Fellows Program in Public Affairs
Training the next generation of civic leaders
The Fellows Program in Public Affairs is a rigorous, full-time fellowship that prepares emerging civic leaders to shape the spirit and integrity of their communities, their organizations, and their country. Fellows learn and practice essential leadership skills and frameworks — forging connections across sectors, navigating challenges, and learning new strategies to create tangible change.
The Fellows Program is the gold standard in public affairs training, with a more than 75-year track record of advancing civic engagement and impact — and accelerating the careers of remarkable regional and national leaders.
Apply to FPPA
Application Deadline: January 12, 2025
The Fellows Program in Public Affairs is a full-time, 9-month immersive leadership development program. The Fellowship runs annually from September to May.
Leadership Forums: Sessions led by Coro’s expert facilitators, focusing on effective and ethical leadership practices. Learn and apply proven leadership strategies:
- navigating change and adaptive leadership
- systems thinking
- effective communication
- critical thinking, evaluation, and inquiry skills
- objective analysis, stakeholder analysis, and more.
Focus Weeks: In-depth explorations of pressing issues affecting the Greater Los Angeles region. Through site visits, expert interviews, and independent research, Fellows take ownership of the learning process and deepen their understanding of critical issues facing the region.
Leadership Interviews: Closed-door sessions with influential cross-sector leaders offer Fellows a rare, candid glimpse into how leaders navigate challenges and and opportunities over the course of their careers.
Professional Placements: Fellows gain direct exposure to institutions, laying the groundwork for professional networks to serve them throughout their careers. Fellows work closely with top leaders, tackle critical assignments, and create tangible organizational impact through these high-caliber, hands-on opportunities.
Spring Projects: Individually-curated projects for partner organizations are a culmination of the Fellowship. Fellows bring all they’ve learned to the table to engage with a meaningful real-world project — applying valuable leadership tools and strategies to a high-impact, high-value deliverable.
Logic Study: Fellows are challenged to delve into the inner workings of a complex system in Southern California, engaging in site tours, expert interviews, and independent research. This project hones the cohort’s leadership and collaboration capacities, sharpening analysis skills and self-awareness.
The Fellows Program has an esteemed national reputation for its track record of high-impact, high-value civic leadership and professional development training. Fellows gain a lifelong professional network and connect with influential Coro alumni — including United States Senators, elected officials in city halls and state legislatures, and noteworthy leaders in corporate boardrooms, union halls, and beyond.
Coro Fellows directly engage with industry leaders and tackle real-world civic and organizational issues, expanding social capital and accelerating career advancement.
Fellows deepen their knowledge of the political landscape and develop a nuanced understanding of key institutions, sectors, opportunities, and challenges. The Fellowship is a unique, transformative opportunity to learn and practice vital leadership skills.
At Coro, the learning doesn’t stop when your program ends. Coro alumni gain access to:
Eligibility for exclusive graduate school scholarships for Coro alumni at esteemed institutions, including Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, and the University of Southern California’s Sol Price School of Public Policy.
Alumni-only continuing education sessions.
Networking events with decision-makers working to shape the spirit and integrity of our region.
Coro Classifieds, an alumni-only job board.
A Credly by Pearson™ digital badge, showcasing your Coro credentials.
Alumni-only digital networking platforms to exchange resources and collaborate with other alumni.
Find the Program Benefits Guide below to learn more.
Leaders who are motivated to contribute to a better functioning democracy and society need the skills, the network, and the practice required to activate meaningful change. That’s why you’ll find alumni of the Fellows Program in Public Affairs serving in influential positions across the country. Coro values diverse perspectives, identities, experiences, and worldviews in our prestigious Fellowship — and in all of our programs.
Ideal candidates…
are recent college graduates or early-career professionals.
will have a conferred bachelor’s degree before the Fellowship begins.
are committed to becoming ethical leaders and positive change makers.
welcome learning from multiple perspectives.
are authorized to work in the United States.
There’s nothing like the Coro approach. Coro helps people deepen their innate leadership skills, giving them the tools and a lifelong network to activate tangible change.
It’s not just about finding the right solutions; Coro training is uniquely focused on helping leaders ask the right questions. It’s about equipping leaders to relate across differences rather than simply reacting to them. Coro leaders intentionally engage and collaborate with others across identities, ideologies, sectors, and generations. Participants should be ready to engage productively with different perspectives and in personal reflection.
Coro views leadership as an active practice that requires hands-on experiential learning. Participants are expected to be engaged, mindful, and fully present, minimizing external distractions to maximize their growth and contribution to the cohort.
Coro leaders learn to move from judgment to curiosity, navigate ambiguity, sit in discomfort, and embrace empathy and vulnerability as essential leadership practices, critical for unleashing learning, and building authentic connections. Participants must be willing to embrace vulnerability to foster a psychologically safe environment — a necessary precursor to adaptive, innovative collaboration.
Program Cost
The Fellows Program in Public Affairs is tuition-free, (subsidized from $50,000 by our generous sponsors).
Stipends
Coro offers a limited number of need-based monthly stipends (up to a total of $2,200 per participant) to offset expenses related to Fellowship participation. In addition to monthly stipends, Coro may award one-time stipends. Applicants invited to Selection Day will be instructed on how to be considered for stipends.
Housing
The Coro community frequently offers affordable housing options for incoming Fellows. Coro does not guarantee housing for the duration of the program, nor can we provide housing financial assistance. Incoming Fellows from out-of-the-region and/or requiring more financial assistance are prioritized for available affordable housing options.
Employment Restrictions
Due to the intensive nature of the program, Fellows are not permitted to be employed (full-time or part-time) during the Fellowship.
We encourage you to connect with our team so we can answer questions, get to know you, and walk you through the application process.
Step 1: Online Application
The online application includes biographic and demographic questions, a resume/CV, two letters of recommendation, two essays, and a video testimonial.
Applicants are responsible for ensuring that all application requirements are met, including the submission of your recommendation letters.
Step 2: Application Review
Coro alumni, staff, and partners review and score applications. The average of these scores determines which applicants will be invited to attend Selection Day as Finalists.
Step 3: Notification
Coro notifies applicants of their application status. Finalists are offered the financial aid application, invited to Selection Day, and informed of next steps.
Step 4: Selection Day
A full-day, immersive experience to determine which applicants will be invited to join the Fellows Program in Public Affairs. Each Coro center operates its own Selection Day. In most cases, selected Finalists will be invited to attend Selection Day at the location indicated as their first preference on the application.
Questions? Contact
Callie Spaide
Associate Director, Recruitment & Alumni Relations
callie@corola.org
Alumni Testimonials
“We need programs like Coro to uplift new generations of diverse leaders, and equip them with the skills and resources to take on our toughest challenges… [Coro is] a great blueprint for how to move our city, our region, and our society forward. It was Coro that helped me become a better advocate for my community.”
Senator Alex Padilla
“I owe much of who I am and how I got here to the enriching experience that Coro, and my fellow Coro Fellows, gave me. As a Coro Fellow, I learned the value of being an effective leader using critical thinking skills. I benefited from being exposed to real-life situations and diverse schools of thought.”
Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell
Sponsor a Spring Project
In the final months of their Fellowship, Fellows consult on or complete projects for interested organizations of any sector or industry. Fellows work closely with organization supervisors to determine ideal outcomes.
The project fee is $7,000 per Fellow for each period. Project fees are tax-deductible donation to Coro in support of the Fellows Program in Public Affairs. For more information email abril@corola.org.
Become a Placement Host
Fellows rotate through placements in nonprofit, government, labor, private, and electoral politics offering the host organization project support, innovative thinking, and fresh perspectives. Placement Hosts are supervisors who provide hands-on learning experiences. Each placement lasts 4 weeks, and Fellows are available full-time, Monday – Thursday, with the exception of Tuesday evenings. For more information email abril@corola.org.