Cohort 2- Beginning September 2023
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Policy & Systems Change Fellowship
Bringing homelessness frontline, direct service experience to the public sector
The deadline for submitting the Eligibility Form was March 24, and we have now closed the submission process.
Program Overview
The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Policy & Systems Change Fellowship is a two-year, full-time, paid fellowship for individuals who want to contribute their learnings and experience to improve service delivery systems and policies in the public sector. The fellowship is designed to fast-track leaders with frontline and direct service experience to homelessness-related positions in L.A. County’s public sector. Hilton Foundation Fellows will be embedded in public sector teams and work directly on projects related to ending and preventing homelessness across Los Angeles County.
The work of ending homelessness in Los Angeles will not see significant progress without the dedicated individuals providing services to our unhoused community every day. Rapid growth and rapidly changing social and economic conditions have exposed the sector’s need for collaborative solutions that leverage experience from frontline workers to implement system-wide.
The fellowship will be managed by Social Justice Partners Los Angeles’ (SJPLA) Racial Equity in Homelessness Initiative.
Commitment
Two-year full-time placement in a public sector position supervised directly by an Executive level leader, including eight quarterly peer learning sessions facilitated by Social Justice Partners Los Angeles.
This is a full-time Fellowship position that requires availability during regular business hours. Selected applicants will need to terminate any existing full-time or part-time employment.
Compensation
$85,000 stipend each year, paid semi-monthly. Health insurance is not covered for the duration of the fellowship.
Extras
Opportunities in professional development and wellbeing supports.
Previous Cohort Placements
Eligibility Requirements
Commitment to working in the public sector for two years, full-time
Possesses the curiosity and drive to better understand public sector systems
3-5+ years of work experience in homeless service delivery or frontline work
Has direct, lived, or proximate experience of homelessness
Must attend all eight quarterly Fellowship sessions
Bachelor’s degree or higher
We encourage candidates not to self-select out of the selection process if you are unsure you meet the eligibility requirements. Instead, articulate how you would make a great candidate for the fellowship in the eligibility form.
Social Justice Partners is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, or status as a veteran.
Process
Complete the Eligibility Form
Candidates must submit the online eligibility form by Friday, March 24, 2023 (11:00 p.m. PT). Click here to download the eligibility form questions so you can prepare your responses in advance.Invitation to apply
Candidates who meet the minimum eligibility requirements will be invited to apply for the fellowship and learn more about each public sector site placement. Applicants will have an additional four weeks to submit their application and professional resume. Applications must be submitted on or before Friday, April 28, 2023 (11:00 p.m. PT)Interviews with public agency site supervisors
Public agency site supervisors will conduct interviews with applicants during the week of March 15-19, 2023.
For questions regarding the eligibility form, application process, or program details, check the FAQs, watch the information session video, and/or contact racialequity@sjpla.org.
Eligibility Form
The deadline for submitting the Eligibility Form was March 24, and we have now closed the submission process. If you would like to receive updates on when are accepting eligibility forms for the Fellowship again, subscribe below.
Selection Timeline
“Eligibility Form Opens
”
“Information Session
”
“Eligibility Form Deadline”
“Invitations to Apply”
“Applications Deadline”
“Interview Week”
“Invitation to Fellowship”
“Cohort 2 Begins”
FAQs
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We will be receiving between six to eight Fellows.
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Candidates will receive more information about the confirmed public agency site placements when they are extended an invitation to apply to the Hilton Foundation Fellowship. Candidates must first meet the minimum requirements of eligibility to receive an invitation.
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In the invitation to apply, candidates will receive a link with participating site placement profiles, which will include a scope of work, job qualification, and competencies needed to be successful in the two-year placement. Candidates will then have an opportunity to rank their Top 3 site placements in their online application form.
SJPLA will then distribute applications to the respective site supervisors for review. Site supervisors will then confirm which applicants they would like to interview. Site supervisors can also interview applicants that did not rank them if the pool of interested applicants did not meet the job qualifications or competencies. After Interview Week, site supervisors will submit their Top 5 applicant rankings to SJPLA.
SJPLA will then match the applicant to a site placement based on both rankings. Please note an applicant is confirmed as a Hilton Foundation Fellow once the site placement and applicant confirm the placement match. Notification of acceptance into Conrad N. Hilton Policy & Systems Change Fellowship and onboarding information will immediately follow.
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If an applicant is not successfully matched with a public agency site placement at the end of the selection process, the applicant will have the opportunity to either defer their application to the next cohort or remove their application entirely. Deferring one’s application to the next cohort will not guarantee a placement. Similarly, if a public agency site is not matched with a suitable applicant, a site supervisor can choose to defer their placement for the following cohort start date.
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Hilton Fellows must commit to a public agency full-time placement for two years. Participants are also expected to attend quarterly peer learning sessions with their Hilton Foundation Fellows cohort (see Dates of Fellowship Sessions below). Full participation in each fellowship session is required. Optional in-person gatherings and events may occur throughout the program year depending on current health and safety guidelines. These in-person events may include social gatherings, meet-ups, and program culmination.
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We define the homeless response sector broadly as the organizations and activities that are collectively working across Los Angeles County to end homelessness and poverty connected to housing insecurity. Experience working in this sector could include working at a direct service non-profit that provides housing, outreach, jobs, case management or other direct services to people currently or formerly experiencing homelessness; volunteering or interning at an organization that works on policy and advocacy related to housing or homelessness, such as tenant's rights organizing, economic empowerment policies, workforce development, food insecurity, and benefits advocacy.
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Perhaps. We anticipate a majority of our fellowship sessions will occur virtually on Zoom, both as a health precaution and in consideration of travel distance for each participant. Any in-person events will follow L.A. County Department of Public Health's health and safety guidelines.
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Hilton Foundation Fellows will be provided a stipend in the amount of $85,000 per year for two years, which will be paid on a semi-monthly basis. The Fellows will be independent contractors, and SJPLA will report these payments to the IRS and issue you a 1099 at the end of the year. The Fellows will also be responsible for securing their own fringe benefits (health insurance, retirement savings). Each Fellow will follow the paid time off (vacation, sick, holiday policies) of their placement site.
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No. The Hilton Foundation Fellowship is a full-time paid position with your public agency site placement. Work schedules will vary with each placement. Some site placements might require working on the weekends, weeknights, or even holidays.
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We define “direct, lived experience with homelessness” as someone who has been unhoused, unsheltered, or who may have experienced a lack of stable, safe, and adequate housing. Individuals with lived experience of homelessness or housing insecurity may have had experiences navigating the service delivery system and housing resources.
“Proximate experience with homelessness” would be an individual who has family or community members who have experienced homelessness and they may have supported these individuals in navigating service delivery and social safety net systems.
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September 14, 2023 - 9:30-11:30 a.m.
December 7, 2023 - 9:30-11:30 a.m.
March 14, 2024 - 9:30-11:30 a.m.
June 13, 2024 - 9:30-11:30 a.m.
September 12, 2024 - 9:30-11:30 a.m.
December 5, 2024 - 9:30-11:30 a.m.
March 13, 2025 - 9:30-11:30 a.m.
June 12, 2025 - 9:30-11:30 a.m.
TBD Culmination Event - 7:00-10:00 p.m.
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Your time as a Hilton Foundation Fellow will not qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), as you are an independent contractor and neither SJPLA nor your placement site can be considered a qualifying employer.
More questions? Contact racialequity@sjpla.org or learn more by watching the Information Session video.
