Civic Media Fellowship

Applications for the 2022/23 Fellowship cohort are now closed. For more information about the fellowship experience, who we’re looking for and the application process, please see our FAQ.

The Civic Media Fellowship, based at the USC Annenberg Innovation Lab with amazing support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, empowers artists, creators, storytellers, organizers, and others working at the intersections of media, technology and culture to further hone their practice through 9 months of exploration and collaboration with a dynamic, diverse, and amazing cohort of Fellows.

The Civic Media Fellowship supports participants as they level-up existing skills and develop new ones, build shared capacity for social and community impact, and have a positive impact on the world locally, nationally and globally. These new leaders and the resources we develop collectively to empower them also help to strengthen and expand the field of civic media—the use of today’s technologies to create and harness media that connects with communities, inspires action, builds civic capacity and helps sustain social change efforts—by pushing the boundaries of what it can be.

Our Founding Cohort of residential and remote Fellows joined us in early 2019 and were followed by our 2020 cohort, which began in August 2019, and the 2021 cohort, which began in August 2020. These cohorts form the core of community of intrepid explorers that enjoys a unique opportunity to think and do—collaboratively undertaking creative and meaningful projects fueled by discovery, learning, and doing alongside students, peers, and mentors. Our 2022 cohort will start in August 2021.

The fellowship experience is as varied as the Fellows themselves. Some may use their time as a Fellow for exploration and research, to reflect and explore a new issue, media, technology, or community. Others may have hit a proverbial wall in their own practice and need to reinvigorate themselves. Still others may be looking for an opportunity to start a broader, bolder piece of work that needs time outside the daily grind to percolate.

While each Fellow’s experience is singular, there are also some constants: Fellows meet together multiple times a week to share their experiences, to get and give feedback on work, to learn new skills and perspectives together, and to collaborate on projects and initiatives. Read more about the Fellowship experience and get answers to common questions here.

As the fellowship evolves, we are committed to transparency and shared learnings. There’s much more to come, so please check back and make sure to join our mailing list.

Civic Media Fellowship Steering Committee:
John Seely Brown
Taj Frazier
Robert Hernandez
Henry Jenkins
Annette Kim
Josh Kun
Mauricio Mota
Holly Willis