What is the Local Government Management Fellowship (LGMF) Program?
How do I apply for the Fellowship?
Is my school a member of NASPAA?
What are the application and selection deadlines for the Fellowship?
What kind of work will I do?
Are individuals required to relocate with each rotation? How do the rotation assignments work?
Do I have to relocate for this fellowship, if selected?
May I have transcripts sent from my school directly to ICMA?
Is the LGMF Program open to non-U.S. citizens?
Do I need letters of recommendation?
What other organizations have local government management internships/fellowships?
How many Fellows are placed?
Where are this year's host local governments?
What is the typical salary and benefits package of the Fellowship?
What is the application process timeline?
Where are finalist applications sent? Can I rank the local governments I prefer?
Other questions?
What is the Local Government Management Fellowship (LGMF) Program?
The LGMF is a highly competitive career-development opportunity that places Fellows in full-time local government management-track positions shaped by direct mentorship under senior government leaders and rotational assignments. Talented professionals with a master's degree in public administration, management, public policy, public affairs, or related area, are given the opportunity to assume real responsibility, thrive in an environment that recognizes potential, and gain unique exposure to local government.
Created through a partnership involving ICMA, the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration, the National Forum for Black Public Administrators, and the International Hispanic Network, the LGMF Program was created to generate interest in local government careers among recent master's program graduates and provide a new opportunity for recent graduates to earn local government experience. The hardest job to get is usually the first one, especially in local government. The Fellowship is a stepping stone to careers in local government management. Five former Fellows have been hired as City Managers since the pilot year in 2004. Many others are already in senior management positions.
How do I apply for the Fellowship?
Applicants for the 2012 Local Government Management Fellowship may access the online system starting September 28, 2011 with a deadline of December 12. (The deadline was recently extended to accommodate an error with the online application that shut it down for several days for some applicants). Students with a master's degree in public administration, public management, public policy, public affairs, or related fields from a NASPAA-member school are eligible to apply for the fellowship. The master's degree will have been completed by August 31, 2012. Degrees earned in 2011 are accepted; Degrees completed prior to 2011 will be considered on a case-by-case basis (email lgmfprogram@icma.org for consideration).
Is my school a member of NASPAA?
Applicants can confirm if their school is a NASPAA-member using a Google map generated by NASPAA.
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What are the application and selection deadlines for the Fellowship?
The application deadline for the 2012 Fellowship is December 12, 2011.
The deadline was recently extended to accommodate an error with the online application that shut it down for several days for some applicants
The Advisory Board will review applicant files and notify ICMA of the finalists in February 2012. Finalists will then have their applications sent to host local governments for review. Local governments will contact applicants directly to schedule interviews, and should begin calling finalists starting in February/March 2012. In general, fellowships begin after the student's graduation, or at an alternative agreed-upon time between the Fellow and the host local government.
What kind of work will I do?
The projects are as diverse and large or small as our communities. Past Fellows have worked on such projects as:
• Managing a city's community engagement effort
• Coordinating the development of budget pages for the annual report
• Serving on a task force to analyze and present the results of a citywide employee survey
• Investigating the pros and cons of developing workforce housing as well as neighborhood empowerment
• Participating in the full screening and hiring process for a new chief of police
• Researching and making a recommendation on creating and funding an assistant county DA position
• Assisting city departments in their results-oriented business planning efforts and development of performance measurement
• Conducting a performance audit of reinventing departments
• Working with the Personnel Department on developing a new policy manual for time and labor practices and mandatory regulations
• Analyzing the economic impact of a proposed conference center
• Conducting background research for a proposed community development district
• Developing of a government-wide training program focused on performance measurement
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Are individuals required to relocate with each rotation? How do the rotation assignments work?
While Fellows may move to a different department or even a different building within their host government, individuals are not required to move for rotations. Some Fellows stay in the same office space for the duration of their fellowship, while others may move to different facilities.
Rotations are different assignments within the host government where Fellows are completing their fellowship. For example, a Fellow could work in a city or county administrator's office, then work for the manager or one of several city or county departments--public works, human resources, planning and development, and so on. The rotations are intended to expose the Fellow to the diversity of services in the local government and match the Fellow's interests and abilities, and are established and coordinated by the host local government and the Fellow's mentor.
Do I have to relocate for this fellowship, if selected?
Fellowships are available across the country. Most applicants chose to move to take advantage of a fellowship opportunity, but you might find a fellowship nearby. On the application, you may rank areas where you are willing to work or are currently living. In that case, you will not be considered for other locations and will not need to relocate if selected. Keep in mind if you select one state or region where we have only one host, your file will be sent to only one host.
May I have transcripts sent from my school directly to ICMA?
Please send all of your letters of recommendation and all transcripts in ONE (1) packet to ICMA postmarked no later than the application deadline. Official transcripts and letters of recommendation should be mailed to:
ICMA
ATTN: LGMF PROGRAM
777 North Capitol Street, NE, Suite 500
Washington, D.C. 20002-4201
Fax: (202) 962-3500
See Application Information for complete details.
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Is the LGMF Program open to non-U.S. citizens?
Yes, non-U.S. citizens are welcome to apply for the Fellowship. You will need proof of eligibility to work in the United States and need to include that proof with your application (as if you were applying to any regular job at a local government).
Do I need letters of recommendation?
Yes, three letters of recommendation are required for the fellowship application. It is recommended that you obtain two letters of recommendation from professors or academic supervisors, and one professional reference. See the question on transcripts above. Letters can be addressed to the LGMF Advisory Board.
In addition, the Governmentjobs portion of your application allows you to enter contact information for three professional recommendations. But those do not supersede the letters.
What other organizations have local government management internships/fellowships?
Many cities and counties across the country have initiated their own fellowship and internship programs, some older than the LGMF. ICMA has a resource area available that lists the jurisdictions that have such programs. Check out Internships and Fellowships under the Students & Teachers menu at ICMA's Career Network.
How many Fellows are placed?
The pilot year of the program was 2004, and six host governments placed Fellows. Since then, anywhere from 12-19 have been placed. We endeavor to place as many Fellows as we have host local governments participating in the program. ICMA has an annual goal of 25, with an eventual goal of 50 annually by 2015.
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Where are this year's host local governments?
A list of current and past hosts is available under the Become a Fellow menu, and under LGMF Placement Regions in the right menu.
What is the typical salary and benefits package for the Fellowship?
LGMF partner organizations recommend to the hiring local government that they pay a minimum of $35,000 one-year, full-time salary including benefits to keep up with current market trends; more in higher cost areas. For example, the Presidential Management Fellows start at $38,000 in lower cost areas of the country and over $46,000 for higher cost areas like San Francisco, Los Angeles, or New York City (based on GS9 entry-level PMF rate). Most positions include benefits, but some local governments may subsidize the Fellow's salary for them to purchase their own benefits. Half of all fellows were offered a raise during the first year of their fellowship. Some employers are able to offer full benefits, while others can only offer partial.
Consider more than just the numbers: as positions are available nationwide, applicants are encouraged to consider cost of living when negotiating salary--cost of living varies greatly across the country, and a lower salary may actually provide more disposable income in areas with a lower costs of living. Check out a cost-of-living calculator before rejecting a lower salary offer, as the area may offer you more for your dollar.
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What is the application process timeline?
The LGMF Advisory Board, an independent advisory panel of sitting city and county managers and academics, reviews and ranks the applications. Top-ranked applicants become finalists in the pool and their applications are sent to host local governments. All applicants will be notified whether or not they were selected as a finalist. After files are sent to local governments, finalists will be contacted directly by host governments for telephone or in-person interviews usually no later than March. Fellowships start dates are negotiated between the applicants and host local governments, but in general begin in summer.
Where are finalists' applications sent? Can I rank the local governments I prefer?
Preference information is included in the online application. Applicants can indicate preference by urban/rural, geographic location (East Coast, West Coast, Midwest, etc.), population size (small town, large city, county, etc.), and areas of professional interest that will help match them to local governments in the pool. We match applicant preferences with available hosts as closely as possible. If there are areas of special interest (or areas you want to avoid) please note that in your application.
The applicant pool is competitive, and your application file will be accessible by multiple host governments--local governments will be competing against each other for you! To maximize your competitiveness and opportunity for an interview, it is recommended you be as available as possible. Finalists that selected one region for placement are less likely to find a position.
Other questions?
If you have questions that do not appear here or are not answered in the application, contact ICMA by e-mail at lgmfprogram@icma.org, or by phone at 202/962-3560.
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This page updated November 17, 2011.