Fellowship Program
Leading for Racial Equity
The Fellowship is an 11-month professional development program for emerging social justice leaders taking the lead on race equity work, and advocating for change on a systemic level. Fellows are assigned to specific policy teams and hone their expertise by working with Greenlining staff on critical issues impacting our communities.
The Experience
An Immersive Policy Experience for Systemic Change
The Greenlining Institute’s Leadership Academy has trained over 1,000 multi-racial early career professionals to lead on powerful solutions.
Leadership Academy Fellows have a deep personal connection to our mission and are passionate about working towards an equitable and just future for communities of color. Fellows are propelled by today’s political climate to engage in racial equity work and join a diverse, multicultural cohort that values and celebrates inclusivity.
As a Fellow, you will:
- Participate in leadership and skills development workshops;
- Present at conferences, attend meetings with key stakeholders, and conduct site visits to community organizations, government, and corporate entities;
- Have opportunities to engage with the media;
- Conduct research, write reports, and publish blogs;
- Testify at policy hearings and participate in key meetings with top government officials, corporate CEOS, and political leaders; and,
- Offer mentorship and professional development workshops to the Summer Associates.
Apply For The Fellowship
Apply For The Fellowship
Becoming a Fellow
The Fellowship application is now closed.
Fellow Testimonials
“The Greenlining Institute Fellowship inspired and motivated me to do more to bring equity and fairness to low-income and disadvantaged communities. I really value the journey and the friendship I made with all the Fellows, something I will never forget in my future professional career. ”
Emman Uy
Former Climate Finance Fellow“During my Fellowship I got to present at the Take Back Tech Conference in Chicago, use my self-confidence and talk about my work. ”
Daniella Espinoza
Former Tech Equity Fellow“At the Greenlining Institute, I am surrounded by advocates who do not take ‘it is impossible’ as an answer, who dare to dream a bold personal vision, and make brave demands for what our communities need. These spaces have allowed me to push myself to raise the bar for what is possible.”
Haleema Bharoocha
Former Tech Equity Fellow“The Leadership Academy pushed me to change in ways that I could have never imagined. Now I have a commitment to sustaining my most valuable resource in the fight for racial justice—myself.”
Asia Alman
Former Policy Fellow“You are seen, heard, and valued here’ are the words imprinted into my memory from the first day of orientation at The Greenlining Institute. I can trust this organization when staff say they value my personal narrative, experience, and potential. ”
Denise Garcia
Former Policy Fellow“At the beginning of the Fellowship, I set a goal for myself to speak at a conference and build a professional network within the Bay Area housing policy world. The Academy gave me tools and resources to reach those goals, including flexible funds for professional development, skills-based workshops, and networking opportunities ”
Sonrisa Cooper
Former Economic Equity Fellow“Because of Greenlining, I am that much more sure of my purpose and value-add to the racial justice movement Altogether.”
De’Zhon Grace
Former Economic Equity Fellow“I co-authored the report On the Wrong Side of the Digital Divide, and conducted outreach and interviews with Fresno residents. I was able to speak about the report at two conferences, do a Spanish language interview for Radio Bilingüe, and do more writing such as for Forbes and the Progressive to highlight the digital divide nationally.”
Gissela Moya
Former Tech Equity FellowFrequently Asked Questions
The Fellowship application is now closed. Please visit our website in January 2026 for the 2026-27 Fellowship application.
Compensation
Fellows are employed as full-time, non-exempt, hourly employees as a paid learning program for the duration of the 11-month Fellowship program, working a standard schedule of 37.5 hours per week.
Compensation for this role is a flat, program-set amount equivalent to $60,000 for the Fellowship term, paid as an hourly wage of $33.70 per hour, and issued on a semi-monthly basis for hours worked. Fellows are eligible for overtime in accordance with applicable labor laws.
Compensation for the Fellowship is non-negotiable. Participation in the program is an opt-in agreement to the stated compensation structure, which is applied consistently across all Fellows.
Benefits
- Fellows are eligible for Greenlining’s benefits package, including:
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage
- Paid holidays and accrued paid time off
- Access to organizational wellness and professional development resources
Fellows are not eligible to participate in Greenlining’s 401(k) retirement plan, and no employer retirement contributions are provided as part of this role. The Fellowship compensation structure is designed to ensure equity, transparency, and consistency across all participants and is not subject to individual negotiation.
The Fellowship and Summer Associate programs follow a hybrid work model, with two in-person days per week and three days of remote work, depending on programmatic needs. In-person commitments may vary from week to week. Participants must reside within commuting distance of The Greenlining Institute’s downtown Oakland office for the duration of the program.
Applicants may only apply to either the fellowship or the summer associate program – not both.
The short answer: It can vary a lot! We make sure that our Fellows have as many opportunities to learn and grow as possible during the Fellowship year. During the first part of their year with us, Fellows might spend a good chunk of their time meeting with a policy team’s key partners, learning about the history of a program team’s work and going through workshops with the Academy team and other Greenlining staff focused on understanding leadership styles or building specific skills. At other times in the year, Fellows might find themselves preparing to give public comment at an upcoming committee hearing in Sacramento, facilitating a convening, writing a blog post, or any number of other advocacy activities. Fellows are generally expected to work from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday and we encourage participants to avoid working on weekends.
We understand that preparing and submitting an application for our programs requires a significant amount of effort and vulnerability. To honor this effort, all candidates will receive notification about the status of application during the process. Sometimes there are delays which impact our notification timeline, so you are welcome to send a follow-up email six weeks after the application closing date if you haven’t heard from us.
Each year, the Leadership Academy selects between 4 and 6 individuals to participate in the Fellowship program. The size of each cohort is contingent upon our programmatic goals and resources available.
Unfortunately, we do not offer visa sponsorship for international applicants.
Unfortunately, we do not have the resources to offer Leadership Academy participants housing or relocation stipends. If selected to join the Fellowship, our team will provide a list of housing resources and help participants get situated in the Bay Area by connecting them to our networks.
The Fellowship application process opens Thursday, January 8, 2026 and closes on Friday, March 20, 2026 at 11:59 PM PST. Top candidates are selected to participate in the interview process, which generally occurs 2-5 weeks after the application closing date. We select and notify those chosen for Fellowships in April or earlier.
To ensure an equitable process, we review every application we receive and therefore do not accept late applications.
This year, the Fellowship program will run from Tuesday, September 8, 2026 to Friday, August 6, 2027.
Leadership Academy Fellows have a deep personal connection to our mission and are passionate about working towards an equitable and just future for communities of color. They are propelled by today’s political climate to engage in racial equity work and join a diverse, multicultural cohort that values and celebrates inclusivity.
- Must be 18 years of age or older
- If earned BA, at least 1 year of related experience required (cumulative OK)
- If no BA degree, at least 2 years of related experience required (cumulative OK)
- Committed to championing causes that serve low-income individuals and communities of color
- Proven ability to work in a manner that respects differences in race, ethnicity, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, religion, ability and socio-economic circumstance
- Willingness to learn and try on new techniques; approaches unfamiliar experiences with curiosity and openness to the process; approaches challenges that push beyond their professional comfort zone with determination, heart and deep commitment to their personal growth
- Strong verbal and written communication skills to complete writing and public speaking assignments with high quality
- Team player who inspires collaboration, lifts up the work of others, and maintains balance and perspective with patience and a sense of humor
- Ability to work cooperatively and effectively while demonstrating flexibility with others to set goals, resolve problems, pivot assignments and make decisions that move forward the work
- Ability to prioritize tasks, strong organizational skills, and an ability to work independently
- Strong writing and computer literacy of PC-based Google Drive and MS Office Programs