Applications open for Coding it Forward Fellowship (US)

Over ten weeks during the summer, Fellows provide critical support to the government offices they work for in cyber, data, design, product and software roles.

Scope

• Fellows tackle high-impact work in one of five areas of practice: cybersecurity, data, design, product, or software engineering. Each Fellow will be matched to a role where their skills and expertise are most fitting and needed:
  • Cybersecurity: As a Cybersecurity Fellow, you are comfortable with creating programs, practices, and policies to safeguard the security of applications or networks. Example cybersecurity projects include:
    • Creating and validating security features for an application used by the host office.
    • Reviewing security features for potential vulnerabilities and recommending policies and requirements.
  • Data: As a Data Fellow, you are comfortable with creating data products to aid decision-making and streamline access to government data. Example data projects include:
    • Creating an analytical dashboard to improve emergency preparedness for a municipality.
    • Training a machine learning model to classify submission categories of grants received by the host office.
    • Developing a data processing pipeline to efficiently clean and transform new data automatically.
  • Design: As a Design Fellow, you are comfortable with researching, creating, and improving designs for products, systems, and services. Example design projects include:
    • Creating a design system to unify look and feel across public-facing tools hosted by the host office.
    • Conducting user research and prototyping a new interface design for a city service mobile app.
    • Creating graphic/visual designs for a series of signage on government data collection and privacy guardrails.
  • Product Management: As a Product Management Fellow, you are comfortable with coordinating, researching, and launching digital features or products. Example product management projects include:
    • Researching requirements, analyzing benefits and challenges, and creating a proposal for deploying a customer-facing AI chatbot.
    • Creating a product roadmap to plan and coordinate the launching of a new feature for the city website.
  • Software Engineering: As a Software Engineering Fellow, you are comfortable with designing, developing, and testing applications, platforms, or systems. Example software engineering projects include:
    • Developing a website centralizing knowledge sources across various departments of the host office.
    • Creating a public-facing API of a specific dataset to facilitate ease and efficient public access.
    • Developing a mobile app prototype for city employees to route to request locations and document issues.

Benefits

• Develop as a mission-driven technologist: You’ll work alongside public servants to apply your technical and problem-solving skills to complex challenges. The Fellowship will empower you to understand the inner workings of government bureaucracy while contributing to the continuous effort to build an equitable and effective government for all.
• Get paid while making an impact: You’ll contribute your expertise in cybersecurity, data, design, product, or software to some of our country’s most pressing challenges. Past Fellows’ projects have ranged from machine learning models to user interface overhauls, resulting in millions of dollars saved and years cut from production timelines.
• Grow personally and professionally: You’ll attend weekly events with top technologists to learn how technology and design tools are used to achieve impact at scale—from improving the social safety net to ensuring justice for all.
• Find a mentor: Fellows have the opportunity to be matched to a mentor with experience in the public interest technology field. With one-on-one calls throughout the summer, Fellows receive individualized support ranging from job guidance to skills development.
• Join a cohort-based community: You’ll build a strong community with our network of early-career technologists that reflects the diversity of the country they serve. After the summer ends, you’ll join their dynamic network of more than 700 alumni.

Funding Information

• The 2025 Fellowship will run from June 9 to August 15, 2025. Fellows are paid based on their educational attainment level—undergraduate and bootcamp Fellows make $20/hour, and graduate students make $25/hour.

For more information, visit Coding it Forward.