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What We Do

OUR MISSION

What is Urban Leaders Fellowship?

The mission of Urban Leaders Fellowship is to transform communities through people, partnership, and policy. ULF pursues this mission through our flagship program, a leadership development Fellowship focused on practical experience in public service

Inspiring change for more equitable communities.

ULF seeks to partner with local community-based organizations that are guided by their community needs and living out the mission in service of their community Fellows are matched to partnering organizations that need capacity, addition bandwidth for mission aligned projects, and seeking longterm talent

Nonprofit founders. Award-winning educators. Fulbright & Rhodes scholars. Authors. Researchers. Graduate students. Over the past eight years, 600 fellows have created meaningful change in ten cities across the country.

The 2025 application is open.

  • To impact real and lasting change, creating smart policy is not enough. At ULF, our fellows spend the other half of their time working at a company or organization that is equally committed to social justice and positive impact. We partner with a diverse range of organizations, including innovative schools and education programs, tech-enabled startups, and microfinance institutions. In concert with ULF staff, our partners develop consequential and impactful projects for the summer, and the roles offer an additional opportunity for fellows to learn alongside some of the region's most talented leaders. After the summer, many of our organizations hire ULF fellows and alumni to join their teams full time. To learn more about the types of organizations we partner with, visit our partner organizations page.

  • To impact real and lasting change, creating smart policy is not enough. At ULF, our fellows spend the other half of their time working at a company or organization that is equally committed to social justice and positive impact.

    We partner with a diverse range of organizations, including innovative schools and education programs, tech-enabled startups, and microfinance institutions. In concert with ULF staff, our partners develop consequential and impactful projects for the summer, and the roles offer an additional opportunity for fellows to learn alongside some of the region's most talented leaders. After the summer, many of our organizations hire ULF fellows and alumni to join their teams full time.

    To learn more about the types of organizations we partner with, visit our partner organizations page.

  • Developing future leaders and supporting a diverse cohort is at the heart of ULF. We thrive on connecting high-achieving individuals with quality opportunities. But our commitment to our fellows extends beyond career development, to include:

    LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT. We select individuals who are seeking to make real impact in their communities. Through exposure to diverse leaders and experiences, and collaborative work with their highly accomplished cohort, fellows learn the skills and attributes that make a strong leader, develop their own leadership style, and get hands-on practice effectively empowering teams.

    ONGOING SUPPORT. When the fellowship ends, our commitment to our fellows continues. Upon matriculation, our fellows join a diverse and talented group of ULF alumni. We provide ongoing support to our alumni through career and professional development, including a yearly summit, job opportunities, and robust networking opportunities.

    We’ve supported alumni in running for office, starting nonprofits, becoming school leaders, and continuing their education.

    To learn more about the ULF team and founding vision, visit our team page.

Our Values

We are Built on Community 

We believe a strong and inclusive internal community can amplify the power of the communities in which we work.

We Choose Equity

We acknowledge the world is made up of inequitable systems and to change those systems we must harness diversity as a strength, create a collective voice and establish a shared vision for the future.

We Grow Through Discomfort

We believe that having the courage to embrace discomfort and difficult truths leads to real and lasting growth.

We Elevate Leaders 

We believe that individuals with a deep understanding of themselves, an awareness of existing power structures and the courage to raise their voice can create systems level change.

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)