Maryland Community Fellows Program

About the Maryland Community Fellows Program
 

The Maryland Community Fellows program is a unique paid fellowship opportunity for ambitious and mission-driven students. Fellows are trained in federal and state tax law and placed at Community Action Agencies (CAAs) to provide free tax preparation services to low-to-moderate income Marylanders. Community Action Agencies were established in 1964 to fight poverty and promote self-sufficiency in low-income communities by providing a range of programs and supports to community members, including the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, which has operated for over 50 years. Fellows will primarily focus on:
 

• Providing one-on-one tax preparation and/or tax return quality review services to VITA clients;
• Helping VITA clients understand and meet their tax responsibilities;
• Ensuring that eligible VITA clients claim tax credits - for example, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) (https://www.taxoutreach.org/tax-credits/earned-income-tax-credit/) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) (https://www.taxoutreach.org/tax-credits/child-tax-credit/) - and every tax benefit they may quality for;
• Referring VITA clients to other helpful services and programs to help them save money, build assets, and reach financial goals.

General Job Duties
 

• Successfully pass advanced level certification exam for the IRS' Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program and effectively become an expert in VITA, tax laws, and tax credits;
• Work with your placement site to implement a VITA free tax preparation site during tax season;
• Certify as a VITA Site Coordinator
• Assist in the general administration of the VITA program
• Provide referrals and access to other helpful financial capability resources and services
• Provide taxpayer financial education during individual appointments, where applicable
• Other duties as assigned.

Program Eligibility
Eligible candidates must:
 

• Be currently enrolled in a degree program as a undergraduate or graduate student for at least one semester during the program year (relevant work experience can be substituted for education)
• Have a 3.0 GPA (or reasonable justification for lower GPA)
• Be legally eligible and authorized to work in the United States (without employer sponsorship)
• Able to leave campus and travel to placement site (must have reliable transportation).

Timeframe & Schedule
The Maryland Community Fellows Program begins in October and ends in April.
Fellows are expected to work 1 day (~8 hours) a week with CASH in the Fall, and 3 days (~20 hours) a week at their placement site in the Spring. Fellows complete a maximum of 400 hours throughout the duration of the Fellowship (100 hours in the Fall: 300 hours in the Spring) 

Payment and Training
Fellows will receive a stipend of up to $7,200 ($18/hour) for the duration of the Fellowship, paid bi-weekly. 

If you are interested in the Maryland Community Fellows Program, please proceed to complete this form. Please note that you will be requested to submit the following documents as part of your application:
 

• Resume;
• Cover letter; and
• Academic transcript (official or unofficial)