Fellowship

Are you passionate about social justice? Do you want to contribute your skills to a local nonprofit while becoming a better ally? Join our Fellowship Program!

About the Fellowship Program

The SNS Fellowship program is a ten month, part-time service program that places young professionals with local nonprofits in the DC metro area for targeted skills-based volunteer work. We foster issue-oriented allies and dynamic leaders of tomorrow through leadership training and race equity development, as Fellows engage in meaningful projects with organizations at the community level. Organizations receive a total of 100 hours of volunteer service to expand and enhance their impact.

Be a Fellow

As a Fellow, you will…

  • Serve a local organization that matches your skills, interests, and desired focus area
  • Gain deep insight into the vision, work, and culture of your matched non-profit organization
  • Attend monthly leadership development sessions featuring local nonprofit leaders and issue-based experts leading sessions on racial equity and social justice issues
  • Receive ongoing individualized race equity coaching
  • Join a community of like-minded young professionals committed to racial and social justice
  • Develop a Capstone Project that adds value/perspective to your host site, justice, and/or Allyship work

I joined the fellowship this year because I felt called to continue my allyship journey while using those tools to help a local organization fighting to provide a more equitable life in present and future for people who have been marginalized.

2022 SNS Fellow

Being a Fellow has created a safe, yet challenging space to not only reflect inward, but gain the knowledge and tools necessary to move forward, be part of change, and grow as an ally.

2021 SNS Fellow

What I find most fulfilling about the Fellowship is that we're unpacking racism and white supremacy; and at the same time, we are finding the cracks of light through which we can support one another and work towards upending harmful systems and structures.

2022 SNS Fellow

You should apply if you…

  • Live in the DMV (Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia metro area) and have a strong interest in supporting local organizations in this area. (This Fellowship is REMOTE for the 2023 class.)
  • Are interested in enhancing your specific skill set and gaining invaluable experience working with a nonprofit organization
  • Are dedicated to deepening your commitment to Allyship and your understanding of race equity
  • Are able to commit to 12-15 hours per month from February-December 2023 (10 hours with your host site and 2-4 hours in training and coaching sessions)
  • Are between the ages of 21 and 35 at the time of submitting your application
  • Are committed to being an active, inclusive, and engaged learner as a member of the cohort

What makes this Fellowship unique from other programs?

Race equity work is for everybody, regardless of your racial identity/ies. As SNS’ flagship program, what sets this Fellowship apart is that SNS leads its race equity work through a pro-Black, Black-led framework.

Throughout the ten month program, Fellows build their race equity lens through skills-based, community-centered volunteer work and racial identity and leadership development curriculum. 

The cohort’s intimate and engaged community is focused on building a thoughtful, diverse group of young leaders that centers Black people and the most marginalized in society in our social justice and liberation work. By participating in this Fellowship, the personal and professional are challenged to grow together, to collaborate with others, and to contribute to building a beloved DMV community.

Examples of Fellowship service projects include

2023 Fellow Application Process

Overview

The 2023 Fellowship Program will be accepting 8-10 Fellows. Applicants must be between the ages of 21-35 at the time of submitting their application. Members of the BIPOC community are strongly encouraged to apply. Applicants with accessibility needs are welcome to apply and your individual needs can be discussed and addressed.

The 2023 Fellowship Program will operate remotely until conditions from the COVID-19 pandemic improve. It is strongly preferred that applicants live in the DC metro area to ensure a robust Fellowship experience when in-person activities resume.

Cost

There is a $2,500 Fellowship fee supporting the full scope of programming and development for each Fellow. Applicants are encouraged to request sponsorship from their employers. Those unable to cover programming fees through employer sponsorship, independent means, or fundraising are still encouraged to apply as there are some dedicated scholarship funds each year.

Application Timeline

  • September 6 – Fellow Applications open
  • February 11, 2023 – Fellowship Program Begins
Questions? Email us at info@serviceneversleeps.org

Meet Our Current Fellows

Grace Miller

Perfect, Inc

Brittany Robinson

CAIR Coalition

Cristiana Salazar

HBCU 20x20

Lilly Siems

Our Minds Matter

To see a list of previous fellow cohorts, click here

Fellowship Host Sites

CAIR Logo (1)
HBCU 20x20 logo
OMM
perfect inc

Previous Host Sites Include:

Are you ready to deepen your commitment to allyship, build community with like-minded peers, and be of service to a local organization? 

BE A FELLOW!

Host a Fellow

What is that project that is always out of reach that you know will improve your organization’s work, if only you had the time and skills?

As a nonprofit host site for a SNS Fellow, your organization will…

  • Receive 100 hours of project-based support across 10 months at no cost to your organization
  • Leverage the specialized skills of a young professional to develop new strategies and systems
  • Enhance your organization’s capacity to accomplish core goals
  • Foster an emerging leader’s commitment to social justice and volunteer service

You should apply to be a Host if your organization

  • Has one staff member that will serve as the Fellow’s site supervisor and who can dedicate 2-4 hours each month providing supervision and fulfilling SNS’ program communication and evaluation requirements.
  • Fosters a welcoming and supportive space for the Fellow to explore, create, and contribute, which includes providing adequate training and resources.
  • Is willing to work with a Fellow who will provide service hours remotely for the 2023 program year. In-person attendance at organization events and/or other meetings is permitted if site and Fellow are in agreement, though should not be required.
  • Is able to collect and report data on the project and the Fellow’s impact during the year.
  • Is located in the DMV metro area.

2023 Host Site Applications

Overview

The 2023 Fellowship Program will be accepting 8-10 Fellows. Fellows are young professionals between the ages of 21-35, mostly employed as consultants with local consulting firms. The Fellowship program is designed to help enhance a nonprofit’s capacity by matching a Fellow’s skills with a nonprofit’s defined need over a 10 month project (February to December). Fellows also participate in ongoing training and leadership development centered around race equity led by SNS. There is no financial cost for a host site to participate in the program.

Application Process and Timeline

The process and timeline for an organization submitting an application to be a host site for 2023 is as follows:

  • All applications are due no later than November 4, 2022.
  • Applicants should receive an auto confirmation that their application form has been received. Applicants will receive a status update in November after the application deadline.
  • Applicants will be notified if any Fellow applicants have preliminarily matched with their organization by January 6, 2023. 
    • Organizations with preliminary matches will be expected to conduct short interviews and provide feedback from these interviews to SNS no later than January 23, 2023.
    • Organizations that do not have matches will remain on the SNS outreach list and will be encouraged to apply again the following year.
  • Organizations will be notified if they have been successfully matched with a Fellow by early February 2023. The Fellowship program officially starts on February 11.

SNS pre-screens both host site applicants and Fellow applicants before recommending possible matches to the host nonprofit. Host nonprofits then have the opportunity to have a short conversation with the candidate option(s) to help determine best fit before SNS makes an ultimate placement recommendation.

Please note that applying will offer you an opportunity to be part of the matching process and does not guarantee Fellow placement with your organization.

To download a printable flyer with the above information to share with your colleagues, click here.