New Mexico Fellowship

The New Mexico Fellowship is an 18-month, paid, public policy fellowship, with the first year housed at the Institute for Policy Studies in our Washington, DC office, and the final 6 months working with an organization in New Mexico. This fellowship program seeks to help mentor a new generation of progressive leaders in New Mexico.  In the past, this fellowship has recruited diverse candidates that are now serving New Mexico in multiple ways. Each of our former IPS New Mexico fellows is back working in New Mexico non-profits, practicing law, and shaking up legislation, and one is finishing his masters degree in public policy at Princeton and returning to New Mexico in May.

The New Mexico Fellowship provides the opportunity for college graduates and/or young scholar-activists residing in New Mexico to come to IPS to be trained in public scholarship, a term we define as the connection between grassroots activism and policy research. Through the fellowship, participants sharpen their knowledge of the progressive landscape and policy world, and develop their capacities to think, write, research, and make connections to social movements. After learning about the organizational structure and operations of a thriving non-profit in Washington, D.C., fellows will return to New Mexico for a six month paid placement in a local organization. The Fellow will work with our advisory board, which includes former Fellows, to find a placement in New Mexico that is a fit for their skills and interests.

Each fellow receives hands-on experience by working closely with 1-2 IPS projects under the individualized mentorship from our IPS public scholars.  We believe that each scholar-activist brings a unique skillset to the table. Accordingly, upon acceptance, we tailor the fellowship to participants’ personal interests by pairing them with IPS projects for 2 six-month segments where they will become an essential part of that project’s staff. Fellows also have the opportunity to learn effective fundraising and communication strategies by working with the development and communications teams in addition to their personalized projects.