Economic Mobility Summer Fellow

United Way for Southeastern Michigan

Economic Mobility Summer Fellow

United Way for Southeastern Michigan (serving the Detroit metro area) seeks a graduate student summer fellow to work with its Economic Mobility team. This exciting opportunity will support the development and implementation of United Way's impactful and innovative initiatives to support family stability and enable sustained and multi-generational economic mobility for low-income families in the region.

The challenge: Moving families towards economic prosperity is long-term work. In Southeastern Michigan, 39% of households struggle to make ends meet - and in the City of Detroit, 65% of households don't earn enough to afford basic necessities. At United Way, we call these households ALICE households - Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. In the socioeconomic patchwork of the greater Detroit metro area, pockets of economic disadvantage exist side-by-side with pockets of wealth.

The experience of being unable to afford basic expenses is a vicious and self-reinforcing cycle. When families are constantly juggling bills or experiencing the threat of housing instability, the slightest emergency can cause financial ripple effects leading to risk of utility shut off, hunger, eviction, and job loss. The stress alone takes a toll on their mental and physical wellbeing and makes it more difficult to fulfill work obligations. Kids who grow up in families struggling to make ends meet are more likely to miss school and have significantly higher levels of behavioral, emotional and educational problems.

How United Way helps: At United Way, we seek to build inclusive communities in which households can thrive, not just survive. The Economic Mobility team manages a portfolio of initiatives designed to help families in our region move from surviving to thriving economically. We seek to replace the vicious cycle of poverty with a positive cycle of economic stability and mobility. When families have a stable home, income that routinely exceeds expenses, and strong financial skills, they are able to build savings to cover minor emergencies and invest in career and economic advancement opportunities. Our strategic approach to catalyzing economic mobility is three-fold: driving innovation & systems change, supporting integration & continuous improvement, and busting barriers & creating pathways to opportunity.

The summer fellow's role: The summer fellow will report to the Director of Community Impact Innovation. The summer fellow will provide research, analysis, and implementation support for the Economic Mobility team's initiatives. Possible projects include: research and analysis to support ongoing process improvement for existing programs; landscape mapping and/or gap assessment of local organizations and their products and services; analysis of systemic pain points and potential levers of change; etc.

Who should apply: The ideal applicant will: (1) be pursuing a Masters in Public Policy or graduate degree in a related field; (2) have experience with economic mobility, financial empowerment, consumer finance, and/or housing subject areas; and (3) have experience working with community-based organizations, low-income populations, and/or human-centered design principles and practices.

Stipend: The summer fellow will receive a stipend of $5000.

Timing and location: The summer fellow will be expected to work full-time for a minimum of 10 weeks over the summer of 2025. United Way is flexible on precise start and end dates based on the selected fellow's academic schedule. United Way's offices are located in Detroit, MI. The summer fellow can expect to work mostly remotely with occasional in-person meetings or events in the office or at a community location.

Application process:

• Submit an online application
• Attach a resume, cover letter, and first-semester transcript
• In your cover letter, please mention:
  • Why you are interested in working on economic mobility issues
  • Why you are interested in working in the Detroit area
  • How you will apply your prior experience to the potential projects outlined
  • The skills you are most looking to use or develop over the summer
  • Your future career aspirations
• Application deadline: February 2, 2024.

Resumes will not be reviewed until after the Application Deadline