CivicSpark is an award-winning and evidence-based fellowship program that builds local workforce capacity to address community planning priorities and challenges such as natural disaster preparedness, water resource management, power and electricity, parks and recreation, transportation, affordable housing, and public health. During the service year, which varies from 6 to 11 months, CivicSpark Fellows complete research, planning, or implementation projects that support local governments and community organizations in advancing their planning priorities. CivicSpark Fellows are also enrolled in AmeriCorps, making them eligible to receive an education award upon successful completion of the fellowship, among other benefits.

Since 2014, over 1,000 CivicSpark Fellows have provided more than one million hours of service. Over 95% of completed projects have met or exceeded expectations. CivicSpark provides both a workforce pipeline and a professional launchpad for Fellows, 73% of whom continue to work in the public sector.

AmeriCorps is a network of local, state, and national service programs that connects over 200,000 Americans each year in intensive service to meet community needs in education, the environment, public safety, health, and homeland security. For more information, visit https://americorps.gov/.  

No, CivicSpark is a full-time Fellowship program. Fellows serve 35-40 hours per week, receive ongoing training during the program, and deliver meaningful, high-quality work for the public agency or organization they are placed with. In addition, Fellows are encouraged to seek out leadership roles during the year either in their service project work or in opportunities within the cohort.

In 2025-26, CivicSpark will offer fellowships in California, Colorado and Washington state. We may offer fellowships in several additional states if we get partner applications from sites wanting to host fellows.

Depending on the project partner, some projects may allow for hybrid service, with some in office days and some days serving from home. During their term of service, Fellows must reside within their state of service by the start of the service term, and live within 50 miles of the community they are serving.

CivicSpark anticipates hosting up to 150 Fellows for the 2025-26 service year.

CivicSpark is an AmeriCorps State and National program. To serve in AmeriCorps State and National, you must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or legal permanent resident of the United States. At this time, we are unfortunately unable to accept applicants with work or student visas (such as F1 or F2 student visas, J1 or J2 exchange visitor visas, G series visas, etc.), or those with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status.

Anticipated terms for 2025-26 are:

• 11 Month (Full Term): October 6, 2025 to September 2026
• 7.5 Months (Three-Quarter Term): January to September 2026

CivicSpark Fellows provide capacity building support to government agencies and nonprofit community organizations through research, planning, and implementation of project activities. CivicSpark Fellows can serve on a wide range of initiatives, as long as there is a defined connection to a specific agency’s unmet needs, and the service can be completed by a Fellow within the service year.

Example Projects:

• Community plans (local plans, sector plans (transportation, housing, etc), general/comprehensive plans, plan elements, action/implementation plans, etc.)
• Inventories, existing conditions analysis, assessments, data analysis,  and geographic information systems (GIS) work
• Community and volunteer engagement and outreach activities
• Developing pilot programas
• Creating ordinances and policy solutions
• Increasing community awareness of local planning issues
• Gathering community feedback on local priorities

Project descriptions will be shared with applicants later on in the application process.

If you have general questions, please contact us at info@civicsparkfellowship.org

Applications for the Full-Time 2025-26 Fellowship starting in fall 2025 opened on April 7th, 2025 and are due on July 10, 2025.

We ask that applicants NOT send any resumes or cover letters via email; we will only accept applications submitted through our website.

Anyone who is a U.S. citizen, national, or lawful permanent resident of the United States who has an Associate’s degree or higher can apply to the program.

At this time, we, unfortunately cannot accept folks who are unable to provide documentation proving their status as a U.S. Citizen, U.S. National, or lawful permanent resident, including anyone with:

• • An F1 or F2 student visa
  • A J1 or J2 exchange visitor visa
  • A G series visa (pertaining to international organizations)
  • Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status
    • (As a State and National AmeriCorps program, CivicSpark are under different regulations than AmeriCorps VISTA programs. If you’re interested in serving with AmeriCorps and are a DACA recipient, you can apply to serve with an AmeriCorps VISTA program.)

For a full list of eligibility requirements, please see: https://civicsparkfellowship.org/fellow/.

Yes, CivicSpark accepts applicants from different locations; however, all Fellows must live in their state of service during the service term. Fellows will need to live within commuting distance (~50 miles) to their service site. At this time, CivicSpark does not provide assistance in relocating other than connecting new Fellows with each other and alumni to potentially help find housing through an internal housing board, but we are working to find other ways to support Fellows if they are planning on moving.

CivicSpark does NOT allow a Fellow to serve out of state. Accepted applicants MUST relocate to their service community by the start of the service term. 

Our interview process is three-fold, with intake, program interviews, and partner interviews.

Intake & Program Interviews: Once your application is submitted through the CivicSpark website, it will be reviewed by program staff. If you fit our basic qualifications, you will be contacted via email for a 30 minute video interview with a member of our staff. 

Partner Interview: Candidates who are deemed strong fits for the program after the first round interview will be matched with project partners based on the candidate’s project interests, regional preferences and relevant skills. All of these will be taken into account, so you may be matched with a partner who you did not mention in your project interests if we see a potential fit.

Once a minimum number of candidates have been matched with a particular project partner, CivicSpark staff will send over the batch of candidates for the partner to review. The project partners will then review the various candidates, select the candidates who meet their criteria, and schedule interviews with those candidates. When the project partner selects a candidate for their project, CivicSpark staff will send an offer to the selected candidate(s) via email. Candidates will have 72 hours to accept or reject offers.

Candidates will likely not be made an offer by each project partner they interview with. It is possible to interview with multiple project partners and not be made an offer. If you are not offered a position with your top partners, your application will be returned to the general pool of candidates to find new partners to match you with.

Positions are filled on a rolling basis; therefore, some projects may no longer be interviewing for Fellows at the time of your application. We strongly encourage interested folks to apply as soon as possible in order to have more project options available.

We plan to start reviewing applications and scheduling interviews in mid-June and continue through the end of July. Due to the volume of applications we receive, it may take us up to 1-2 weeks to contact you. If you move forward past interview with program staff, the timeline for partner interviews is dependent on the partners. We begin routing candidates to partners in early July and continue until all placements are filled. We anticipate the application, routing and offer process to be complete for all fellows by September 1.

Candidates can select their state/regions of interest in the Fellow application. During the program interview, candidates will have the opportunity to let CivicSpark staff know the projects they are most interested in being placed with.

While you will have the opportunity to share what your interests are and the projects you would like to serve on, ultimately, the Project Partner will select the Fellow to serve with their project, and we may match you for interviews with a partner you did not mention you were interested in if we feel it is a potential fit. We encourage you to keep an open mind about our projects as each provides a unique opportunity to explore and launch a career in the community resilience space.

If you are chosen to be a CivicSpark Fellow for the 2025-26 service year, there will be a background check progress that will need to be completed and reviewed before you can begin service. You will receive an email from Truescreen, and fill out an online application allowing us to conduct a search of National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW). Through the online portal, you will also schedule an in-person, livescan fingerprint appointment that scans state and federal criminal history databases. Scheduling appointments is fairly simple for most fellows and results come back quickly. However, it can take several days for fellows in rural areas to schedule due to the lack of fingerprint locations.

All Fellows MUST complete and pass their background checks before they can take part in the CivicSpark program, including attending Orientation, logging hours, and receiving their stipend. The Fellow’s start date and ability to log hours depends on their background check, as well as other factors.

Fellows are typically placed within the local government/public agency office that they will be serving with, but they may also be placed within a nonprofit or in another local office depending on space availability. Fellows must be located within commuting distance (~50 miles) of their placement site.

You can review the on-site/hybrid preferences/plans of projects you’re interested in within the project description.

No matter the length of service, Fellows serve an average of 35-40 hours per week. The total service hours are:

• Full-Time (October-September): 1,700 hours
• Three-Quarter Time (January-September): 1,200 hours
• Half-Time (March-September): 900 hours

Most Fellows serve within an office during traditional work hours (typically 8 am – 5 pm on weekdays) as well as occasional after-hours and weekends when necessary; however, this will depend on your project partner. Most Fellows will serve between 35 – 40 hours per week for 11 months (depending on their term of service).

CivicSpark does not typically offer part-time positions (less than 40 hours per week/fewer than 11 months), but some part-time positions may arise if there are specific circumstances on the program end that would cause this to happen. If it does, we would reach out to candidates already in our pool of potential interviewees.

Site Supervisors are staff members of the local government agency/organization that Fellows are placed with, and will directly oversee their day-to-day project work and assist with any project-specific questions Fellows may have. Site Supervisors will also provide mentorship and guidance in their sector of work, as well as in the Fellow’s professional development.

Fellow Advisors (FAs) are program staff who support groups of Fellows and Partners by providing Fellow supervision, program guidance, and assisting Fellows in their broader professional development goals.

Most of your fellowship time will be spent with your Site Supervisor. Fellow Advisors are there mostly to facilitate program administration and provide training and professional development a few times a month.

Fellows are allowed to work a second job if they feel it necessary, although we encourage you to find a position with a flexible schedule, as you will likely serve traditional hours (8am-5pm) for CivicSpark as well as occasional after hours and weekends when necessary. AmeriCorps service years are intensive programs, and we suggest you wait until your third month of service before taking on a second job so you have a better idea of your daily schedule and your time commitment to the program.

Due to the size and spread of of our cohort nationally, we connect in a hybrid capacity to offer both virtual and in-person connection for our Fellows. Virtual events occur at least monthly, while in-person events occur about three times throughout the year, typically at the beginning, middle and end of the service year.

Fellows will participate in 1-2 virtual trainings per month facilitated by CivicSpark staff. These trainings bring in guest speakers, such as professionals from the field, program partners, and CivicSpark alumni. Trainings are focused on general professional development skills, such as professional communication, project management, and personal resilience. Additionally, Fellows will receive targeted career development trainings, such as resume and cover letter development and interview best practices. 

Fellows may also have additional training opportunities through their project and host agency to support their capacity building projects and broader professional development goals. 

In addition to the staff-led and project site trainings, Fellows can lead trainings and peer-led groups for the cohort with CivicSpark staff support. For example, Fellows have led groups focused on developing public speaking skills or connecting on GIS skills. 

All Fellows should leave the service year with an understanding of work within local governments and/or organizations experience working with key tools, ability to analyze data, and ability to work successfully in a team environment. 

In exchange for their service, each Fellow receives the following benefits:

• Living Allowance before taxes spread evenly over term of service (see “Benefits” on Fellow home page: for exact amounts by state and term or service
• Segal Education Award (dependent on length of service)
• California For All Award*
• Forbearance on existing qualifying student loans and payment of interest accrued during service**
• Health Insurance
• Service term counts toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
• Child Care Assistance – (to qualifying Fellows), paid to an eligible provider of your choice**
• SNAP (Food Stamps) – for those eligible**
• Professional development training
• Network development with regional and statewide contacts in the community resilience industries
• Connection to the network of CivicSpark alum and AmeriCorps alums

*The California for All Award is only available to Fellows serving in California for the 11 month term of service

**eligibility and amounts may vary by individual 

The Segal Education Award is given to Fellows upon the successful completion of their service year. The amount varies by term of service and current rates can be found on the Fellow Home Page under “Benefits.” It is meant to help the Fellow pay for educational expenses such as loans, grad school, certificate programs, or for school supplies post-AmeriCorps. The award is not given to the Fellow as cash or a check; the Fellow must request that AmeriCorps make a payment to an eligible loan provider or school, and AmeriCorps will make payments directly to them on your behalf. The Segal Education Award must be used within 7 years of completing the program.

Yes, full-time Fellows are allowed between 40-80 hours of personal time off (vacation/sick time) throughout the service year depending on length of service. Fellows will be required to request approval for time off from both their Site Supervisor(s) and Fellow Advisor. If Fellows need to take off additional time, they can work with both their Site Supervisor(s) and Fellow Advisor to coordinate additional time off.

In addition, Fellows will also have most federal holidays off throughout the year.

Yes, Fellows will receive mentorship from project partners and CivicSpark staff at various levels. Site Supervisors will be the main mentor for the Fellow, assisting them with their project and any other project specific questions Fellows may have, as well as helping them grow professionally in the workspace. The Fellow Advisor will assist in some professional development through regular training sessions, and provide general support for the Fellows throughout the year. CivicSpark staff is also available to assist Fellows whenever they have questions.

CivicSpark is not able to provide housing or relocation assistance for Fellows at this time. However, we have a housing board to make it easier for incoming Fellows to connect with one another before the service year to find housing together or learn about housing opportunities within the region they’ll be placed in from alumni and/or current Fellows.

Yes! CivicSpark Fellows have a very high track record of receiving job offers after their term of service. According to our most recent alumni survey, 69% of alumni say the program had a significant impact on their careers and more than 80% continue to work in a relevant field. 

To facilitate Fellow’s career development and post-service career search, CivicSpark provides assistance through our training curriculum. Fellows are engaged in training activities such as networking best practices, resume and cover letter development, and interview best practices. As part of a large cohort, Fellows are supported to actively pursue networking within and across the CivicSpark community and with professionals in the field. 

Upon graduating from the program, Fellows join the CivicSpark alumni network with nearly 1000+ alumni across the country. Alumni continue to stay connected with each other and share job opportunities through an exclusive alumni list-serv and LinkedIn group.