Call for Applications
Public Service Fellowship
The Moynihan Public Service Fellowship supports promising undergraduate students pursuing innovative careers in public service. Moynihan Public Service Fellows receive awards totaling $10,000, take two Political Science elective courses dedicated to professional development and public service, and participate in a paid summer internship in city government or in another public service institution.
The deadline for the 2024-2025 Moynihan Public Scholars Fellowship application has passed. The next application will be open in 2025. To be notified when the next application opens, please join our mailing list here. If you have any questions, please refer to the FAQ or contact moynihancenter@ccny.cuny.edu.
Overview
The Moynihan Public Service Fellowship takes inspiration from the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, whose career straddled the academy and government, and who was a frequent contributor to popular media. Like Moynihan, Public Service Fellows will reimagine what it means to have a career in public service. Fellows may be interested in careers in government (local, national, or international) or in public service careers directly engaged with government, such as journalism, the nonprofit sector, or advocacy, among other fields. The Fellowship is therefore open to students from any school or department, and Fellows will work closely with mentors to chart out careers in public service that are as diverse and innovative as the students of City College.
Fellows will receive a $5,000 stipend during the school year and up to $5,000 to support an internship during the summer.
The Moynihan Public Service Fellowship has two tracks: Public Service Innovators and New York City Leaders. Each track is eligible for a $5,000 award to support students during the school year and a $5,000 award to subsidize an internship during the summer. Applicants may indicate their preferred track, but assignments will be determined based on availability and fit.
Public Service Innovators
- Fall: Power, Politics, and Policy in NYC
- Spring: Philosophy and the City
- Summer: Public Service Internship
New York City Leaders
- Fall: Power, Politics, and Policy in NYC
- Spring: Philosophy and the City
- Summer: New York City Government Internship
Fall: Fellows take Power, Politics, and Policy in New York City, a 4-credit course that combines an introduction to public administration in NYC with a curriculum dedicated to developing professional capacities, such as writing resumes, cover letters, and professional email, interviewing, and giving presentations. Fellows will have opportunities to interact with Moynihan Public Scholars, and to develop mentorship relationships with members of an extended Moynihan Network.
Spring: Fellows take Philosophy and the City, a humanities-based introduction to public service in the 21st century. Fellows will work with staff and mentors to identify internship opportunities and to prepare application materials.
Summer: Fellows participate in a full-time, paid summer internship at a public service institution identified with assistance from Moynihan Center staff. New York City Leaders will be placed in institutions of City government and Public Service Innovators will be placed in a variety of public service institutions—from government auxiliaries to the UN to public service media to the non-profit sector—based on individual career aspirations.
To be eligible for a Moynihan Public Service Fellowship, applicants must be:
- Full-time CCNY undergraduate students from Fall 2024 to Spring 2025
- A freshman, sophomore, or junior at the time of application
- Interested in a career in public service
The Moynihan Center at The City College of New York (CCNY) advances the twin goals of public scholarship and public service. Taking inspiration from Senator Moynihan’s celebrated career, the Center cultivates leaders who cross the boundaries between critical thinking, public service practice, and popular communication. Through two signature fellowship programs and a rich slate of public events, the Center works to ensure that the next generation of public scholars and public servants reflects the diversity of viewpoints and lived experiences represented at City College and beyond.
The Moynihan Center is based in the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at The City College of New York. Founded in 1847, CCNY is the flagship of The City University of New York (CUNY) system. City College was created as a radical effort by the people of New York to make higher education available to all, regardless of income, religion, ethnicity or background. As the first free public institution in the United States, CCNY was a big idea and a dramatic achievement that contributed to the creation of “free academies” across the United States. From its earliest moments, CCNY has been a political project, one that places a commitment to equity and opportunity through affordable education at its core.
With 4,000 of CCNY’s 15,000 students, the Colin Powell School is the largest student division of CCNY. It has a unique mission within the CUNY system and one that is distinctive nationally: a commitment to transforming one of the nation’s most diverse student populations into tomorrow’s global leaders. The Colin Powell School combines the social sciences with a commitment to leadership development and civic engagement, all in service to a student body that is 80 percent people of color, half immigrants, nearly two-thirds first in their families to go to college, and mostly from low-income neighborhoods. The Colin Powell School serves precisely those in our society who come from communities that lack power. Our mission is to prepare them to take power—and challenge systems of power along the way—in order to position them as new generations of leaders across sectors and in service to society.
CCNY is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We are committed to equity and inclusion and strongly value the experiences of historically marginalized people and encourage them to apply. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.
The Moynihan Center is supported by the Leon Levy Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Teagle Foundation, the Charles H. Revson Foundation, and the Achelis & Bodman Foundation.