The Impact Fellowship
The Impact Fellowship is designed for young technologists who hope to better our shared future.
Applications for the 2024 Impact Fellowship have now closed. Subscribe to our newsletter to find out when applications for next year's fellowship are open!
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About the Fellowship
The Impact Fellowship is a week-long in-person gathering over winter break in San Francisco for computer science students who hope to use their skills to create lasting social change.
Community
Impact Fellows are highly motivated and curious - they are the people you can talk to for hours because their passion is infectious! One of the most important pieces of the fellowship is the time fellows get to spend with one another, whether in group discussions, impromptu coworking sessions, or adventures exploring the city.
Speaker Series
Impact Fellows have the opportunity to hear from incredible entrepreneurs, researchers, nonprofit leaders, and other experts in the tech for good space!
Below are some of the speakers in the Impact Network:
Rosanna Durruthy
VP of D&I
LinkedIn
Amy Nelson
CEO
Venture for America
Marina Nitze
Former CTO
US Dept. of Veterans Affairs
Marco Carbone
Former CTO
The ACLU
Kathy Pham
Co-Founder
Mozilla Fix The Internet
Clementine Jacoby
Co-Founder
Recidiviz
Andrew Yang
Presidential Candidate
2020
Afua Bruce
Chief Program Officer
DataKind
Collaborative Projects
Fellows will work together in small teams and focus on a specific project of their choosing, building as much as they can during the week and optionally continuing after the fellowship ends. The Impact Labs team will connect fellows with professors, activists, entrepreneurs, and engineers who can share their expertise, as well as provide feedback and hands-on support.
Lead by Example
At the end of the program, fellows will share their projects with the world! The fellowship culminates in a pitch "collaboratition" where each group pitches their project to a panel of judges to receive feedback from industry experts and potential funding to continue pursuing their projects.
Fellowship FAQs
Who can apply?
The Impact Fellowship is designed for young engineers who are passionate about creating a more equitable, sustainable world. It is tailored for college students (either undergrad or grad students), but you do not necessarily have to be enrolled in a university to apply!
What is the ‘deliverable’ that fellows are expected to produce?
The deliverable is just a fancy way of saying that fellows will have something tangible, practical, and complete to show for themselves by the end of the program. This could be an academic paper, a Chrome extension, a podcast, a company, or anything the team decides on! It does not have to be a technical product, though fellows will probably wind up writing lots of code in order to design and experiment with their solutions.
How will the Impact Labs team support the fellows?
Our mission at Impact Labs is to enable and empower each fellow to fulfill their potential during the program. Through our network of founders, funders, engineers, scholars, artists, activists, and designers, we can ensure that fellows will connect with the right people they need to talk to. We'll also provide plenty of time for coworking on projects, quick feedback from the Impact Labs team, and, of course, collaboration with the other teams of fellows.
What is the cost of The Impact Fellowship?
The Impact Fellowship is free to attend for accepted fellows, but housing, transportation, and meals must be secured individually. We unfortunately cannot provide financial aid or a stipend to accepted fellows.
What if I can’t commit to the full week?
One of the best parts of this program is getting to meet all the other fellows & be continually inspired and empowered by one another, so this program will require a serious commitment on the part of all fellows. Prospective applicants should not apply if they know they will not be available for the full week.
When is the deadline to apply?
Applications are currently closed. Subscribe here to find out when applications open up for next year's fellowship!
Help! I’m still confused! Where can I ask more questions?
We’ve got you covered! Reach out to hello@impactlabs.io and we’ll respond as quickly as we can :)