Call for Applications: The Maintainers Movement Fellowship 2023

Overview 

The Maintainers Movement Fellowship advances the movement for maintenance thinking and action by bringing together individuals who are interested in identifying where this work is already happening. The Fellows will partner with The Maintainers to advance our vision for a more caring and well-maintained world.  The duration of the fellowship will be six months, from May 10 to December 10. We are recruiting four fellows this year, each of which will focus on one of the following pathways:

  • Maintaining public health 
  • Maintaining localities
  • Maintenance cultures
  • Maintainers in the workforce (in partnership with ALICE, United Way’s Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed)

Each fellow will receive: 

  • A $6,500 USD stipend. 
  • Up to $500 USD in funds to be distributed to persons contributing to the Fellows work (e.g., people participating in interviews, focus groups, or panel discussions).

Through The Maintainers Movement Fellowship, The Maintainers will support work that advances equitable maintenance and repair policies; enable meaningful experiences for collaborative knowledge production; and develop a clear set of action priorities that will be published broadly and inform the future work of The Maintainers. 

We believe that traditional recruitment practices disproportionately impact the most marginalized people in society in negative ways, including people of color, from working-class backgrounds, and LGBTQIA people. We strongly encourage people with these identities to apply.

Common requirements

We are looking for fellows with a professional commitment to improving the lives of underserved and minoritized populations; approaches to working that center marginalized voices and those most impacted by the question/topic/process at hand.  

For this iteration of the fellowship, we will award only individuals (not groups). 

Time commitment: Estimate about 2 to 3 hours a week.

Location of Fellow / Your Location: The Maintaining public health, Maintaining localities, and Maintenance cultures fellowships are open to applicants from all over the world. The Maintainers in the Workforce fellowship is open for an individual based in the USA. Meetings and events that involve The Maintainers team coordination will be typically scheduled during our regular business hours EST/CST (USA) business hours (Monday – Friday).

Regular Meetings: (Virtual): 

  • Monthly all fellows meetings to promote knowledge exchange between the 2023 cohort.
  • Monthly 1:1 check-ins with Maintainers staff to discuss progress, support needs, etc. 

Events/Presentations:

  • Facilitate a virtual panel featuring representatives from some of the efforts and initiatives identified during the landscape scan
    • NOTE: Because the Maintainers in the Workforce Fellow is not completing a landscape scan, they are exempt from this event. 
  • Participate in the end of the fellowship panel with other Maintainers fellows.
  • The Maintainers Movement Fellows act as Ambassadors for maintenance thinking and action by representing The  Maintainers during fellowship events and presentations as well as in published communications.

Important dates

  • Call goes out and applications open: February 28, 2023.
  • Applications close: March 29, 2023.
  • Applicants receive notification: May 1, 2023.
  • Fellowship begins: May 10, 2023.
  • Fellowship ends and final deliverables due: December 10, 2023.

Fellowship Pathways

Applicants are asked to select one of the following pathways. The cohort will be composed of one fellow from each pathway. 

Maintaining Public Health 

We are seeking an individual whose background has significant ties to public health initiatives. Taking into consideration the societal challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the forefront, we consider it crucial to focus on the public health implications of maintenance and repair policies. The Maintainers seek to elevate professionals, practitioners, and/or activists whose work is already under way that informs our understanding of the relationship between maintenance investments (e.g., repair, circular economy, roads, parks) and public health outcomes for traditionally underserved populations. 

  • Desired Qualifications: 
    • Educational background in interdisciplinary social sciences such as public health, health informatics, human geography, sociology, public policy, and political science.
    • Experience researching, managing, developing, and/or implementing public health initiatives, that prioritize the health and wellbeing of marginalized and minoritized populations traditionally underserved by both public infrastructure investment and healthcare systems (e.g., people of color; people with disabilities; people with trans, intersex, and genderqueer identities; people from mixed immigration status households). 
    • Experience and/or strong interest in interdisciplinary networks.
    • We especially encourage applicants to have experience with communities or programs in languages other than English.
  • Areas of focus for maintenance-oriented public health initiatives could include:
    • Mutual aid networks; communities pooling members’ gifts, skills, and resources to address otherwise unmet infrastructure and healthcare needs.
    • Specific uses of technology; technological interventions that connect underserved populations to information about their health, and health care resources.
    • Community governance and community-based policy design regarding health care services and healthcare data; collective impact initiatives that successfully align resources of government, private sector, and nonprofit sector towards improved health outcomes.
    • Environmental health; ecology practices that guarantee clean air, sustainable agriculture practices, drinkable water, and protection of natural spaces.
  • Deliverables:
    • Writing:
      • 1 blog post introducing themselves published on the Maintainers website, that will be published the first month of the fellowship.
      • Landscape Scan (5-7 pages) identifying efforts and initiatives that inform our understanding of the relationships between infrastructure maintenance, repair, and public health The report should:
        • Tie these initiatives to the mission and vision of the Maintainers, and recommend ways that the Maintainers network can support and partner with these initiatives in meaningful ways. 
        • Include a directory of selected maintenance, repair and care-focused initiatives relevant to public health, including contact information.  
        • Publish a blog post summarizing the landscape scan to be submitted for editing and publication no later than November 30th.

Maintaining Localities

We are seeking an individual who has experience in leading, designing, and/or implementing programs related to maintenance, repair, infrastructure and care in their community. We are particularly interested in funding a Fellowship for individuals who have experience in  governance, public services, and initiatives with an educational purpose, or work that addresses maintenance and or care gaps in their localities. Some examples of maintenance localities are national/municipal/local governments, public spaces, advocacy groups, community centers, regional agencies, or institutions (schools, social service agencies, ect.).

  • Desired Qualifications: 
    • Actively engaged in maintenance, repair, and care initiatives in their locale.
    • Educational background in social sciences such as human geography, cultural anthropology, information studies, public policy, political science.
    • Experience and/or strong interest in working with interdisciplinary networks.
    • We especially encourage applicants that have experience with communities or programs in languages other than English.
  • Areas of focus for public maintenance in specific municipalities or localities include:
    • Public educational programs that apply maintenance, environmental sustainability, and human thriving as the lens through which they train students, new professionals, and/or members of their community.
    • Regional, municipal or local initiatives and services related to maintenance, repair, care and infrastructure development;
    • Protection and sustainable rehabilitation of natural resources and environments (including coastal communities, water systems, permaculture initiatives and more)
    • Advocacy networks focused on influencing/shifting public policy towards responsible/equitable stewardship of material goods/natural resources/supply chains.
  • Deliverables:
    • 1 blog post introducing themselves published on the Maintainers website, that will be published the first month of the fellowship.
    • Landscape Scan (5-7 pages) identifying efforts and initiatives that inform our understanding of the relationships between infrastructure maintenance, repair, and care. The report should:
      • Tie these initiatives to the mission and vision of the Maintainers, and recommend ways that the Maintainers network can support and partner with these initiatives in meaningful ways. 
      • Include a directory of selected maintenance, repair and care-focused initiatives relevant to the strategy report, including contact information.  
      • Be presented via a blog post written by the fellow, that will be submitted no later than November 30th. 

Maintenance Cultures

We are seeking an individual who has a background in leading, designing or being active in collectives, DIY spaces, and activists that center maintenance, repair, infrastructure and care. These practitioners can be exploring, educating or promoting different facets of maintenance, care and repair. Some examples of maintenance cultures are maker spaces, education related to maintenance practices, management of public or community spaces, repair cafes or workshops, caregiving collectives, mutual aid groups, and understanding the sustainability and long-term of these spaces.

  • Desired Qualifications: 
    • Educational background in interdisciplinary social sciences such as human geography, cultural anthropology, information studies, public policy, political science.
    • Experience and/or strong interest in working with interdisciplinary networks.
    • We especially encourage applicants that have experience with communities or programs in languages other than English.
  • Areas of focus for public maintenance cultures include:
    • Maker spaces.
    • Repair cafes or workshops.
    • Mutual aid groups.
    • Artist communities and collectives that celebrate or emphasize reuse of found objects and discarded materials; artists communities and collectives that produce works that elevate maintainers and those whose contributions to society are both critical and traditionally devalued.
  • Writing Deliverables:
    • 1 blog post introducing themselves published on the Maintainers website, that will be published the first month of the fellowship.
    • Landscape Scan (5-7 pages) identifying efforts and initiatives that inform our understanding of the relationships between infrastructure maintenance, repair, and care. The report should:
      • Tie these initiatives to the mission and vision of the Maintainers, and recommend ways that the Maintainers network can support and partner with these initiatives in meaningful ways. 
      • Include a directory of selected maintenance, repair and care-focused initiatives relevant to the strategy report, including contact information.  
      • Be presented via a blog post written by the fellow, that will be submitted no later than November 30th. 

 

Maintainers in the Workforce

in partnership with United for ALICE

This fellowship will be dedicated to working on a set of groundbreaking projects to gather new data and improve policy for low-income Americans. Building on a pilot between the Maintainers and United For ALICE, the fellow will work with an interdisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners to offer a new understanding on the challenges low-wage workers face while at the same time underpinning the U.S. economy by building, repairing and maintaining our physical and human infrastructure.  This Fellowship is supported by a grant awarded to United For ALICE by the Kauffman Foundation.

The Fellow will primarily be responsible for working with Maintainer and United for ALICE colleagues using the data to develop and answer a research question for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Possible lines of inquiry include, but are not limited to:

  • To what extent are critical infrastructure maintenance jobs undervalued?
  • Which occupations or sectors have the greatest gap between wages and basic costs of living?
  • To what extent do these gaps perpetuate structural inequalities and systemic racism?
  • How will changes in work, particularly automation, impact maintenance workers and affect these imbalances?

The fellowship opportunity is for applicants based in the USA.

Background of United For ALICE

United For ALICE is a driver of innovation, shining a light on the challenges faced by ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) households and working with stakeholders across the country to find collaborative solutions. Through a standardized methodology that assesses the gap between income and the cost of living for households in every county, United for ALICE provides a comprehensive measure of financial hardship across the U.S. Our Reports, Tools, and interactive dashboards provide high quality, unbiased data and analysis that is used by governments, nonprofits, academics, and the media to better understand and support ALICE families in local communities and nationwide. 

  • Qualifications: 
    • Masters or PhD in a related field, such as sociology, public policy, political science, social work/social welfare, human geography, information studies.
    • Experience in analyzing quantitative data in order to form clear and compelling research that can be used to inform public policy.
    • Track record of academic and more public facing writings (e.g.policy briefs, blog posts).

The ideal candidate will also have: 

  • Comfort working with large datasets and proficiency in R, Stata, SAS, SPSS, or a similar statistical software package 
  • Methodological knowledge andexperience
  • Ability to work independently, yet collaborate as needed
  • Skill and experience with Excel, and GIS or Tableau 
  • Passion for the subject matter
  • Basic presentation and public speaking skills

Deliverables

    • 1 blog post introducing themselves published on the Maintainers website.
    • Submission ofone peer-reviewed article.
    • Participate in the ALICE Maintainer Advisory Council of experts in the field of work, labor, financial hardship, and maintenance. This will involve 2 – 3 meetings and support the fellow’s work.
    • Attend the national ALICE Summit, January 29-31, 2024 and participate in relevant Maintainers sessions. Travel and accommodations will be covered.

Selection Process & How to apply

Selection will be based on the application. The Maintainers team seeks to build a cohort that represents a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and geographic locations. No formal interviews will take place, but The Maintainers team may reach out to clarify questions on your proposal during the selection process. All selected Fellows will participate in a pre-award call to confirm commitment to Fellowship deliverables. 

Maintaining Public Health, Maintaining Localities, and Maintenance Cultures fellowships:

  • One application per individual will be accepted. Please submit your application through this Google form. 

Maintainers in Workforce fellowship:

One application per individual will be accepted. Please submit your application through this Google form.

If you have any remaining questions, please contact Lauren Dapena Fraiz at lauren@themaintainers.org.

Preferred citation: The Maintainers. Call for Applications: The Maintainers Movement Fellowship 2023. The Maintainers. https://themaintainers.org/call-maintainers-movement-fellowship-2023/
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