Community Resilience Fellow

PROGRAM SUMMARY & POSITION OVERVIEW
CivicSpark, a program of the Public Health Institute (PHI), is an award-winning and evidence-based AmeriCorps program in which Fellows focus on planning and policy support to build local government and community capacity to address resilience challenges and create lasting impact in communities across the United States. As of January 2025, we offer fellowships in fifteen states: Arizona, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Washington.

CivicSpark AmeriCorps Fellows focus on projects in partnership with local governments, such as:
● Climate mitigation, adaptation, and decarbonization
● Water policy and management
● Affordable housing and sustainable mobility
● Community engagement and planning
● Equity and environmental justice

While projects vary, Fellows can expect to work on tasks, including research, meeting facilitation, community outreach, data collection and analysis, and report writing. Fellows also lead volunteer engagement projects and attend regular training to build professional and technical skills. Fellows will complete their service year with a strong understanding of working with local governments as well as experience in using critical tools used in the local government and/or non-profit space.
 

Fellows are spread regionally throughout the states and territories listed above. Each region has an assigned CivicSpark program staff person who oversees the various Fellows in their area, providing guidance, mentorship, and support for the Fellows’ professional development goals. Site Supervisors are the Fellows’ on-site contacts, who work with Fellows on a day-to-day basis, assist in project work, and support the Fellows’ professional growth in the workplace.

This is a time-limited fellowship with an expected start date of March 10, 2025 and expected end date of September 5, 2025. The Fellows are expected to commit to the full term of service which is minimum 900 service hours over about 6 months.

This fellowship will be based in one of fifteen states: Arizona, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, or Washington. Fellows are required to live within a 50-mile radius from their service site’s office and must live within a region no more than 50 miles from their service site’s office. Essential duties and responsibilities of the individual Fellow and their service site location are dependent on the specific project the Fellow will work on.
 

BENEFITS AND COMPENSATION
The allowance for half-time Fellows serving 900 hours over about 6 months, before taxes and other deductions, is as below:
 
 Living allowance:
 Up to $18,550 for fellows placed in California.
 Up to $18,020 for fellows placed in Arizona, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida,
Georgia, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas,
Virginia, or Washington.
 

Benefits may include the following:

Administered by AmeriCorps:
 $3,697.50 Segal Education Award
 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food assistance
 Student loan forbearance
 Qualifies for time served toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
 Childcare assistance
 AmeriCorps alumni support

Administered by PHI / CivicSpark:
 Health insurance
 Employee Assistance Program
 Professional development training
 Professional Network development
 CivicSpark alumni support
 

QUALIFICATIONS To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.
 

Minimum Qualifications
AmeriCorps Requirements:
 Be a citizen, national, or lawful permanent resident of the United States*
 Be at least 17 years of age.
 Have a high school diploma or its equivalent.

Ability to pass FBI, state, and NSOPW background checks prior to service and if the need arises after hired.

*At this time, we are unfortunately unable to accept applicants with student visas (such as F1 or F2 student visas, J1 or J2 exchange visitor visas, G series visas, etc.), or those with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status.
 

CivicSpark Requirements:
 2-year Associate degree from an accredited college or university.
 

Other Required Qualifications
- Commitment to the full term of service (minimum 1,200 service hours over about 7.5 months).
- Ability to serve in a professional setting.
- Strong communication and teamwork skills.
- Commitment to racial equity, strong communication (both verbal and written), and teamwork skills.
- Must maintain a professional attitude at all times and show respect toward site supervisor, co-workers, CivicSpark staff, and all other individuals the Fellow engages with during service hours.
- Must be able to adapt to change in a work environment, accept constructive feedback, effectively handle multiple tasks and competing demands, work cooperatively in a group, actively resolve conflicts, and work independently.
- Strong organizational skills and the ability to effectively handle multiple tasks.
- Ability to be committed to a high standard of safety and willing and able to comply with all safety laws and all of the program’s safety policies and rules.
- Be aware of safety protocols and report and issues to appropriate supervisory or management
personnel.
- Must have access to reliable transportation to commute to the regular worksite(s), as well as for travel to meetings, events, and/or other project sites if required.
- For Fellows who drive their own vehicle for traveling to sites that are not their regular worksite(s) for meetings, events, and/or other service activities, they must meet the following requirements:
o Have the ability to drive to the locations required by the projects.
o Maintain a current Department of Motor Vehicles driver’s license, vehicle registration, and
minimum statutory insurance liability coverage as required by the state law in which the vehicle is registered.
 

Preferred Qualifications
- A bachelor’s degree in environmental sciences/studies, urban planning, public policy, or other related field.
*Although a degree in a related field may be leveraged to support project completion, it is not required to participate in the program.
- One year of relevant experience including volunteer, internship, or work experience supporting project-related tasks including:
o Past service experience (e.g., volunteering, community service, etc.)
o Experience with, or training in, outreach, facilitation, and/or education
o Experience with project implementation
o Experience with local government operations and structures
o Comfort with quantitative work, including data collection and analysis
- Being local to the community you will serve in.