Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about the program.
What is Civic Leaders? Why are you doing this?
Civic Leaders envisions a future where those at the vanguard of improving our communities are sufficiently resourced, experience deep camaraderie, and operate at their highest potential. In short, we want these leaders to be invested in as much as they invest in their missions. To actualize this, we've created this tech-enabled fellowship and digital community to join together leaders across the country.
As folks who have been "doing the work" - in city halls, at late-night community meetings, supporting our peers and managing up to mayors, chiefs of staff, and executives - we know both the fulfillment and the isolation of navigating these spaces.
We created Civic Leaders because we needed Civic Leaders.
Why is Civic Leaders different from other "professional development" opportunities?
Traditional professional development opportunities are typically structured like this:
1. Lecture-style, focused on passively receiving knowledge from an expert
2. Transactional, once the training or experience is over, the relationship ends
3. Deficit-based, promote up-skilling or improvements devoid of your unique context
Civic Leaders invites the fullness of your experience bridging the personal and the professional, and recognizing that for the mission-driven, these lines quickly become blurred.
1. Highly engaged, facilitated conversations, discussion boards, and live convos create dynamic peer-learning opportunities.
2. By design, the cohort experience is just the beginning of being a Civic Leader. Once you complete the cohort, you become a Fellow for life with your fellow Civic Leaders in your corner.
3. We recognize and value the leadership, experience, and expertise you bring to this community. As such, we're strong believers in peer learning and that we all can learn from (and teach) each other.
How does Civic Leaders build community? Online? In-person?
Community is essential to how we’ve designed the fellowship experience and as such we’re intentional about this in both virtual and in-person settings. During the virtual aspects of our fellowship we facilitate guided group discussions, 1:1s via breakout groups, and group messaging to keep fellows engaged between sessions. When we gather in-person retreats at the end of the fellowship or through regional gathering we translate these practices by showing up thoughtfully, with care, and authentically as Civic Leaders.
I'm interested in applying, where can I do so?
Applications are currently open! Please visit civicleaders.us/apply
When does the next cohort start?
The next Civic Leaders cohort begins on January 9, 2027!
What are the dates for the live Fellowship sessions?
We intend to meet on the following Saturdays:
January 9, 2027
January 23, 2027
February 6, 2027
February 20, 2027
March 6, 2027
March 20, 2027
April 3, 2027
April 17, 2027
What is the cost to participate in the Civic Leaders fellowship?
The cost to participate in the Civic Leaders fellowship is $2000. This price includes all of the live, facilitated sessions, the lifetime fellowship network, and access to the programming for the in-person retreat. It does not include travel arrangements or lodging for the in-person retreat.
How is Civic Leaders ensuring the fellowship is accessible?
We are deeply committed to ensuring the fellowship is financially accessible to mission-driven leaders. As such we are happy to work with employers to utilize professional development stipends. Additionally, we are able to provide payment plans to cover the costs of participation.
How do I show my current or future employers the value of Civic Leaders? How do I prove I was a Fellow?
We Civic Leaders is unique among fellowship programs where we are intentionally peer-led by practitioners while pairing the best of evidence-based research and authentic community building to ensure that fellowships are sustained while making making sizable impacts to their organizations.
How do I prove I was a Fellow?
We provide all fellows that have completed the curriculum a verifiable credential utilizing that Certifier platform. This credential is able to be displayed on resumes, portfolios, or on LinkedIn.
I’m an employer - how do I know whether Civic Leaders is worth the investment?
Civic Leaders is led by two MIT alums with deep experience in public innovation and program implementation and was incubated at MITdesignX which was recently named one TIME’s best accelerators in the country next to major players such as Y Combinator, Techstars, and more.
By sponsoring a fellow to participate in Civic Leaders employers:
Show their strong mid-career leaders that you’re investing in them and their future at the organization.
The intentional program design builds participants skills in leading change without formal authority.
Every session provides participants with actionable frameworks and tools to drive change when they log back in on Monday.
The Fellowship intentional takes place on Saturdays to not interrupt the work week.
Fellows are surrounded by a cohort of peers with a median of 10+ years of experience who have led teams; this peer learning is critical to the professional development and growth of participants.
To learn more about how employers can benefit from sponsoring a member of their team to join Civic Leaders, please visit civicleaders.us/employers.
Can my employer sponsor my participation?
Can my employer sponsor my participation? Yes. Employers can sponsor a fellow on their team using existing professional development stipends, and payment plans are available. See our Employer Sponsorship Guide at civicleaders.us/employers.