Code for America is looking for civic-minded developers, designers and product managers to become its next group of fellows focused on improving communities through technology.
“Fellows have inspired creativity, collaboration, and new approaches to problem-solving in local governments across the country,” the organization wrote on its website.
The fellowship is a yearlong program where developers, designers and product managers come together to create small startup teams and collaborate with local governments to design problem-solving applications. The next group will be a part of Code for America’s fifth fellowship program.
(Related: Cities are taking coding to the streets)
Through the program, participants will be trained from various leaders in technology and public administration, such as Google, Pivotal, IDEO, the Sunlight Foundation and GE Design, to build apps that tackle civic engagement, criminal justice, social services, and health and environmental issues. The focus of the training will depend on the needs of a certain city.
“In the past, teams have worked on solving for access to social services, alternatives to incarceration, and new avenues for public input,” according to the organization.
Applications developed throughout the fellowship will be released as open-source code.
“While it’s true that other cities can download and tweak your app code, as a fellow you’ll receive attribution and help steer the app’s functionality in a way that is customized to meet your host city’s unique needs,” the organization said.
In addition to training and app development, participants will also receive a US$50,000 stipend, a professional development budget, travel expenses and healthcare benefits.
Those interested will have until July 15 to apply.
“We’re looking for a diverse class of fellows with a variety of backgrounds and a wide range of skills, expertise, and interests,” said the organization.
