Fellows will: 

• Build upon their beginner to intermediate understanding of policy advocacy and local advocacy topics including an overview of all local government jurisdictions, budget documents and processes, principles of anti oppression advocacy, conducting power analysis, providing public comment and public speaking.
• Learn from and build relationships with advocates and other experts in local policy issues.
• Collaborate with issue team members and cohort colleagues to co-create a dynamic learning community focused on transforming and empowering our shared communities.
• Receive training to then research a local policy concern with their team.
• Engage a specific local government jurisdiction to pass a resolution or proclamation that will advance or open up their local policy concern.  This includes meeting with local government staff and elected officials.
• Deepen leadership and collaboration skills with team members that may be from different organizations, have different work styles or experience and background, and/or reside in different parts of LA County. It is expected that the work of the policy project will be shared equitably among all team members.
• Communicate regularly with Foundation staff, individually and as a team. Foundation staff will guide the teams supplemented by a mentor who is an alum of the Solís Policy Institute.

A applicant is currently self-employed or unemployed.

• You are eligible to apply for the Solís Policy Institute as long as:
  • You are rooted in a community that will benefit (i.e., grow in its ability to do policy work) from your participation in the program and to which you are accountable
  • You are connected to a non-profit or grassroots organization that endorses your participation, and
  • Your employment status will remain the same throughout the Solís Policy Institute year.

NOTE: A change in employment status could impact your ability to stay in SPI (i.e., your new organization won’t allow you to stay in the program, you move out of state, etc.).

If you do not plan to remain self-employed or you are actively looking for work during the SPI fellowship year, this might not be the right time to participate.

A applicant is a college student.

• If you will graduate before or during the SPI fellowship year and are planning to search for/start a new job, please see the question above. Unless you are certain that your job will be supportive of your participation in SPI, this may not be the right time for you to apply.
• If you will not be graduating before or during the fellowship year, we encourage you to review the retreat and webinar dates and determine whether you will be able to miss class on those days. You may want to speak with an advisor or the chair of your department about whether they can support your full participation in the program, including missing classes and whether retreats fall too close to finals week, etc. If counting your participation in the program as an internship would help secure your time away from classes, please explore that option with your department. We are happy to be supportive of that approach in any way we can.

The SPI-Local program requires on average commitment of 24 hours per month from each fellow, excluding training sessions.

The SPI Local Fellowship includes, there is one mandatory multi day, in person retreat and five mandatory, full day seminars:

Mandatory Multi-Day Retreat

• Retreat 1: Tuesday, June 23-Thursday, June 25, 2026 (In Person)
  • Location TBD, 9am – 5pm (multi day, overnight event with lodging provided)
• Retreat 2: Tuesday, November 17- Wednesday, November 18, 2026 (In Person)
  • Location TBD, 9am – 5pm (multi day, overnight event with lodging provided)

Mandatory Full-Day Seminars

• Seminar 1: Wednesday, July 15, 2026 (Virtual)
• Seminar 2: Wednesday, July 29, 2026 (Virtual)
• Seminar 3: Wednesday, August 12, 2026 (Virtual)
• Seminar 4: Wednesday, August 26, 2026 (In Person)
• Seminar 5: Wednesday, September 16, 2026 (Virtual)
• Seminar 6: Wednesday, October 14, 2026 (Virtual)

The first and only retreat is a mandatory multi-day event consisting of training led by WFC staff, policy experts, and guest trainers. Lodging will be provided for the multi day retreat. The seminars will be a mix of single day in person or virtual programming. The Foundation does not have capacity for virtual participation for the in person events at this time. 

Additional Time Commitments & Employer Support

• Fellows are expected to participate in weekly team meetings or conference calls throughout the fellowship.
• Assigned reading and homework will be provided before the retreat, seminars, and during the fellowship.

Employers must fully support their employees’ participation in the program, including providing time for fellowship commitments. As part of the application process, applicants must upload a signed Applicant Requirements Agreement(ARA) confirming employer approval. The ARA will be inserted and updated by February 24th.

We recognize that harmful beliefs, practices, and behaviors persist within many sectors of the public policy arena. We do our best to prepare our fellows to respond to these dynamics, to inform our speakers and trainers about our social justice principles and the diversity of our SPI cohorts, and to create as brave an environment as possible for fellows experiencing multiple forms of oppression. Due to the nature of the public policy arena, however, we cannot guarantee that every space you will enter as a fellow—both inside and outside the Capitol, and including retreats—will be safe or that every person with whom you interact, including speakers and trainers, will be trained in anti-oppression and anti-racist principles. If having safety is a requirement for you at this time of your life, SPI might not be an appropriate program for you.

The fellowship is offered free of charge, and Women’s Foundation California is dedicated to eliminating financial barriers to access. On average, we raise approximately $20,000 to support each fellow’s participation in the program. 

For in person retreats, we offer stipends or reimbursements for travel and meals if a fellow’s organization does not have available funding (which applies to the majority of our fellows). Our goal is to ensure that financial concerns never prevent anyone from fully participating in the program. (See support for Parenting Fellows below)

Reproductive justice is a core value of Women’s Foundation California. This includes advocating for reproductive care in all forms—abortion, paid parental leave, and protection from pregnancy discrimination.

If you plan to give birth or welcome a new child during the fellowship, we encourage you to take at least six weeks off from fellowship activities. We value bonding time for parents and caregivers but ask that you carefully consider whether this is the best time in your career to apply. Any parental leave may result in missing significant portions of the fellowship’s experiential learning, which is central to the program.

We are committed to supporting parenting fellows. Support includes:

• Childcare Stipends: Provided during programming, including full days for retreats and partial days for seminars. Stipends can be paid directly to childcare providers or to fellows as supplemental income.
• Childcare at Retreats: In select cases, fellows may bring a young child and a childcare provider to in-person retreats.
• Lactation Support: We will accommodate lactation breaks (pumping or nursing) as needed.

The Foundation respects the rights of all individuals to parent in their chosen way. We will work closely with parenting fellows to ensure their participation and success in the program.

The voices of people impacted by gender-based oppression, violence, and discrimination are often missing or silenced from policymaking processes. The Solís Policy Institute’s goal is to ensure that visionary community leaders, their organizations and their communities can actively shape policies to transform the fundamental conditions that affect their lives and communities. Moreover, the SPI strives to increase the number and capacity of genderqueer and nonbinary people, cisgender and transgender women, and transgender men who are actively engaged in public policy— particularly those from Black, Indigenous, people of color communities, immigrant communities, trans and queer communities, low- income communities, and rural communities.

Our social justice framework focuses on the structural causes of inequities embedded in public institutions, such as our government bodies. SPI was developed in response to these structural inequities, and while we will make room to discuss oppressive systems and encourage each cohort to critique institutionalized oppression, our primary objective is to train participants to create progressive policy changes within the current legislative system. We recognize the need to dismantle and transform our political institutions and processes and there are many different means that lead to liberation. SPI views policy advocacy as one powerful strategy to solving problems and improving the lives of our communities.  After experiencing what it takes to get a policy win, participants are better able to continue the work of dismantling systems of oppression within public policy.

Format

• SPI interviews are designed to be conversational and conducted by Women’s Foundation California staff. During the interview, we will ask questions to better understand:
  • Your interests within the issue area under which you applied.
  • Your experience with policy advocacy.
  • Your reasons for wanting to participate in the fellowship.
  • Your organization’s relationship to policy advocacy.
• The extent of your organization’s support for your participation in the program.

Who Gets an Interview

• Not all applicants are interviewed as part of the selection process. Please continue to hold the retreat and seminar dates on your calendar until a final decision on your application is made.

How to Prepare

• To prepare for your interview, review your individual narrative responses, the selection criteria, and the participant requirements. Reflecting on your individual goals and experiences will help you articulate your motivations and qualifications.

• The class of 2026 will include both in-person and virtual retreats.
• For virtual programming, fellows must have access to a computer with a camera to participate in the webinar and audio either through the computer or a phone.
• Participants are required to have their own computer, access to the Internet, and knowledge of and access to word processing programs (like Microsoft Word, OpenOffice, GoogleDocs) to participate in the writing of documents.

The Solís Policy Institute transitioned to a fully virtual format in March 2020 and has since adopted a hybrid model with both virtual and in-person programming. Fellows should note:

• In-person programming, including retreats and seminars, is mandatory and subject to government mandates or cohort concerns.
• At this time, the Foundation cannot accommodate virtual participation for in-person events.
• Many local government meetings now require in-person attendance, so fellows should prepare for this as a norm.

To ensure a healthy environment, in-person components will include:

• Mandatory rapid testing for participants.
• Personal protective gear provided on-site.

As COVID-19 remains an ongoing concern, additional safety measures may be added or adjusted as needed. Our priority is the health and well-being of all participants while maintaining the integrity of the program.