Our Mission
We’re a nonprofit for early-career technologists creating new pathways into public interest technology.
Our Story
In January 2017, we were a group of technology students frustrated by the lack of mission-driven technical internships — so we decided to do something about it.
We started a blog, newsletter, and online community to rally around the idea that being a technologist can be more than developing the latest app.
Soon thereafter, in June 2017, we launched the Civic Digital Fellowship, a first-of-its-kind summer fellowship program for early-career technologists, designers, and product managers to innovate in the federal government. Overwhelmed by the positive response, we expanded the program to state and local government partners in 2021 with the Civic Innovation Corps.
The Fellowship and Corps are now one program — the Coding it Forward Fellowship, which has placed more than 600 early-career technologists in more than 60 government host offices across the country.
We also look to create opportunities beyond our programs to make the public interest technology ecosystem as accessible as possible. One example: our team publishes one of the only resources dedicated to early-career internships, jobs, and opportunities bi-weekly.
Today, our greater movement reaches over 8,000 early-career individuals, and together, we're redefining what it means to create impact as technologists.
Meet the Team
Board of Directors
Jehron Petty, Founder and CEO of ColorStack
Jessica Cole, Co-Founder of U.S. Digital Response
Nick Sinai, Senior Advisor at Insight Partners & Adjunct & Senior Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School
Selected Press
Civic Innovation Corps, Civic Tech Chat Podcast
Public Interest Technology Series: Rachel Dodell, TechCongress Podcast
A virtual celebration of innovation at Harvard, Harvard Gazette
Fellows moving government forward, FEDTalk
Coding it Forward fellowship program gets enthusiastic feedback, FCW
Coding it Forward fellowship propels next generation of government IT leaders, Government Matters