Apply to become
a DreamSF Fellow!

You can apply to the DreamSF Fellowship if you are:

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• Living in the Bay Area and able to work 16 hours a week in San Francisco.
• 18 years of age or older.
• Living in the Bay Area and able to work 16 hours a week in San Francisco.
• Available 20 hours a week, on a flexible schedule. All of our host organizations operate on standard business hours, Monday-Friday. 
• Available from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm every Friday for the weekly enrichment seminars. No exceptions. 
• Currently enrolled, planning to enroll in, or recent graduate from an educational program such as a 2 or 4 year university or trade school.

You must also:

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• Commit to a 6-month or 11-month long fellowship track.
• Be invested in working with and supporting immigrant communities.
• Have an immigrant experience and a strong connection to your immigrant community.
• Have a flexible schedule to accommodate 20 hours a week.
• Have obtained or are going to obtain a high school diploma or G.E.D. equivalent.
• Fluency in a second language is preferred, but not required.

The DreamSF Fellowship is an 11 month fellowship with a 6 month fellowship "track" option.

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The fellowship will begin in early July and conclude in December (6 month track) or May (11 month track) of the following year.

Yes, DreamSF Fellows get paid a monthly stipend. Exact stipend amounts will be discussed when accepted into the fellowship program but will be around $2,000 a month. Fellows do not need a SSN or ITIN to receive this stipend

The DreamSF Fellowship program is designed for and will prioritize applicants who are undocumented, DACA recipients, asylum seekers and refugees.

BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color), women, gender non-confirming people, and LGBTQIA+ people with an immigrant experience strongly encouraged to apply.

No, the DreamSF Fellowship is open to all eligible individuals, regardless of their immigration status.

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The program is designed for and will prioritize applicants who are undocumented, DACA recipients, asylum seekers and refugees.

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Yes.

All DreamSF Fellowship applicants must have obtained their high school diploma or G.E.D. equivalent at the time of starting the program in July.

The DreamSF Fellowship is for immigrant students and aspiring professionals. In order to apply, you also need to be currently enrolled, planning to enroll in, or recent graduate from an educational program such as a 2 or 4-year university or trade school.

Recent graduates, community college students, and trade school students are all encouraged to apply, if all other requirements are met.

No, you do not need a social security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number

(ITIN) in order to be eligible for the DreamSF Fellowship.

Review this Apply page of our website and carefully read through the FAQs and eligibility requirements.

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What you will need:

The DreamSF Fellowship application you will be asked to provide basic personal and professional information.

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You will also respond to 4 short answer essays, up to 500 words each.

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‍Short answer questions and essay topics are about your professional skills, goals, and interests; the role migration has played in your life; your connection to immigrant communities; and your personal growth.

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The application is available on SurveyMonkey.

While SurveyMonkey does not have a 'save' button, the web browser you are using is able to save your application. You can return to the same web browser and computer to continue an application you have started. Do not delete your cookies or history.

Example: use your personal laptop and open your browser (like Chrome) and do not delete cookies or history between the times you work on your application.

• We will email you about your application sometime in mid-May 2023. We will contact you using the email you provided on your application, so use an email you will check frequently.
• If you are selected as a semi-finalist, you will have a group and individual interview. The interview will be in-person, in San Francisco.  
• If you are selected for the DreamSF Fellowship, you will start in early July 2023. Specific start times will be provided upon entry into the program.

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More details will be provided at different time throughout the application and interview process.

During this process, please do not call our office number to inquire about the status of your application, unless otherwise instructed.

Unless otherwise communicated, DreamSF interviews will be held in-person in San Francisco.

Fellows are paired with local immigrant-serving community organizations and gain hands-on experience in direct services, advocacy, and immigration law careers and more. These organizations are called host organization.

All host organization placements are made through a mutual matching process, which takes place in July. Placements are determined in four phases:

Phase 1: All fellows visit all the host organizations accepted into the program. Fellows will meet potential supervisors and colleagues and have an opportunity to ask questions about the projects fellows will be assigned at that organization.

Phase 2: Both fellows and host organizations submit their top choices to the DreamSF Program Coordinator. Through a matching process, virtual or phone interviews are scheduled between host organizations and fellows.

Phase 3: Fellows and host organization conduct several virtual or phone interviews and both parties submit a final their top choices.

Phase 4:

The DreamSF Program Coordinator matches fellows with a host organization based on the aforementioned process.

Yes, all host site organizations that participate in the fellowship are located in San Francisco.

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Fellows commute to their site or work virtually. Fellows are expected to budget for their own transportation costs, if working in-person or attending fellowship-related events. Travel will not be reimbursed.

No. Fellows are responsible for travel costs associated with the program.

Weekly enrichment seminars are a space for fellows to come together, foster camaraderie, network, and encourage each other’s development. Guest speakers are invited to present on a variety of topics to support fellows as they navigate their personal and professional development, and fellows conduct peer-led leadership sessions.

Fellows are required to complete 16 hours a week at the host site, and spend every Friday from 9:30am- 12:30pm at the enrichment seminars.

If you have a conflicting class or work shift, it is your responsibility to adjust your schedule to accommodate the seminar.

All DreamSF Fellows will work directly with their host site to create a unique schedule based on mutual availability.

All fellows are required to identify 16 hours a week to meet and complete with their host site during standard business hours. Most host sites are not open on weekends, so do not assume you will have this option.

All fellows are required to attend the weekly seminars on Fridays from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm.

In addition to regular hours, there will be special events such as immigration workshops, outreach events and more which you will be required to attend on weekends or evenings. More information will be provided upon selection into the program.

DreamSF Fellows must submit weekly reflections tracking hours and skills developed in order to receive their stipend.

Fellows are encouraged to network with their host organization. If an open position at an agency becomes available, DreamSF alumni can decide to apply through the organization’s hiring process.

No position is ever guaranteed through this fellowship.

In addition to the work at host organizations, there are many opportunities to network and job search with the DreamSF Alumni Network.

Do you need extra help with your application? Do you have a question we didn't address in the FAQ?

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Email dreamsf.fellows@sfgov.org and we will get back to you within a business day!

For additional questions not related to the DreamSF application, please contact the Office of Civic Engagement & Immigrant Affairs at:

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Email: dreamsf.fellows@sfgov.org