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Leadership Programs

We believe that when our movements play the long game, we win.

IPS was founded in 1963 by progressive young dissidents from the Kennedy administration who believed we needed a new generation of leaders rooted in social justice movements. 

Since then, we’ve mentored generation after generation of progressive public scholars — including over 100 interns and fellows in the last decade alone. They’ve gone on to become activists, teachers, fundraisers, communicators, and experts who work in Congress, the White House, and their own communities.

We do this work through a combination of paid internships for students and other young leaders and endowed fellowships for mid-career professionals. Here you can learn a little more about these programs, how you can apply to them when positions are open, and how to support this work.

Paid Internships

The Henry A. Wallace Fellowship Program is our flagship effort at building the next generation of progressive leaders.

Formerly called our Next Leaders program, this paid, 10-week summer internship offers young activists training in what we call public scholarship — the connection between policy research, advocacy, and grassroots activism. Through its workshop and events series and individualized mentorship, the Henry A. Wallace Fellowship Program sharpens young scholar-activists’ voices and hones their skills in research, writing, organizing, and presenting.

The Wallace Fellowship Program is supported by the Wallace Global Fund to honor the legacy of Henry A. Wallace, a key architect of the New Deal and a champion of peace and economic, racial, and gender justice. Our summer internships are also made possible by support from the Raskin, Barnet, and Landau families.

Learn more about our summer internship program, including how to apply.

New Mexico Fellowship

Much of our work at IPS focuses on the national or international levels, often drawing inspiration and informing fights at the local level as well. Our New Mexico Fellowship is a bold partnership aimed at cultivating promising young leaders at the state level.

The New Mexico Fellowship provides the opportunity for young scholar-activists in New Mexico to sharpen their knowledge of policy, develop their skills, and make connections to policy makers and movement leaders. After spending a year in our Washington, D.C. office, fellows will return to New Mexico for a six month paid placement in a local organization.

Learn more about the New Mexico Fellowship.

Career Fellowships

In addition to training younger leaders, two IPS fellowships also provide opportunities for progressive professionals at the next stage of their careers.

The Carol Jean and Edward F. Newman Fellowship was created to provide young scholars and leaders an opportunity to delve more deeply into public scholarship and the progressive movement. Today the IPS Newman Fellow works on the communications team. In the past, these fellows have also served as junior staff on several of our policy programs.

The Michael Ratner Middle East Fellowship is named for the late former National Lawyers Guild president and people’s lawyer Michael Ratner, who was a passionate advocate of Palestinian rights, ending wars abroad, and reimagining a new foreign policy based on progressive internationalism. The Michael Ratner fellow works as an expert on our New Internationalism project.

Unlike our internships and New Mexico fellowships, which open for applications on a regular schedule, these positions currently only open where there’s a vacancy. When a position is available, it will appear on our jobs page.

Help Us Build the Next Generation of Progressive Leaders

Your gift today keeps our movements strong, informed, and connected — for this generation and the next. 

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