About the Fellowship

City Bureau’s Civic Information Fellowship is a paid, six-month, two-phase program for Chicagoans who want to grow their skills in community engagement, civic participation and journalism. With support from City Bureau staff, fellows will use these skills to design and implement group projects that help improve their neighbors’ access to information. Our work prioritizes the South and West sides of Chicago.

Fellows attend weekly learning and co-working sessions to build their skills. Fellows work individually and in teams to deeply understand the information needs of their communities, gather information, build relationships over time, and tell compelling stories about civic issues. 

City Bureau emphasizes racial equity and community engagement, and participants can expect to have critical conversations about how people create, receive and share information; and how they participate in civic life. All participants are encouraged to think creatively about how to strengthen the local information ecosystems in Chicago’s communities of color. 

See testimonials from past program participants here and select projects here.

Applications are open for our Fall 2026 cycle, Sept. 8.

Scroll down to find out why you might make an amazing Civic Information Fellow and find links to the application. Applications are due 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 11. No late submissions will be accepted.

You can view a recording of our webinar and Q&A about the new fellowship on YouTube here.

What You’ll Do

• Attend weekly workshops led by City Bureau staff members and guest speakers

• Attend weekly meetings with our Civic Information & Engagement team 

• Work in a collaborative, hands-on learning environment with City Bureau staff and five fellowship teammates

• Practice and improve skills in:

• Journalism (storytelling, writing for different mediums, gathering information, research, interviewing techniques, ethics, accountability, etc.)

• Community engagement (building non-transactional relationships, collaborating with community partners, asset mapping, surveying, learning local information ecosystems, etc.)

• Civic participation and navigating civic life (understanding how city government works, diving into public policy, covering public meetings, figuring out who is in charge and how to hold them accountable, etc.)

• Keep weekly audio or written journals to track your work and reflect on what you’re learning

• Produce and write social video, blogs and explainer pieces about your work and aspects of civic governance or infrastructure

• Develop an information needs project that tackles the issue you’ve identified

• Get one-on-one feedback and additional coaching from City Bureau staff and editors 

• Develop distribution and audience engagement strategies to ensure we get the information you’ve produced to the people who need it most, and they have clear ways to apply it to their lives

• Get ongoing coaching in professional development, career-building, accountability, and setting and meeting your goals

• Promote your work to City Bureau networks and community partners

Schedule, Time commitment and Pay

The fellowship is split into two phases. 

• Phase 1: Fellows focus on spending as much time in their communities as possible to fully understand what information their community needs and design a project that meets that need. 
  
  Fellows will commit to 12 hours of work per week for 14 weeks and will be paid a $5,000 stipend in 2-week increments. The weekly time requirements include:

  • Mondays or Tuesdays — A two-hour learning session. We typically do these via Zoom during evening hours, but we will work with fellows to find a suitable time. Occasional learning sessions may be in person.

  • Wednesdays, noon to 4 p.m. or 2-6 p.m. — In-person meeting with City Bureau staff plus a co-working session with your fellowship group at City Bureau’s Bronzeville office, lunch included.

  • Six additional hours per week (flexible based on your own schedule) of community engagement, gathering information, interviewing, community mapping, writing, completing assignments, journaling, and communicating with your fellowship team.

   
  These sessions are mandatory. Fellows can miss up to four required sessions during their 14 weeks and must make up any time they miss during adjacent weeks.

• Phase 2: Fellows who successfully complete Phase 1 will be invited to continue their work in this stage. With designs in place, we will focus on putting your information needs projects into action.
  
  Fellows will commit to eight hours a week for 10 weeks and will be paid a $2,800 stipend in 2-week increments. Weekly time requirements include:

• One 2-hour virtual learning session focusing on an advanced skill

• One 2-hour, in-person co-working session with your fellowship teammates and City Bureau staff

• Four additional hours per week (flexible based on your own schedule) completing the steps detailed in your project, getting support from the Civic Information & Engagement and Chicago Documenters teams.

The time commitments are mandatory. Fellows can miss up to three required sessions during their 10 weeks and must make up any time they miss during adjacent weeks.

Qualifications, Expectations and Application

No specific professional experience is required. If you are excited to grow skill to keep your community informed we encourage you to apply.

We look for people who have a demonstrated interest in civic issues and engagement, community organizing, public policy or journalism through personal projects, previous training, school and internships. If you are a chronically inquisitive person passionate about storytelling, building community and finding creative ways to connect people with critical information, this opportunity is for you. Former fellows are welcome to apply.

Applicants must be living in or around Chicago to participate, as we do significant in-person engagement and community work in the city. We do not offer a remote-only option. The time commitments are mandatory and repeated absences will put your ability to complete the fellowship at risk.

We highly value lived and professional experience on the South and West sides as well as active or experienced Chicago Documenters. You must have reliable transportation to and from our Bronzeville office, and throughout South and West Side neighborhoods to complete your weekly assignments. You must also be authorized to work in the United States.

Please do not use AI to complete your application. We want to hear your original thoughts and perspectives to tell us why you think you’d be a great fit for the program. Any use of AI to complete your application may result in you being disqualified as a candidate. 

Due to the demands of the fellowship, we caution full-time students about applying for this position. The weekly hours add up. On rare occasions we will make exceptions for students who can demonstrate their ability to manage multiple time obligations well.

If you have any questions regarding the expectations or your application, please email fellowship@citybureau.org.