los Angeles: Coro provides monthly allowances to assist with health insurance costs.

Housing Support

The Coro network frequently offers affordable housing options to incoming Fellows. Coro does not guarantee housing or provide housing financial assistance. Incoming Fellows from outside the region and/or requiring more assistance are prioritized for available options.

Employment Restrictions

Due to the program’s intensive full-time nature, Fellows are not permitted to be employed (full-time or part-time) during the fellowship.

Application Process & Key Dates

How to Apply

Complete the online application, including biographic and demographic information, resume/CV, two letters of recommendation, two essays, and a video testimonial. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that all requirements are met, including recommendation letter submissions. Review the Application Guide for detailed instructions and tips for crafting strong responses.

Application Process Steps

  • Step 1: Submit an online application with all required materials.
  • Step 2: Coro alumni, staff, and partners review and score applications. Aggregated scores determine which applicants are invited to Selection Day as Finalists.
  • Step 3: Coro notifies applicants of status. Finalists receive financial aid applications, Selection Day invitations, and information about next steps.
  • Step 4: Attend Selection Day, a full-day immersive experience determining which applicants receive fellowship invitations. Each Coro center operates its own Selection Day. In most cases, selected finalists attend at their first preference location.

Application Deadlines

Application portal opens: August / September 2026

Application deadline: January 2027

Selection Timeline

Applications are reviewed after the deadline, with finalists notified by February of their status and invitation to Selection Day. Regional Selection Days occur on Saturdays in March. The center marked as first preference receives priority for invitations, though candidates may receive invitations from other centers.

Meet the Cohort and Past Organizations

  • Meet the Cohort - Los Angeles
  • Meet the Cohort - Bay Area

Sponsors

Platinum

Stinehart Reed Reserve Fund

GOLD

BRONZE

Fellowship Funds

Andrea Van de Kamp Fund
Breslauer, Rutman and Anderson Inc.
Bruce Corwin Fund
John Kobara Fund
Rick Tuttle Fund

FELLOWS

SUPPORTER