Application Guidance

Let us help you improve your ULF Application.

Throughout the year, we will be holding live webinars for applicants interested in joining the 2025 Urban Leaders Fellowship.  These webinars aim to answer questions for applicants who have started their application and are in need of clarity on how to make stronger, provide alumni perspective, and an overview of ULF.

Webinars may deviate from this program, but in general ULF staff will be available to discuss:

  • Application requirements

  • What we look for in an applicant

  • Advice on the Critical Thinking Exercise

  • Selecting references

  • Crafting an effective statement of interest

  • What to highlight in your resume

  • What to expect in the interview process, and

  • Selection timeline

  • Alumni perspective and involvement

  • General logistical questions

Access Applicant Webinar

Additionally, we have made our Applicant Webinar available HERE along with the deck (password: R7?ymn?Y) for ANYONE considering the ULF fellowship prior to joining one of the additional Recruitment webinars.

2024 Fellowship Applications is closed!

Important dates:

  • Applications Open: October 30th [Applicants will be notified in two weeks of their status]

  • Applications Close: March 20, 2025    [All applicants will be notified of their status by April 15th]

All applicants are encouraged to submit their application by the early applicant deadline of December 1st for regional preference. We look forward to getting to know you better and receiving your application!

If you have additional questions, please check our our FAQ page or email info@urbanleadersfellowship.org.

We look for applicants who are diverse, in every sense of the word.  

We bring together a cohort of fellows in each region who come from different backgrounds, races, ethnicities, gender identity and sexual orientation, and have wide-ranging experiences in the topics they've studied, the places they've lived, and the work that they've done. We believe that diversity matters and will bring about better solutions. 

Please complete the form below to RSVP for an upcoming webinar.  

ULF staff will follow up with additional information after you RSVP. 

A word from our Alumni

  • “A couple of close friends from my Teach for America corps year (Greater Tulsa ‘18) were in the program in the summer after our first year of teaching. Admittedly, I applied with them, but was rejected. Persistence is key! In all seriousness though, I’ve always been committed to policy work. Public policy was my major in college, I taught social studies, and so on (you get the picture). I knew also that even though I wouldn’t be a life-long educator, there had to be a way to fuse my teaching experience and my future ambitions. That’s what attracted me so much to ULF; it was the quintessential opportunity to “get in the weeds” of the issues I saw day after day as a teacher, and even use some of the community contacts I made while teaching to directly impact Tulsa. The additional chance to work directly under an elected representative was the cherry on top as I knew there would be some substantive product from my work. My fellowship year was 2020 and the experience exceeded expectations.”

    Benjamin Keller, Tulsa Alum
    (National Alumni Ambassador)

  • “When you see significant change in policy such as this, know that it was a collaborative effort. It takes an ecosystem of dedicated and passionate leaders who stand up to say something needs to change and roll up their sleeves to do so. With that, I am extremely fortunate to have been part of the ULF team who approached the policy research on Alternatives to Policing with the empathy and intentionality it deserved. I am proud to know that we, and the voices of DC youth and residents interviewed in our research, informed conversations held by DC Councilmembers, the Mayor, and the Police Chief to bring about such vital social change.”

    Jasmine Carrasco, DC Alum
    (National Alumni Ambassador)

  • “Show up with your full self. No matter your story or experience, it is important to bring it to the spaces you want to effect change. The most valuable thing I got from the fellowship was understanding that the story I choose to tell has power; it is an asset that drives decision-making and shapes how we want to see our communities.”

    Nazia Hussain, Dallas Alum
    (National Alumni Ambassador)