The Freedom Summer Fellowship, launched in 2023, matches cities and states as well as frontline community organizations with graduate students to partner on concrete local and regional development projects with a focus on clean energy and infrastructure. Organized through MIT CoLab and the MIT Priscilla King Gray Center, the Emerald Cities Collaborative and the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University, this program brings institutional technical capacity and the nation’s leading young minds together in service of helping under-resourced cities access and implement federal funding and programs. The Fellowship continues the long standing practice of students and young people leading the nation towards greater equity and justice while also bringing specific skills and capabilities to bear on real-world challenges at the local level. To learn more about the 2023 fellowship please visit here. Key information includes:
- What: Fellows will provide on-the-ground capacity building and technical assistance to cities/states
- When: 10 week fellowship (June 3 - August 9, 2024)
- Where: Last year’s participating cities included Birmingham, AL; Cleveland, OH; Brooklyn, NY; Arkansas Delta, others TBD
- Stipend: $10,500 + travel stipends of $1,500 for graduate students
- Applications: Available on February 16, 2024 and accepted through April 1, 2024
The Freedom Summer Fellowship is seeking MIT graduate students to join a cohort of 100+ students from universities across the US who will participate in weekly academic programming and knowledge sharing. The fellowship responds to on-the-ground requests by trusted partners, provides near-term support, and adds additional capacity to help equity, sustainability and community engagement become driving forces in local and regional economic development efforts. Fellows will also gather the critical insight that can inform broader policy making and best practices. Our approach is grounded in the ability to uplift existing efforts for the greatest potential impact, and the Fellowship represents the commitment of an ongoing relationship with key geographies for long-term co-visioning and investment.
Additional Fellowship Details
During the 10-week fellowship students will provide technical assistance services such as the following:
- Updating planning studies, researching grant opportunities, replying to NOFOs, supporting grant writing, collecting demographic and market conditions, supporting community engagement, providing additional capacity to cities and frontline community groups, and focusing on implementation where funding has been awarded, particularly in areas related to infrastructure and clean energy.
- The faculty and fellowship staff will provide additional support and technical assistance to bridge learnings across geographies, navigating the funding opportunities, and sourcing potential partners and philanthropic support.
- The fellows will participate in weekly learning sessions and individual check-ins with the faculty and staff advisors.
- In this way, the fellowship will also build towards a self-sustaining learning community for growth and problem-solving anchored on the campuses of our university partners — namely with MIT supporting civic education — and extending across the country.
- We additionally hope to place more than one student in each location so that fellows can be mutually supportive to each others’ success.
General Skills and Requirements
The ideal candidate has the following qualifications:
- Demonstrated leadership skills and ability to work as a self-starter
- Experience or some exposure to environmental/climate justice and economic inclusion strategies
- Committed to advancing equity and inclusion in America
- Interest in working alongside low-income communities and/or communities of color
- Strong writing, verbal communication, and analytical skills
- Ability to engage a variety of government, private sector and community stakeholders in an effective manner
- Ability to travel
- Interest in economic development activities (finance, strategy development, partnership development, etc.)
- Strong technical tools (data collection, analysis and management, program management, Microsoft office, etc.)
- Bachelor’s Degree is required. In exceptional cases, an undergraduate student will be considered
Before beginning your application, please carefully review the program overview for the Freedom Summer Fellowship.
Questions: email emilia99@mit.edu
Freedom Summer Fellowship 2024
The Freedom Summer Fellowship, launched in 2023, matches cities and states as well as frontline community organizations with graduate students to partner on concrete local and regional development projects with a focus on clean energy and infrastructure. Organized through MIT CoLab and the MIT Priscilla King Gray Center, the Emerald Cities Collaborative and the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University, this program brings institutional technical capacity and the nation’s leading young minds together in service of helping under-resourced cities access and implement federal funding and programs. The Fellowship continues the long standing practice of students and young people leading the nation towards greater equity and justice while also bringing specific skills and capabilities to bear on real-world challenges at the local level. To learn more about the 2023 fellowship please visit here. Key information includes:
- What: Fellows will provide on-the-ground capacity building and technical assistance to cities/states
- When: 10 week fellowship (June 3 - August 9, 2024)
- Where: Last year’s participating cities included Birmingham, AL; Cleveland, OH; Brooklyn, NY; Arkansas Delta, others TBD
- Stipend: $10,500 + travel stipends of $1,500 for graduate students
- Applications: Available on February 16, 2024 and accepted through April 1, 2024
The Freedom Summer Fellowship is seeking MIT graduate students to join a cohort of 100+ students from universities across the US who will participate in weekly academic programming and knowledge sharing. The fellowship responds to on-the-ground requests by trusted partners, provides near-term support, and adds additional capacity to help equity, sustainability and community engagement become driving forces in local and regional economic development efforts. Fellows will also gather the critical insight that can inform broader policy making and best practices. Our approach is grounded in the ability to uplift existing efforts for the greatest potential impact, and the Fellowship represents the commitment of an ongoing relationship with key geographies for long-term co-visioning and investment.
Additional Fellowship Details
During the 10-week fellowship students will provide technical assistance services such as the following:
- Updating planning studies, researching grant opportunities, replying to NOFOs, supporting grant writing, collecting demographic and market conditions, supporting community engagement, providing additional capacity to cities and frontline community groups, and focusing on implementation where funding has been awarded, particularly in areas related to infrastructure and clean energy.
- The faculty and fellowship staff will provide additional support and technical assistance to bridge learnings across geographies, navigating the funding opportunities, and sourcing potential partners and philanthropic support.
- The fellows will participate in weekly learning sessions and individual check-ins with the faculty and staff advisors.
- In this way, the fellowship will also build towards a self-sustaining learning community for growth and problem-solving anchored on the campuses of our university partners — namely with MIT supporting civic education — and extending across the country.
- We additionally hope to place more than one student in each location so that fellows can be mutually supportive to each others’ success.
General Skills and Requirements
The ideal candidate has the following qualifications:
- Demonstrated leadership skills and ability to work as a self-starter
- Experience or some exposure to environmental/climate justice and economic inclusion strategies
- Committed to advancing equity and inclusion in America
- Interest in working alongside low-income communities and/or communities of color
- Strong writing, verbal communication, and analytical skills
- Ability to engage a variety of government, private sector and community stakeholders in an effective manner
- Ability to travel
- Interest in economic development activities (finance, strategy development, partnership development, etc.)
- Strong technical tools (data collection, analysis and management, program management, Microsoft office, etc.)
- Bachelor’s Degree is required. In exceptional cases, an undergraduate student will be considered
Before beginning your application, please carefully review the program overview for the Freedom Summer Fellowship.
Questions: email emilia99@mit.edu