Lead for America
A Nation in Crisis
With a national political climate plagued by gridlock and polarization, it is up to local communities to guide the American people toward a better future. Yet in order for grassroots transformation to occur, the country desperately needs more youth to choose a life of civic service.
A 2018 Human Capital Survey revealed that 84% of millennials consider it their duty to make the world a better place, yet each year millions of college graduates are funneled into a small handful of large cities doing work that often promotes individual self-advancement over contribution to community. Meanwhile, local institutions across the country are desperate for new leadership and ideas: in 2006 only 13% of all professional city, county, and town managers were under 40 years old and only 1% were 30 or younger. Today, 30-40% of local government employees are currently eligible for retirement.
Introducing Lead for America
We believe that a single visionary leader rooted in humility can change a community. Many working together can transform our country.
Lead for America bridges the divide between local governments and aspiring young leaders by recruiting, training and placing talented and diverse college graduates in local government positions nationwide for a paid two-year fellowship. We look to the local because this is where we are raised, shaped, and cared for. We look to government because it creates the tools we can use to care for one another more strongly.
Over the course of the two years, LFA Fellows will gain a new perspective and appreciation for local government, understand the most pressing issues facing our communities, be equipped with tools to enact communal and systemic change, establish relationships with partner universities and organizations, and gain opportunities to engage with a growing alumni network of passionate leaders, who together will continue to serve as transformational public service leaders in communities across the nation.
Lead for America’s inaugural year will place 40 Fellows in communities across North Carolina and 10 Hometown Fellows across the country.
For College Seniors
To receive more information about the Lead for America fellowship and whether it is right for you, fill out our Fellow Registration Form.
To Join the Movement
To learn more about how you can get involved in Lead for America outside of the fellowship, fill out our Supporter Form. If you are interested in applying to be on the LFA Student Advisory Board, fill out our LFA Student Advisory Board Registration Form.