Projects provide Coro Fellows with the opportunity to truly learn by experience. Throughout the nine months, each Fellow participates in a series of full-time projects across a variety of sectors in public affairs, including a final independent project of the Fellow’s choosing. Sectors may include:

Government | Business | Non-profit/Philanthropy | Electoral Politics | Organized Labor | Innovation

These diverse projects aim to both complement and challenge the Fellow’s experiences and interests. The high level of access available to Fellows in each of their projects ensures a remarkable behind-the-scenes view of each organization and necessitates complete confidentiality. Elected officials, staffers, department heads, executive directors, and CEO’s provide the knowledge and perspective to help Fellows assess how organizations get things done in the social, political, and economic spheres. For the final independent project, Fellows are allowed to choose and develop their own individual project in cooperation with an agency. This process allows Fellows to explore an area of interest while developing negotiating skills.

Past Project Hosts Include:

Government

City of Pittsburgh Emergency Management
Office of the Bronx Borough President
San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice
State Representatives’ Offices

Business

African American Chamber of Commerce
Hewlett Packard
Edelman Public Relations
Advantage Capital
Goldman Sachs & Company
Wellspring Management

Labor

San Francisco Building and Trades Council
National Association of Letter Carriers, Local 343
Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York
United Federation of Teachers

Electoral Politics

Bayview Tomorrow
Bloomberg for Mayor
Global Strategy Group
Russ Carnahan for US Rep.
San Francisco Republican Victory Headquarters

Non-profit/Philanthropy

Andy Warhol Museum
The Heinz Endowments
Humane Society
Open Society Institute
Tides Foundation

Innovation

Deep Local
Innovation Works
Ascender
Duo Lingo

Some Fellows participate in both whole group and small group projects. A group project is similar to other placements, simply larger in scope. These projects help Fellows practice and sharpen the tools they learn in seminars and learn from other Fellows engaging in the same learning process. Group projects also stress the importance of effective communication, teamwork, and individual responsibility within a group. Past group placements have taken place at the California Secretary of State’s Office, the Port of Los Angeles and JPMorgan.

A significant part of the Fellows training is the rigorous group seminars, which occur typically twice per week. During seminars, the Fellows Program Trainers introduce Coro’s unique tools that empower participants to think more clearly and effectively. The Trainers serve as an integral part of the training process, connecting the methodology from seminar to the “real world”. Seminars also provide opportunities for collective debriefing of what each Fellow is learning in their individual field projects.

Coro brings together individuals who vary in race, ethnicity, socio-economic backgrounds (including educational and work experiences), political views, sexual orientation, geography, and age in the belief that leaders and effective participants in civic life must understand how to work together to solve common problems. In this unique setting, Fellows take responsibility for increasing each other’s effectiveness as leaders by providing constructive feedback, evaluation, and encouragement throughout the year together. Staff members do not teach, but rather challenge and support Fellows during their unique Coro experience.

Throughout the year, Fellows participate in a series of focus weeks: week-long explorations of specific issues or topics through experiential learning, interviews, discussions and projects. Focus weeks allow Fellows to sharpen their knowledge of a particular issue area or sector by learning from individuals with varying and often divergent viewpoints.

Focus week topics vary by center and program year based on the major industries featured in each community; focus weeks may include topics such as agriculture, media, public finance, innovation, and health care.

Each center participates in State Government Week, featuring an on-site visit to the state capitol, including meetings with state legislators, executive branch officials, lobbyists, journalists, state department directors, and other statewide officials.

Fellows conduct interviews with prominent decision-makers in various industries. Through the group interviews, Fellows learn about the challenges and opportunities within each sector and gain important skills in collaboration and asking effective questions.

These confidential interviews allow the interviewee to speak more freely and give the Fellows a more accurate portrayal of what is really going on in each sector.

Recent interviews have included:

Rep. Aerion Abney, Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Jymm Adams, Executive Producer, KTLA-TV
Eli Broad, Founder, The Broad Foundation
Gary Dollar, President and CEO, United Way of Greater St. Louis
Charlie Dooley, County Executive, St. Louis County
James Han, former Mayor of the City of Los Angeles
Hugh McVey, President, Missouri AFL-CIO
Christina Norman, President, MTV Networks
Bill Peduto, Former Mayor of the City of Pittsburgh
Jonelle Procope, President and CEO, Apollo Theatre Foundation
Michelle Rhee, Public School Chancellor, District of Columbia
Governor Robert Holden, former Governor of Missouri
Anthony D. Romero, President, American Civil Liberties Union
Peter Senge, Senior Lecturer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Anna Siefken, Senior Advisor, Office of Technology Transitions, Dept of Energy
Kathryn S. Wylde, President and CEO, Partnership for New York City
Fareed Zakaria, Editor of the International Edition, Newsweek Magazine

Stipends are available for Fellows at each center. The criterion and amounts vary between Coro centers. Please visit each Coro center page to learn specifics.

Coro Fellows alumni pursue careers in a wide range of fields such as banking, finance, entrepreneurship, economic development, human services, education, government, arts, the environment, and philanthropy. Upon completion of the program, Coro Fellows are afforded unique benefits from certain graduate schools. Fellows are also eligible to receive graduate credit at other schools, usually worked out on a case-by-case basis.

Baruch College School of Public Affairs
New York, NY

Baruch has established a special $5,000 Dean’s Scholarship for eligible Coro alumni interested in continuing their education through the Executive MPA program.

Carnegie Mellon University
H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management
Pittsburgh, PA

Opportunity for admission into a 16-month Masters's degree program and a minimum $10,000 scholarship per semester. Many of Pittsburgh’s Coro Fellows graduates successfully complete the Washington, D.C. track of the program, which includes an apprenticeship similar to the Fellowship experience.

Case Western University
Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences (Mandel School)
Cleveland, OH

Under this partnership, the Mandel School will provide $11,500 in annual scholarships (up to $23,000 for two year program) in addition to a living stipend of $6,000 annual (total of $12,000 for two year program). The total financial package is $17,500 annually or $35,000 for two years.

Mills College
Lokey School of Business & Public Policy – MPP, MBA, Joint MPP/MBA
Oakland, CA

Graduates of the Coro Fellows Program, at any center and from any year, will be awarded a tuition reduction scholarship upon acceptance to a Lokey School full-time or part-time graduate program. Programs include: Master of Public Policy (MPP), Master of Business Administration (MBA), Joint MPP/MBA program, and Master of Management. Scholarships are at minimum $4,000 per semester for full-time study and sometimes greater. In addition, application fees are waived for all Mills College Lokey School programs.

New School for Social Research
Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy
New York, NY

Upon completion of the Fellows program and university admission, 12 credits (of 42) towards a degree.

University of Pittsburgh
Graduate School of Public and International Affairs
Pittsburgh, PA

Waived application fees for Masters level programs. Upon acceptance, a minimum $5,000 scholarship per year. Joint enrollment opportunities are available, at a reduced rate, for current Pittsburgh Fellows.

University of Southern California
Sol Price School of Public Policy
Los Angeles, CA

USC Price has established a special $10,000 fellowship for alumni of the Coro Fellows program. This award will be disbursed over a two year period ($5,000 per year). These fellowships are in recognition of the work Coro fellows have done, their commitment to public service, and their contributions to the betterment of society. Coro alumni may be eligible for additional funding through Dean’s Merit Scholarships. Application deadline: December 15 for fall enrollment.

Washington University
Brown School – Programs in Social Work, Public Health and Social Policy
St. Louis, MO

The Brown School has reserved scholarship awards at a minimum of $10,000 a year for Coro Fellows who are admitted to the Master of Social Work or Master of Public Health programs. Additionally, Coro Fellows applying to the Master of Social Work program are eligible for an application fee waiver.