Capacity Building Fellow

Job Title: Capacity Building Fellow

Classification: Fellow, Non-Union, Non-Exempt 35-Hour work week  

Reports to: Meredith Lee

Deadline:  Friday, March 20, 2026

Program Dates: September 8, 2026- August 6, 2027              

How To Apply: Application submissions must be done through the ADP career portal (include resume and personal statements responding to all Pre-Screening questions). 

ABOUT THE GREENLINING INSTITUTE

The Greenlining Institute envisions a future where communities of color can build wealth, live in healthy places filled with economic opportunity and are ready to meet the challenges posed by climate change. With equity practice and systems change guiding us, we incubate and advocate for new ideas and build with diverse communities and partners to ensure that race is never a barrier to opportunity.

ABOUT THE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM  

The Greenlining Institute’s Leadership Academy Fellowship is an 11-month training and experiential learning program for early career leaders seeking to gain hands-on public policy experience and invest in their personal and professional growth. Fellows are integrated into one of Greenlining’s policy teams to develop, plan, and implement the organization’s policy and advocacy efforts while they simultaneously work with the Leadership Academy to focus on the skills to support their personal growth and deepen their leadership perspective.  We’re looking for individuals who have a strong commitment to racial equity and social justice for communities of color and can demonstrate a sincere interest in building themselves into true race equity leaders. Our offices are based in Oakland, CA and participants will be expected to attend in person throughout the program.   

POLICY FOCUS AREA

The Capacity Building Program at The Greenlining Institute strengthens the power and self-determination of historically redlined and under-resourced communities through partnership, investment, and policy co-development. Our work supports local leaders and organizations in building the relationships, skills, and resources needed to advance equitable, community-driven solutions that address the legacies of disinvestment and systemic racism.

The Capacity Building team works in partnership with communities in Stockton, Oakland, East Los Angeles County, and San Diego, bridging Greenlining’s policy-level work with on-the-ground, place-based strategies. Our work spans multiple issue areas—from climate resilience and economic equity to collaborative governance and community ownership—and focuses on building lasting capacity and power within communities.

As a Capacity Building Fellow, you will work in partnership with staff and local partners to strengthen community capacity, contribute to policy research and writing, and help connect on-the-ground work to statewide advocacy efforts such as Proposition 4, California’s $10B Climate Bond, and other equity-focused initiatives.

MAJOR AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

Public Policy Development & Advocacy

• Deepens and applies race equity lens to analyze and develop policy solutions that remove barriers for historically redlined communities
• Participates in policymaking activities to pass legislation or agency policies, including lobbying, giving public comment, or analyzing legislation.
• Leads a substantive public policy assignment (research project, report development, landscape analysis, stakeholder relationship management, coalition management, etc.) to advance the team’s advocacy objectives for the year
• Develops, drafts, and publishes public policy writings including but not limited to policy memos, policy reports, research project, data collection, policy briefs, business memos, public comments, blog posts
• Delivers oral presentations for internal and external forums including Greenlining’s annual lobby day with Sacramento legislators/staffers, stakeholder convenings, Leadership Academy graduation
• Facilitates meetings with community, government, and business leaders to drive our advocacy forward

Leadership Development

• Participates in all leadership development workshops to learn and apply a holistic (mind, body, spirit) and equitable approach to leadership
• Learns unique leadership style, values, vision and purpose through self-reflection exercises, goal-setting activities and 1:1 coaching
• Brings lived experience to cohort and organizational conversations to offer innovative ideas and diversity of perspective
• Provides support to cohort members and engages in team-building activities to form strong working partnerships
• Seeks mentorship from Greenlining and Academy staff and provide mentorship to undergraduate students in the Academy’s Casa Joaquin program

Professional Development

• Participates in all skills-based workshops to learn Greenlining’s approach to race equity public policy advocacy
• Learns key public policy advocacy tactics to support work plan objectives
• Engages with Leadership Academy alumni to expand professional network
• Mentors a Summer Associate during their 10-week internship designing their work plan and coordinates weekly check-in meetings to ensure they are successful in the program
• Develops capstone presentation to share during Leadership Academy graduation
• Establishes thought leadership in their respective public policy area through management of social media channels, publishing public policy blogs, playing a substantive role in Greenlining’s annual summit

QUALIFICATIONS

• Must be 18 years of age or older
• If earned BA, at least 1 year of related experience required (cumulative OK).  If no BA degree, at least 2 years of related cumulative experience required (including college internships)
• Committed to champion racial equity and uplift communities of color
• Able to participate in person
• Proven ability to work in a manner that respects differences in race, ethnicity, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, religion, ability and socio-economic circumstance
• Willingness to approaches unfamiliar experiences with a growth mindset to push beyond their comfort zone with determination, heart, and deep commitment to their personal and professional journey
• Strong verbal and written communication skills to complete writing and public speaking assignments
• Team player who inspires collaboration, uplifts the work of others, and maintains balance and perspective with patience and a sense of humor
• Ability to work cooperatively and effectively while demonstrating flexibility with others to set goals, resolve problems, pivot assignments, and make decisions that move the work forward
• Ability to prioritize tasks, strong organizational skills, and an ability to work independently
• Strong writing and computer literacy of PC-based Google Drive and MS Office Programs  
• Applicants must be able to provide documentation confirming authorization to work in the United States. The organization does not provide visa sponsorship

Compensation

Fellows are employed as full-time, non-exempt, hourly employees as a paid learning program for the duration of the 11-month Fellowship program, working a standard schedule of 35 hours per week.

Compensation for this role is a flat, program-set amount equivalent to $60,000 for the Fellowship term, paid as an hourly wage of $33.70 per hour, and issued on a semi-monthly basis for hours worked. Fellows are eligible for overtime in accordance with applicable labor laws.

Compensation for the Fellowship is non-negotiable. Participation in the program is an opt-in agreement to the stated compensation structure, which is applied consistently across all Fellows.

Benefits

• Fellows are eligible for Greenlining’s benefits package, including:
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Paid holidays and accrued paid time off
• Access to organizational wellness and professional development resources

Fellows are not eligible to participate in Greenlining’s 401(k) retirement plan, and no employer retirement contributions are provided as part of this role. The Fellowship compensation structure is designed to ensure equity, transparency, and consistency across all participants and is not subject to individual negotiation.