Job Description
Thank you for considering a career with the Research Foundation of The City University of New York (RFCUNY).
The team at RFCUNY is made up of dedicated, talented professionals committed to providing the services that allow CUNY researchers, faculty, and staff to focus on their intellectual curiosity and scientific discoveries.
We are pleased that you are interested in exploring opportunities to join RFCUNY.
Primary Location:
CUNY INSTITUTE FOR STATE & LOCAL GOVERNANCEBargaining Unit:
No
CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance (ISLG): About Us
The CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance (CUNY ISLG) is a good governance think-and-do tank dedicated to improving government effectiveness and efficiency. Established in 2013, CUNY ISLG works with state and local governments, higher education, public institutions and community-based organizations (CBOs) across 60+ jurisdictions in the U.S. Relevant to this opportunity, CUNY ISLG’s work includes designing and implementing Fellowship programs for elected officials and legislative Chiefs of Staff, in addition to creating learning spaces for CUNY students and offering training and technical assistance (TTA) and grantee management services to CBOs. For more information about ISLG, please visit: https://islg.cuny.edu/
Our Goals for Diversity and Inclusion
We strive to foster an office environment and an approach to work that welcomes and respects different perspectives, backgrounds, and life experiences. We are working towards our goal of recruiting and retaining staff, Fellows, interns, and advisory group members who are diverse in terms of race, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, veteran status, socioeconomic status, disability, and justice system involvement.
About the Civic Engagement Fellowship
The Campaign Finance Board (CFB) is a nonpartisan, independent city agency that empowers New Yorkers to make a greater impact on their elections. CFB’s mission is to make New York City’s democracy more open, transparent, and equitable by eliminating barriers to participation. Through voter engagement and the matching funds program, the CFB provides access to the information and resources New Yorkers need to vote or run for office and reduces the corrupting influence of money in politics by enhancing the impact of New Yorkers’ small-dollar contributions.
To amplify its work, CFB wishes to identify, engage, and empower the next generation of civic engagement leaders and build the capacity of CBOs to inform, educate and empower voters in their communities. For this Initiative, CBOs will be based or working in Bronx Community Districts 1 through 7. CFB wishes for these leaders and CBOs to specifically build expertise around voter engagement and education. CFB’s matching fund program is specifically designed to support greater voter engagement at all points in the election cycle and empowering the next generation of civic leaders can help build that goal. To achieve this goal, CFB is partnering with CUNY ISLG on this Initiative.
The Civic Engagement Fellowship program, which began in August 2025, is designed to offer Fellows the opportunity to participate in a yearlong professional development Fellowship offered by CFB and CUNY ISLG and be placed at a host CBO for a 1-year work experience. where they do a variety of work supporting voter and community engagement.
This opportunity is seeking a CUNY senior who will be graduating in Spring 2026 to participate in a 1-year Civic Engagement Fellowship and work placement opportunity. Specifically, it presents the opportunity to participate in Year 2 of a two-year Fellowship, and join a cohort of existing Fellows who began this Fellowship in August 2025. If circumstances allow, there may be an opportunity for the new Fellow to join the program before June part-time, but this is not guaranteed – we hope to have the new Fellow join the program in a full-time placement at their host sites beginning in June or July 2026. Additionally, please note that at present, CUNY ISLG is seeking to fill one vacancy in the program; however, strong candidates not selected for this vacancy may be added to a wait list and may be considered for future Fellowship opportunities in the program should additional vacancies open.
Fellows are Research Foundation of CUNY (RFCUNY) employees and will be eligible for RFCUNY benefits. Details regarding those benefits will be explained to candidates during the interview process as they differ depending on part time/full time schedules, All employees, regardless of placement, will receive ongoing support from CUNY ISLG staff for the duration of their Fellowship. Compensation (salary, benefits, etc.) will be set by CUNY ISLG and is reflected in the salary information listed at the start of this document.
Who we are looking for
CUNY ISLG is recruiting an additional Fellow to join the inaugural Civic Engagement Fellows. This Fellow’s term would start in January 2026 and go until June 2027. You must be able to commit to the full 1-year Initiative to be considered.
The Fellowship will include the following components:
Bi-monthly Fellowship Sessions – CUNY ISLG will host two-hour Fellowship sessions bi-monthly covering 4 key content areas: i) Leadership Development, ii) Civic Engagement, iii) Community Development and, iv) Public Policy – all critical elements that will aid Fellows in successfully engaging communities and supporting civic engagement activities at their host CBO.
Full-time CBO Employment: This Fellow will work full-time at their host CBO for approximately one year (June 2026-June 2027) as an employee of the CUNY RF. They will work on civic engagement projects determined by their CBO, in consultation with CUNY ISLG and CFB.
The core of this Fellowship is creating community among the Fellows and building a corps of civically engaged CUNY students to support CBOs in conducting civic engagement activities in New York City. Additionally, this Fellowship provides a year of paid employment at a community-based organization working to engage and support civic connections.
The host CBOs will be responsible for day-to-day mentorship, supervision and task management of the Fellows. Tasks that the Fellows may be responsible for include (but are not limited to):
Researching levels of civic engagement in the community and developing strategies to increase civic engagement
Learning about the policy priorities of the local communities where they are embedded
Identifying barriers to civic engagement that currently exist in the community
Organizing community meetings
Planning and hosting community education events
Facilitating community conversations and engaging with neighborhood residents
Taking notes at meetings
Providing coordination support for scheduling meetings with partners
Engaging with elected officials and other community stakeholders
Assisting in the preparation of materials for meetings, policy briefs, blogs and other communications
Qualifications:
We would love to hear from you, if you are/have:
A CUNY student in your senior year in good standing and with an expected graduation date by Summer 2027
Able to commit to a full-time schedule from June 2026 - June 2027
Interest and/or experience in civic engagement and community-building
Interest in working in a nonprofit Community-Based Organization
Excellent time management skills and experience working in deadline-driven environments
Ability to write and present in an articulate, structured, and compelling manner
Ability to prioritize and work on a number of tasks simultaneously
Flexibility about projects and workflow
Passion about equitable state and local policy solutions to pressing social issues
Experience in participatory action research and/or other community engagement approaches a plus
Fluency in a language other than English is a plus, including but not limited to Spanish, Kru, Ibo, Yoruba, Bengali, and/or French.
Given that the CBO work will be located in the Bronx, students at a Bronx CUNY campus and/or living in or near Community Districts 1-7 are particularly encouraged to apply
CUNY ISLG is open to flexibility on the requirements above, but we would expect candidates to fit most of the items described.
How to Apply
We ask that candidates submit the following materials:
A cover letter explaining why you are interested in the Civic Engagement Fellowship and why you are a fit for this role
A resume or curriculum vitae (1 page limit)
The contact information for 2 references (preferably professors or former supervisors of employment relating to civic engagement work)
Unofficial transcripts (Strongly Recommended)
All application documents must be in English and submitted in a single PDF via OneRF and emailed to patrick.hart@islg.cuny.edu by April 3rd. Please use the subject line “Civic Engagement Fellowship Application.” Incomplete application packets will not be considered.
Pay Range:
$54,000 Annually June 2026 - 2027
RFCUNY Benefits
RFCUNY Employee Benefits and Accruals
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
The Research Foundation of the City University of New York is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Americans with Disabilities Act/E-Verify Employer. It is the policy of the Research Foundation of CUNY to provide equal employment opportunities free of discrimination based on race, color, age, religion, sex, pregnancy, childbirth, national origin, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, domestic violence victim status, arrest record, criminal conviction history, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.