Latest Updates (7/29/25)

• Applications for the Civil Service Defense and Innovation Fellowship Program are closed and under review. Access the Program FAQ here
• Launch Press Release: Democracy Forward Launches Civil Service Fellowship Program to Elevate Expertise of Former Public Servants to Address Harm of Government Dismantling

Civil Service Defense and Innovation Fellow Program

The civil service is where policy meets the public and where we uphold the values of our democracy. It’s the people behind clean water, safe food, public health, environmental protection, worker safety, and countless other services Americans rely on every day.

Yet the civil service has been systematically undermined:

• Expertise hollowed out or politicized
• Thousands of skilled professionals pushed out
• Essential public functions delayed, degraded, or dismantled

This is not just a government problem — it’s a people problem. When civil servants are under attack, the American people pay the price.

About the Fellowship

The Civil Service Defense and Innovation Fellowship Program is a flagship initiative of Civil Service Strong (CSS) at Democracy Forward. Designed in response to escalating threats to the professional, nonpartisan civil service, the fellowship activates former federal employees and political appointees as researchers, storytellers, and strategic organizers.

Each of the Civil Service Defense and Innovation Fellows will focus on a specific issue vertical, aligned with their expertise and agency experience. Over the course of the 1-year fellowship, Fellows will organize key actors to: 

• Document what has happened to the civil service and tell the story of how it has impacted the American people 
• Elevate the stories and expertise of federal civil servants
• Lay the foundation for the next phase of government reform by identifying the capacity needed to rebuild and modernize the government to deliver for the American people

In doing so, fellows will play a critical role in surfacing the evidence needed for reform and helping set the national agenda for rebuilding effective, democratic government.

Issue Verticals

Fellows will drive efforts in the following issue verticals. The list below is not comprehensive.

• Issue vertical (Potential agencies in scope)

• **Agriculture and Food Safety **(Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA))

• **Education **(Department of Education (Ed))

• **Labor and Workers **(Department of Labor (DOL),  National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA)) 

• **Energy and Environment **(Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Interior (DOI), USDA, Department Energy (DOE))

• **Government Management **(Office of Management and Budget (OMB), General Services Administration (GSA), Office of Personnel Management (OPM)) 

• **Health Care and Public Health **(Health and Human Services (HHS),  Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), National Institute of Health (NIH))

• **Veterans **(Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Department of Defense, DOL) 

• **Science and Technology (**National Science Foundation (NSF), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration (NOAA), NIH, National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST))

• **Justice and Public Safety **(Department of Justice (DOJ); Department of Homeland Security (DHS))

• **Emergency Management and Disaster Response **(Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA); NOAA) 

• **Economic Development, Community Development, and Infrastructure **(Department of Commerce (DOC), USDA, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Department of the Treasury (Treasury), Department of Transportation, (DOT), Small Business Administration (SBA)) 

• National Security and International Affairs (Department of Defense (DOD), Department of State (DOS) , USAID, US Trade Rep (USTR), Intelligence Community)

• **Housing and Homelessness **(HUD, Treasury)

• **Economic Security and Benefits **(Social Security Administration (SSA), USDA Food and Nutrition Services (FNS), HHS Administration for Children and Families (ACF)) 

• **Civil Rights **(DOJ,  ED, HHS,  OPM, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC))

• **Tax Enforcement and Consumer Protection **(Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB))

What We’re Building

The Civil Service Defense and Innovation Fellowship is a catalytic force. Through this initiative, we are:

• Documenting the harm done to the federal workforce and public institutions, using both original and secondary research
• Synthesizing insights and evidence to illuminate the impacts on American communities and governance
• Organizing and strengthening coalitions across sectors to defend and reform civil service systems 
• **Identifying new voices who can **speak about the impacts and needs of the workforce

Setting the stage for future reform conversations, providing policymakers, advocates, and the public with the tools, narratives, and recommendations needed to chart a path forward.