2025 Statewide Fellowship

Forward Montana seeks twelve part-time fellows - four in each community in Billings, Bozeman, and Missoula - to support voter registration and Get Out the Vote efforts! Fellows will have the opportunity to connect with other FMT fellows and staff across the state, learn about youth organizing, and engage in DEIJ sessions. We are currently hiring on a rolling basis for the fall fellowship!

The ideal fellow is someone who is passionate or interested in learning more about political organizing in Montana! Fellows should have the ability to attend and engage thoughtfully in classes and DEIJ sessions, and work to support their community through field work. In addition, fellows will build connections within their communities, help current and future voters engage with their democracy, and must be passionate about political engagement in Montana.

Who We Are

Forward Montana, founded in 2004, is the state's largest youth-led, youth-focused civic engagement organization. We strive to transform government and communities to be just, sustainable, and equitable while working toward a future where Montana celebrates and reflects the diversity of our generation. We support young people to build power with and for each other to create lasting change.

What You’ll Do

Every fellow will support and engage in each of these areas throughout the fellowship under the supervision of their local field manager.

Weekly Classes: Each week on Wednesdays from 5:30-7:30 pm there will be a required class. These sessions will cover a variety of aspects of organizing, and fellows will be able to engage with the presenters and apply their learning to their work in the fellowship.
Immersive DEIJ Sessions: Fellows will have an assigned DEIJ reading to complete each week, and then will connect with another fellow from around the state to discuss the readings. There are also three required DEIJ sessions that will be led by a Montana based consultant.
Community Building: Each fellow will be responsible for engaging with current volunteers and bringing new volunteers into FMT’s work throughout the fellowship. This could look like helping out a new volunteer on their first voter registration shift, helping out a new volunteer on their first canvassing shift or meeting with a potential volunteer.
Event Support: Each community will hold several events throughout the year and fellows will support in the planning, recruitment, and running of these events.

Summer Fellowship

The Summer Fellowship has a stronger focus on voter registration! This means the fellows will spend more time at events registering voters across our communities and will help with other events related to issue advocacy and community building.

Voter Registration: This is a large part of what fellows will be doing for the first half of the program! We will be out in our communities at events, farmer’s markets, concerts, and other places helping to make sure our communities are registered to vote!

Fall Fellowship

The Fall fellowship has a stronger focus on Get Out The Vote work. That fellowship will provide additional training, and field work in this area.

Get Out the Vote (GOTV) Work: Fall fellows will be focusing on GOTV during Montana’s elections! We will work to educate our community members about the upcoming election and remind them to show up to vote through door to door canvassing, phone calls, candidate forums, letter writing parties and more.

Must-Haves

Actively Anti-Racist: You are committed to actively contributing to a more equitable and inclusive FMT by facilitating conversations around diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice with interns, members, and within the staff. You’re committed to amplifying community voices to advocate for a more progressive, just community. You recognize how your identities show up in work and welcome, reflect on, and act on feedback with an eye toward continuous learning about race, ability, and other lines of difference.
Creativity & Innovation: You’re flexible, adaptable, and willing to try new things. You’re down to wear a costume, not afraid to talk to strangers, can conduct fieldwork for up to 8 hours at a time, hand out stickers that say ‘Give a Shit’, and are committed to finding ways to make new connections.
Flexibility & Adaptability: You are able to shift quickly to meet the needs of the ever-changing political world, and work to implement the changes. You have a history of going with the flow and being able to adapt quickly to change.

Experience in fieldwork (voter registration, canvassing or community building) is not required but the drive and motivation to learn is required!

What Else You Should Know

Forward Montana is an equal-opportunity employer and we value having staff who come from communities that are most impacted by our issues and work. We especially encourage people of color, LGBTQ2S+ people, women, and people with disabilities to apply.

Logistics

The summer fellowship runs from June 10th - August 29th.
The fall fellowship runs from September 2nd - November 14th.
Fellows must have access to reliable transportation in Billings, Bozeman, or the Missoula area and be able to attend events, voter registration shifts, and other required aspects of the fellowship.
This fellowship is a part-time - minimum 10 hours per week position with the possibility to work up to 20 hours per week. The exact number of hours will be determined during the interview process.
You must be comfortable working unconventional hours-- including nights and weekends.
You’re comfortable conducting fieldwork for up to 6-8 hours at a time in all weather conditions.
This position includes both in-person and virtual components based on public health guidance around COVID-19
You must be comfortable being managed and building relationships with our statewide team remotely.

This position pays $17 per hour. Forward Montana also offers the following benefits for our fellows:

Leadership development opportunities
Flexible work schedule

To apply for the 2025 Statewide Fellowship, simply click Apply For This Position on this page. This application process will have you specify which fellowship you are interested in (summer or fall), answer a few short questions, and upload a resume (which is optional). There will also be an informal interview via phone or Zoom. We are excited to see your applications

If you have any questions or need support, please email us at hello@forwardmontana.org

Applications will are accepted on a rolling basis as follows: