Yes! GFA helps you get hired into a full-time, paid government position with a minimum two-year commitment, and your day-to-day work will be managed by your government supervisor. Your job title, compensation, and benefits are determined by your agency and will vary by state and agency.

Our Fellowship program is structured around 9 Leadership Competencies. Over the course of the two-year program, we focus on trainings intended to provide you with the tools and resources for early career success particularly in public sector work. These training sessions occur quarterly in a virtual format, with 1-2 in-person events each year. For instance, we invite new Fellows to attend a 7-day in-person Summer Institute event each year to kickstart their Fellowship. For more details on our Fellowship curriculum, please visit our "GFA Explains" story on our Instagram page @govforamerica, where our Program Managers provide in-depth explanations of our programming.

Supervisor support is required for incumbent government employees to participate in the GFA Fellowship. We've created a letter template that makes it easy to request approval and explain the program to your supervisor.
The template includes:

• Program overview and training structure

• Complete training schedule with dates

• Minimal supervisor involvement requirements

• Documented impact on Fellows and agencies

• No-cost information (all costs covered by philanthropy)

Download the template, personalize it with your information, and submit it to your supervisor as part of your application preparation.

The number one thing we look for is that you believe government is the place to make systemic, meaningful change. We look for people that will add value to the GFA community and of course who have the right skills for the roles we need to fill. 

We explicitly look for the potential to grow into the following attributes, which align with our organizational values:

• Leading with equity

• Creatively solving problems

• Telling stories to mobilize action

• Using data to make choices

• Thinking strategically

• Working with diverse teams

GFA values all forms of work, volunteer, and extracurricular experience. We believe that different experiences contribute to your growth in a variety of ways and teach transferable skills.

The application can take anywhere from 45 minutes to a few days, depending on how you like to work. You can save the application and come back to it later through a link sent to your email. We recommend starting the short answer questions in a separate document to proofread and paste into the application once you are ready to submit.

Summer Institute is an intensive 7-day in-person training experience meant to provide incoming Fellows with an orientation to government service and develop skills and leadership competencies that the Fellowship builds on over the course of the two years. Summer Institute takes place at the start of the Fellowship program.

One of the core benefits and strengths of GFA is its active alumni network. GFA facilitates alumni engagement through: quarterly newsletters to stay updated on current cohorts and other alumni; opportunities to volunteer with GFA as program advisors, trainers, and mentors; and alumni-specific events.

Before you apply: During the application process, please attend one of our information sessions to listen to a short presentation and a Q&A session . You can also join our mailing list by submitting this form to receive helpful tips and resources.

After you apply: Once you submit your application, please refer to the timeline on the Fellowship page of our website. If you don’t hear from a member of our team by 11:59pm ET on the date indicated on your application submission email, please reach out to apply@govforamerica.org and our team will get back to you as soon as possible.