Applications for ’24-’25 Roosevelt Network Fellowships are now CLOSED!

If you applied in Wave 2, or were deferred from Wave 1, you will be notified of a final admissions decision no later than the first week of March.


In an effort to create career exploration opportunities for progressive-minded undergraduate students, and to build a more robust pipeline into the progressive policy ecosystem, the Roosevelt Network operates the Roosevelt in Washington (RIW) Fellowship. As a leader in the political and economic ideological public square, the Roosevelt Institute is uniquely equipped to train the next generation of progressive policy leaders who will contribute to a vision for a just economy and multiracial democracy.

Roosevelt in Washington is a six-month leadership and professional development program for Network students, engaging them during the spring and summer before their junior or senior year. This program supports progressive policy career exploration, targeted skill-building training, mentorship from Network alumni, and placement into an eight- to nine-week summer internship within the Roosevelt Institute or a partner organization. RIW Fellows will also have the opportunity to grow as leaders in a community of other passionate policy wonks, with weekly seminar sessions on critical skills like emotional intelligence, coalition building, and project management.  

RIW delivers the structured scaffolding for students to have a transformational summer experience, filled with values exploration, real-world skill building, dedicated mentorship, and a deep sense of community. In addition to a fundamental understanding of the various policy-aligned careers that exist in the progressive ecosystem, students will leave this experience with the confidence and skills to chart their unique professional pathway in the movement. The RIW Fellowship aims to serve as a stepping stone for a long career that strengthens the progressive movement.

What will the experience look like?

Virtual Four-Month Intensive (February – May 2024)

RIW Fellows will be selected by February 2024 and will then embark on a completely virtual four-month intensive to prepare them for a summer internship within a Roosevelt Institute department or aligned partner organization. Students must be able to dedicate two hours during the week and two to three hours every other Saturday to real-time, virtual training sessions. During these four months, students will engage in: 

  • Professional development skills training, such as resume writing and networking;
  • Policy research and writing training;
  • Building a relationship with their Network alumni-matched mentor;
  • Biweekly meetings with a Network staff supervisor; 
  • Coursework in the ideological tenets of Roosevelt Institute’s worldview; 
  • Leadership, professional writing, and project management trainings; and
  • Learning how to connect FDR’s legacy to the current context of American domestic policy.

Two-Month Internship

Roosevelt Network students will then apply their learning to a two-month internship experience, during which they will be supported by a trio of professionals invested in their growth; this trio includes a Network staff supervisor, their internship site supervisor, and a Network alumni mentor. Fellows will work 30 hours per week at their internship site, attend 5 hours of supplemental learning experiences at the end of every week, and dedicate 5 hours a week to a team project. Supplemental learning experiences will include a combination of: 

  • Site visits to progressive policy organizations or government agencies;
  • Career exploration panels; 
  • Networking events with Roosevelt Alumni in Washington, DC;
  • Community building-focused social outings;
  • Alumni mentor meetings/activities;
  • Seminar-style discussions on policy challenges across four of the Roosevelt Institute issue areas—Corporate Power, Worker Power, Climate Justice, and Race & Democracy.

Hyde Park Conference (one of the first two weekends of August)

Roosevelt in Washington Fellows are required to attend the in-person Network Fellows Conference at the FDR Memorial Library and Museum for a long weekend of training, community building, engagement with senior Roosevelt Institute staff, and deep reflection on the enduring legacy of the Roosevelts. All costs for travel, lodging, and food will  be covered by the Roosevelt Institute.

You should apply if you:
  • Are a full time undergraduate student who will have Sophomore or Junior standing at the beginning of the 2024-2025 academic year;
  • Are a student attending an American college or university. Network programs cannot accept students attending non-American institutions; 
  • Have at least one more semester left in your undergraduate degree program for the 2024-2025 academic year;
  • Can commit to a 5-10 hours/week opportunity from March through May 2024, and then a four days on-site with an internship placement and Friday seminars during June and July 2024
  • Have the capacity to dedicate roughly 5 hours per/week on virtual training sessions from March-May 2024;
  • Can commit to living in Washington, DC for an internship placement in June and July 2024;
  • May engage in limited travel across timezones (for durations lasting less than 2 weeks) subject to approval by program staff on a case by case basis during the Virtual Summer Intensive. Due to the 8-week length of the RIW program, all Fellows must be able to commit to being present in Washington D.C. for all 8 work weeks of their in-person internship
  • Are an undergraduate student who has already engaged with policy discussions through your undergraduate major or experience in a former Network chapter;
  • Are passionate about exploring progressive policy in the areas of corporate power, worker power, race & democracy, or climate justice.
How do you apply?

The application for the ’24 Roosevelt in Washington Fellowship is closed.