GENERAL Q&A: Q. What is the Fellowship project philosophy? Q. What are some of the criteria for a Fellow project? Q. What kind of background do Fellows have? Q. What type of training do Fellows receive? Q. What organizations do Fellows serve with? Q. What are some examples of past Fellow projects? Q. Who are the program's partners? Q. What do Fellows receive? Q. What classes can Fellows take at Northeastern? Q. How do Fellows live on $13,000 per year? HOST A FELLOW Q&A: Q. What can we expect to achieve by hosting a Fellow? Q. Is our organization eligible? Q. What is the timeline? Q. What are some criteria for a Fellow project? Q. Are there any prohibited activities? Q. How are host-sites selected? Q. What kind of background and training do Fellows have? Q. Who is responsible for recruiting and hiring the Fellow? Q. What are some examples of past Fellows projects? Q. Can we apply for more than one Fellow? Q. What does the Fellowship program provide? Q. What is the host-site required to provide? Q. How much is the cash match? Q. How are we going to meet the cash match requirement?

GENERAL Q&A:

Q. What is the Fellowship project philosophy?
Most Fellow projects focus on organizing more than direct service. Rather than mentor a child, Fellows help groups develop mentoring programs. Rather than tutor a child, Fellows create training institutes to recruit and teach citizen volunteers how to tutor kids. Rather than enroll a child in health insurance, Fellows establish partnerships to better identify and enroll uninsured young people.

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Q. What are some of the criteria for a Fellow project?
Fellow projects:
· Meet the demanding needs of young people (ages 0-24)
· Are NEW projects or an EXPANSION of an existing one
· Benefit youth on a large scale (think organizing rather than direct service)
· Are Fellow-led or are a Fellow-led portion of a larger project

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Q. What kind of background do Fellows have?
Fellows come from across the country, have diverse backgrounds and average 22-25 years of age. That being said, we have had Fellows from ages 18 - 57 and from Washington to Florida to Maine. But all Fellows have:
· A passion for community service
· Proven leadership ability
· Excellent communication skills
· An outstanding sense of humor

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Q. What type of training do Fellows receive?
Fellows receive an initial orientation, regular training sessions from the program, and ongoing training and professional development opportunities throughout the year. Fellows meet at least once a month for training, professional development or just fun. Fellows also take group retreats to places like Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. Some specific training opportunities may include:
· Facilitative leadership
· Diversity training and team building
· Challenge and leadership ropes courses
· Project planning and implementation
· Volunteer management

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Q. What organizations do Fellows serve with?
Fellows have served in over fifty communities in Massachusetts - from Boston to Pittsfield and from Lawrence to Brockton. The majority of Fellows serve in the Greater Boston area.
Fellows have served with organizations both large and small, like The Health Care for All, the City of Brockton, Conte Community School, YMCA, Boston Area Rape Crisis Center, Asian Community Development Corporation and many others.
For more detailed list, please click here.

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Q. What are some examples of past Fellow projects?
· Developed the Student Lunch Project - a statewide partnership between health providers and the school lunch program to determine eligibility of and enroll over 87,000 children in health care.
· Coordinated the SERVICE Program - a project encouraging 55,000 state employees to utilize eight hours of leave/month to volunteer in schools or mentor.
· Created the Teen Health Advisory Council, a 15 member teen council designed to deliver a leadership development curriculum and broaden the role of teens working on health access and service delivery.
Created 'Booyah', a program dedicated to placing youth volunteers in service projects

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Q. Who are the program's partners?
Fellows are part of the national service network of over 50,000 AmeriCorps members. AmeriCorps, the domestic Peace Corps, engages Americans of all ages in intensive, results-driven service each year.
The Fellowship shares its vision with America's Promise. Massachusetts Service Alliance
and Northeastern University are the program's partners too.
For more details look under "Partners" section.

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Q. What do Fellows receive?
For a one year commitment and 1700 hours of service Fellows receive:
· A $13,000 taxable living allowance ($250/week)
· Comprehensive health benefits
· Excellent training opportunities
· FREE grad/undergrad courses at Northeastern University
· A $4,725 educational award
· A transportation allowance

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Q. What classes can Fellows take at Northeastern?
Fellows are eligible to take classes free of charge at Northeastern University only during their Fellowship year. Although not mandatory, many Fellows choose to take undergraduate courses, graduate courses and continuing education credits during their service year. Most Fellows take classes in the evening or as their host site schedule allows. Depending on the academic program, Fellows can take either 2 courses per semester or quarter. Some graduate programs require that the Fellow apply and take the appropriate tests for admission. Fellows that serve outside of the Boston area can choose to take courses online or as part of their distance learning program. All Fellows enrolled in classes receive a Northeastern University ID that allows them access the library, gym and other facilities. For more information about Northeastern, visit http://www.spcs.neu.edu/.

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Q. How do Fellows live on $13,000 per year?
Over 150 Fellows have completed the program and were able to live on $13,000 per year. It is also important to note that Fellows receive one of the highest living allowances in the state (there are nearly 1,000 other AmeriCorps members in MA that earn less than $13k). Many Fellows have part-time jobs, live with roomates, and find other ways to make additional income. In addition, the Fellowship helps out by:
· Providing free health insurance
· Giving Fellows a monthly transportation allowance (for gas or a train pass)
· Helping Fellows find inexpensive housing
· Hosting great trainings, retreats conferences and events and feeding the Fellows as much as possible
*Please understand that it is not always easy to live on $250/week. Fellows are great budgeters and very crafty in making ends meet. Some Fellows choose apply for government assistance (food stamps) and other programs, but all Fellows must understand that they are committing to a year of service for the experience, not the paycheck.

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HOST A FELLOW Q&A:

Q. What can we expect to achieve by hosting a Fellow?
Hosting a Fellow enables an organization to:
-- Provide more services to the community by creating a new youth-focused project
-- Improve the quality and effectiveness of its current youth programming
-- Partner with a network of youth-serving organizations and agencies

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Q. Is our organization eligible?
To be eligible your organization must:
-- Be a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, school or government agency
-- Have been operational for at least one year with full-time staff

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Q. What is the timeline?
-- Please visit our host a fellow section!
-- Host-sites will be selected and notified in early spring.
-- Fellows usually will begin service in August

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Q. What are some criteria for a Fellow project?
Fellow projects must:
-- Meet a defined need and benefit young people (ages 0-24)
-- Be a new project or an expansion of an existing project
-- Have large-scale impact (think organizing rather than direct service)
-- Be Fellow-led or be a Fellow-led part of a larger project*
*Fellows can be involved with one or more project

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Q. Are there any prohibited activities?
Fellows/Fellow projects cannot:
-- Displace a current employee or serve in a regular staff position
-- Be involved with fundraising, grant-writing, political advocacy, religious instruction or clerical activities*
*Fellows can perform administrative duties necessary to their project

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Q. How are host-sites selected?
Proposals are reviewed by a reading committee that recommends host-site organizations. Final decisions are made by the program.
Key elements include:
-- Organizational capacity to develop and manage the project
-- Clearly defined need
-- Realistic goals and objectives with measurable outcomes
-- Alignment with the Fellowship mission Support and training for the Fellow

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Q. What kind of background and training do Fellows have?
Fellows are AmeriCorps members who have committed to a year of service and average 24 years of age. They are leaders from across the
country with diverse backgrounds and a passion for community service. Most Fellows are recent college graduates and looking for a hands-on
service experience.

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Fellows receive an initial orientation and training from the program and ongoing leadership training and professional development opportunities
throughout the year. The host-site is responsible for site-specific training and orientation.

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Q. Who is responsible for recruiting and hiring the Fellow?
We ask sites to help with the recruiting and hiring process. Hiring is site specific - you know what skill-set you are looking for to make your project
a success; we know what it takes to become a respected leader in the service community. We will help advertise the positions, assist in the
interviewing process and handle the official hiring of the Fellow with your approval.

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Q. What are some examples of past Fellows projects?
Fellows have:
-- Developed the Student Lunch Project - a state-wide partnership between health providers and the school lunch program to determine eligibility
of and enroll kids in health care
-- Coordinated the SERVICE Program - a project encouraging 55,000 state employees to utilize 8hrs of leave/month to volunteer in schools or as
Mentors Led the CityServe Project - a web-based tracking system allowing youth programs to better gather program data and provide incentives
for attendance

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Project Philosophy:
Fellow projects focus on leadership and organizing more than direct service - rather than mentor a child, Fellows help groups develop mentoring
programs. Rather than tutor a child, Fellows develop training institutes to recruit and teach volunteers how to tutor kids. Rather than enroll a child
in health insurance, Fellows create partnerships to identify and enroll uninsured young people.

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Q. Can we apply for more than one Fellow?
Yes! Several organizations have had Fellows serving in teams, leading and coordinating a number of projects together.

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Q. What does the Fellowship program provide?
The Massachusetts Promise Fellowship Program is committed to the success of each Fellow and their host-site. As our contribution to the partnership
with the host-site we provide:
-- A full-time Fellow committed to a year of service (hired in partnership between the program and host-site)
-- In-service training, regular retreats and monthly meetings for the Fellow
-- Access to the national service network and associated training and conferences
-- Orientation and training for the host-site and Fellow supervisor
-- Regular site visits to address host-site needs and evaluate project goals
-- Administration of Fellow benefits; post-service educational award ($4,725), health insurance, training opportunities, free coursework at Northeastern University, monthly travel allowance, and service stipend ($13,000/year)

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Q. What is the host-site required to provide?
Each host-site is required to provide:
-- A clear vision of the project you plan to implement and how the Fellow can be most effectively utilized
-- Supportive leadership from staff and host-site to ensure that the Fellow is considered and treated as an integral part of the organization
-- A designated host-site supervisor who will provide weekly supervision and support to the Fellow and project
-- A cash match to defray a portion of the Fellow benefit costs (see next page)
-- Adequate work space for the Fellow - including desk, phone, fax, access to computer and office supplies
-- Reimbursement for travel costs incurred as part of Fellow's service for the host-site (other Fellowship-related travel is paid for by the program)

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Q. How much is the cash match?
We ask each host-site organization to invest in the partnership by providing a cash match. The match is used to cover a portion of the total cost of the Fellowship position (training, travel, benefits, and living allowance) at your host-site.

The amount of the cash match is based on the organization's total operating budget, including salaries, funds distributed as grants, and any other operating costs:

Total operating budget Match

$300,000 or less $7,000

$300,001 - $500,000 $8,300

$500,001 - $1,000,000 $9,950

$1,000,001+ $11,800

The cash match is due at the beginning of the program year (or during agreed upon times). Your match is an investment in the expansion of your organization - and a great deal.
For the amount of your cash match, your organization receives a full-time, AmeriCorps member for one year of service.

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Q. How are we going to meet the cash match requirement?
Please do not let the amount of cash match required hinder your decision to apply for a Fellow. In the past, host-sites have developed strategies to
cover the cost of hosting a Fellow including: applying for grant funds, holding fundraisers for the Fellow position, locating a corporate "Fellow sponsor,"
and reallocating program funds. We are also willing to help you figure out how to meet your matching requirements.

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