The Moynihan Public Service Fellowship is a transformative two-year program that prepares promising CCNY students for impactful careers in government, policy research, and civic leadership.
Moynihan Center
Public Service Fellowship
The Moynihan Public Service Fellowship is a transformative two-year program that prepares promising CCNY students for impactful careers in government, policy research, and civic leadership. Fellows join a dynamic intellectual community that spans several career stages, from undergraduates to distinguished practitioners, while engaging in a unique curriculum that combines rigorous academic study with practical professional development.
Fellows receive up to $20,000 in unrestricted stipends over two years, including funding for summer internships. We invite applications from full-time City College students interested in careers in government or policy research.
Applications for the 2026–2027 cohort are now closed. To receive notification when the next application cycle opens, please complete our interest form.
Curriculum
Fall: Power, Politics, and Policy in New York City
Learn the complex ecosystem of New York City governance through policy analysis, case studies, and engagement with practitioners. Features guest lectures from senior officials and policymakers who share firsthand accounts of policy development and implementation. More than 30 public sector leaders annually visit the class, helping fellows understand municipal governance and envision their own public service careers.
Spring: Civics, Democracy, and the City
Explore foundational texts from Plato and Aristotle to Whitman and Moses, examining enduring questions about civic life, justice, and governance. Through close readings and robust discussion, develop intellectual frameworks for understanding enduring political challenges while engaging with philosophical traditions that enrich public service practice and foster innovative thinking about urban life.
Fall: Truth and Politics
Navigate today’s polarized information landscape by examining how media, technology, and social forces shape political discourse. Building from classic texts by Arendt, Orwell, Dewey, and others, explore contemporary challenges of polarization and misinformation. Develop media literacy skills and strategies for promoting fact-based reasoning while fostering constructive dialogue across different perspectives and experiences.
Spring: Civic Innovation Lab
Translate theoretical insights into practical policy solutions in this hands-on workshop. Working with practitioners and policy experts, develop professional briefs addressing pressing urban challenges. This capstone experience demonstrates how rigorous analysis enriches policy development, preparing fellows to bring critical thinking and practical judgment to careers in public service.
To be eligible for the fellowship, applicants must be:
- Full-time CCNY undergraduate students
- Able to complete a four semester fellowship, beginning in Fall 2026
- Interested in careers in government or policy research
- All majors welcome
Visit the Moynihan Center website for more information, or email moynihancenter@ccny.cuny.edu.
FAQs
Eligibility
The Moynihan Public Service Fellowship specifically prepares students for careers in government and policy research. This includes roles in:
- City, state, or federal government agencies
- Policy research organizations and think tanks
- Government relations and policy development
The fellowship is not designed for students primarily interested in:
- Direct service nonprofit work
- Community organizing or activism
- Private sector careers
- General advocacy work
Yes! The Colin Powell School offers several other fellowship programs that might better match your career goals. Learn more about each of these opportunities here.
The fellowship is open to current CCNY students able to complete a 4 semester fellowship, beginning in Fall 2026. Juniors enrolled in five-year programs (such as BA/MA, BS/MD, or Architecture) who will still have two years remaining are also eligible to apply.
Sophomores have been enrolled long enough to have demonstrated academic success at the college level while still having time to complete the full two-year program. This allows for maximum benefit from the curriculum and fellowship community.
Yes, though they should demonstrate strong academic performance in their first semester and a clear commitment to public service.
Yes, transfer students can apply if they will be enrolled at CCNY long enough to complete two years of the program.
No. The fellowship welcomes students from all majors who demonstrate interest in public service careers.
Applicants must have a minimum 3.3 GPA to apply.
No. Only current City College students are eligible.
Yes. Only full-time students may apply for and participate in the fellowship.
Application Process
Strong applications demonstrate:
- Clear commitment to public service careers
- Ability to engage in dialogue across difference
- Strong academic performance
- Thoughtful connection between the fellowship and career goals
While experience is valuable, we primarily look for demonstrated interest in public service careers and potential for growth.
We prefer CCNY faculty references who can speak to your academic performance and potential, but will consider references from other academic or professional sources.
Finalists will be invited for interviews in February, with final decisions announced after.
The application system allows you to save and return to your application at a later time.
Yes. Only complete applications will be considered.
No modifications will be accepted after submission.
Up to 25 fellows are selected each year.
Fellowship
The Moynihan Public Service Fellowship takes inspiration from the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a City College alumnus 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.
Moynihan Public Service Fellows also participate in a unique, humanities-based curriculum that introduces fellows to a philosophy of public service, as well as practical strategies for success in a variety of public service fields. Fellows will have ample opportunities to interact with Moynihan Public Scholars, a cohort of senior fellows whose own careers may serve as models for Public Service Fellows.
Moynihan Public Service Fellows receive two awards.
- The first award ($5,000) is meant to support students during the school year and is unrestricted (i.e., students may use the money how they please). This award is distributed at the end of the fall semester.
- The second award (up to $5,000) is meant to subsidize a summer internship. Fellows are responsible for completing 280 hours (8 x 35 hrs/week) at their internship site. Fellows receive the internship stipend award in two payments: the first payment of $2,500 after the successful completion of 93 hours, and the second payment of $2,500 after the successful completion of 187 hours of their summer internship and being on track to complete 280 hours.
In the event the internship is paid (by the host site), the second award may be applied to expenses not covered by an out-of-state internship sponsor. Students would need to submit a proposal to Moynihan Center staff proposing coverage of housing and transportation expenses, etc. The Moynihan Center will not offer funding support to a fellow with a sponsor-paid internship in New York.
Students must adhere to programmatic requirements in order to receive funding support. These include:
- Adherence to City College’s Code of Ethics and Professionalism Standards.
- Continued enrollment in the college. For example, a student who takes a leave of absence is not eligible to receive funding support.
- Registration in and completion of the compulsory courses.
- Completion of the 280-hour summer internship.
- Regular participation in Moynihan Center’s programming and activities.
- Maintaining regular contact with program staff.
Fellows will be able to participate in workshops that focus on professional skills and career exploration. Program staff will match fellows with a mentor who provides industry insight and public sector connections as well as help them set goals and stay on track academically and professionally. Fellows will be able to interact with diverse professionals and thought leaders through special events, plenary sessions, workshops, and internship opportunities to grow their professional, academic, and social networks and skill-sets. Program staff will also provide support to Fellows in acquiring business attire, professional headshots, Linkedin accounts and business cards.
The Moynihan Public Service Fellowship has two tracks: Public Service Innovators and New York City Leaders. Each track is eligible for the same award and similar humanities-based curricula, but New York City Leaders will take summer internships in City government and Public Service Innovators will take internships at organizations engaged with government, such as journalism, the nonprofit sector, or advocacy, among other fields.
Fellows are required to take one class per semester: a 4-credit class that meets twice per week (2 hours per class) during the fall, and a 3-credit class that meets once per week (2 hours per class) during the spring. Fellows are required to participate in a full-time, paid internship during the summer for a total of 280 hours. Fellows are expected to join other public events on a monthly or semi-monthly basis.
Each cohort will include up to 15 fellows in the Public Service Innovators track and up to 15 fellows in the New York City Leaders track.
The Fellowship term is 12 months. The Fellowship term will commence at the start of the fall semester (August 25, 2026) and end in August 2027.
