Impact Lab
In the ongoing fight for our democracy, the NYU Democracy Project exists to:
1. Fund pro-democracy fellowships for students to work in nonpartisan organizations.
2. Mobilize the broader NYU community around civic action and connect volunteers with voting rights, voter engagement and get-out-the-vote (GOTV) opportunities.
In the ongoing fight for our democracy, the NYU Democracy Project exists to:
1. Fund pro-democracy fellowships for students to work in nonpartisan organizations.
2. Mobilize the broader NYU community around civic action and connect volunteers with voting rights, voter engagement and get-out-the-vote (GOTV) opportunities.
About the NYU Democracy Project
The NYU Democracy Project began in 2019 with the VOTE2020 Initiative, a project aimed at increasing voter engagement in the 2020 election both on NYU's campus and nationwide. Since then, the Project has continued funding student fellowships to expand the reach of non-partisan organizations working to strengthen our democracy. The Project also serves to connect NYU students to volunteer opportunities, sponsor voter engagement events, and foster community-building and professional development.
The NYU Democracy Project is led by Wagner Faculty members Professor Erica Foldy and Professor John Gershman.
Check out our factsheet to learn more about program activities and engagement.
Fellowships
The NYU Democracy Project offers two funded fellowships: LEAD Fellowships (while in previous years these have been open to all NYU students, this year we have very limited funding, so the fellowships are only open to NYU Wagner students) and Parke Fellowships (only for continuing and graduating graduate-level NYU students).
Parke Fellowships
The Parke Fellowship at the Brennan Center for Justice, the pre-eminent voting rights think tank in the country, is a program open to NYU graduate students with quantitative and analytical skills who have an interest in voting rights and social justice.
Applications for the Summer 2026 Fellowship are now closed.
Questions? Email us at DemocracyProject@nyu.edu.
LEAD Fellowships
Only open to NYU Wagner students, the LEAD Fellowship helps connect students with non-partisan organizations dedicated to promoting voter access and democracy across the United States. LEAD Fellows receive a stipend of $10,000 to support their professional development and hands-on work with non-partisan groups. At a pivotal time for voting rights, the NYU Democracy Project's LEAD Fellowship empowers students to make a tangible impact and join the vital effort to ensure a democratic system that works for everyone. We expect the cohort to be substantially smaller than in previous years due to funding constraints.
The application for the Summer 2026 fellowship will open in late February. Keep your eye out for the application details.
For updates on the next application cycle, please subscribe to our mailing list.
Questions? Email us at DemocracyProject@nyu.edu.