Garden State Fellowship
Garden State Fellowship
Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs' Garden State Fellowship (GSF) is conceived to simultaneously launch young practitioners into public policy careers and enhance capacity in New Jersey’s public interest sector to address critical systemic issues.
GSF is a post-graduate opportunity awarded to undergraduate seniors across majors through a competitive application process. Fellows will dedicate their fellowship year to research, advocacy, and other activities related to policy-making with their host organization. Concurrently, Fellows will participate in programming – skill-building workshops, topical conferences, and excursions statewide – to enhance their experience and build their capacities.
SPIA will select fellows who will put their training to work at the frontier of policy making, building on their skills of social science research and effective writing while developing experience in policy advocacy, organizing, and implementation within a given policy domain.
Applicants will indicate their preference among policy areas, including but not limited to: housing, health, climate, education, criminal justice, immigration, economic justice, and the economy. Fellows will be selected by a competitive process. A committee of public servants, policy experts, change-makers, and scholars will review applications. Final employment decisions will be made by the nonprofit or agency.
Beyond their posted position, fellows will participate in extracurricular convenings and workshops.
Eligibility
- Graduating senior - all majors welcome
- Demonstrated interest in domestic public service and public policy
- Authorized to work in the US for the duration of the fellowship year
Timeline
The 2027-2028 cohort application opens in late December 2026, with a start date of September 2027.
Compensation + Onboarding
Fellows will earn an annual salary of $55,000 and receive a benefits package.
How to Apply
The 2027-2028 cohort application opens late December 2026. The application requires two letters of recommendation: one from a faculty member addressing your academic work, and another of your choice addressing your professional skills and interests.
Learn More:
- May 11, 2025: In the Garden State’s service and the service of humanity - Daily Princetonian
- July 22, 2025: Staying Local, Leading Change: Garden State Fellows Make a Mark in New Jersey Policy - School of Public and International Affairs
- November 26, 2025: After Federal Cuts, SPIA Grads Stay in New Jersey - Princeton Alumni Weekly
2026-27 Garden State Fellows
Major: Anthropology ('26)
Thesis: ¡Somos Resistencia!: Reimagining the Practice of Citizenship Through Community Organizing
Major: SPIA ('26)
Thesis: A New Path to Child Welfare: Implementing Alternatives to CPS Reporting for Substance-Exposed Infants
Major: Comparative Literature ('26)
Thesis: Undocumented citizen 2025: compiling and translating by and for multiple publics
2025-26 Garden State Fellows
Major: African American Studies ('25)
Thesis: Yearning fi Yaad: Cultural Codes, Emotional Discourse, and Digital Nationalism in the Jamaican Diaspora.
Placement: New Jersey Institute for Social Justice
Major: SPIA ('25)
Thesis: Locked Out of The Ivory Tower: The Case for Institutional Reform in Refugee Access to Elite U.S. Higher Education
Placement: Education Law Center
2024-25 Garden State Fellows
Major: Politics ('24)
Thesis: The Black Lives Matter Movement as an Intervention into Racial Ideology: Understanding Black and White Americans’ Perceptions of Systemic Racism in Police Killings of Black Men
Placement: ACLU-NJ
Major: SPIA ('24)
Thesis: Reducing Sexual Violence Affecting Venezuelan Refugee and Migrant Women
Placement: New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice
Major: SPIA ('24)
Thesis: Supply, Preservation, and Inclusion: The Tensions of Inclusionary Zoning in Colorado
Placement: Fair Share Housing Center
Selection Committee
Program Manager, SPIA in NJ
Program Director and Director Undergraduate Career Services
Professor of the Practice and Director, State Health and Value Strategies (SHVS)
Lecturer and Founding Director, SPIA in NJ
Associate Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Programs; Director of Junior Summer Institute
Director of Service Focus, Pace Center for Civic Engagement
Professional Specialist, Center for Policy Research on Energy and the Environment (C-PREE) and Lecturer in the School of Public and International Affairs
Admin: Thelma Carrera, Program Manager, SPIA in NJ
Princeton University is committed to equal opportunity and non-discrimination. To maximize excellence, we seek talent from all segments of American society and the world, and we take steps to ensure everyone at Princeton can thrive while they are here. That is the sole rationale and purpose of our diversity and inclusion programs, all of which are voluntary and open to all, and which comply with federal and state non-discrimination laws. Princeton does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, ethnicity, color, national origin, religion, disability, or any other protected characteristic, and Princeton does not provide special benefits or preferential treatment on the basis of a protected characteristic.