Join Next100

Information Session

Check out our one-hour information session to learn more about Next100 and the experience of being a Next100 Policy Entrepreneur. The session focused on the nature and benefits of the program (e.g, what people learned and accomplished, what it’s like to work at Next100).

You belong at Next100 if…

You feel urgency about creating a stronger, more equitable, and more inclusive society. You believe in the power of policy to create that society more quickly. You also believe in the power of people, and know impacted individuals and communities must be at the table to drive better public policy.

You have a public policy problem you want to solve. You are determined to develop solutions, not just research problems. You are excited to more deeply understand the root causes of this problem, conduct original research in this area, and develop creative policy solutions—some of which may happen tomorrow, others down the line. We’re looking for Policy Entrepreneurs interested in democracy, immigration, K–12 education, criminal justice, climate and/or environmental justice, health care, national service (e.g., AmeriCorps) and Historically Black Colleges and Universities, or at the intersection of any of those areas. And if your passion is in another area and you think there is work to be done, don’t fret—make your case! We want to hear from you.

You are a thinker and a doer. You are a rigorous thinker, committed to using policy levers to create a fairer and more equitable society. You also know there’s more to creating change than writing a report, and you are committed to doing whatever it takes to make change and contribute to building a nimble organization that is focused on impact. You’ve thought about how to harness different ways of communicating to engage with and mobilize communities.

You’re a nerd, of sorts. You enjoy throwing yourself into researching a problem, understanding its ins and outs, and considering multiple perspectives. You enjoy thinking creatively and practically about solutions, and discussing them with colleagues and friends. You are excited about doing this every day.

You know no one makes change alone. You are ready, willing, and excited to work with, learn from and support others—both within Next100 and beyond—to make policy progress. You know that supporting your colleagues will make your and their work stronger, and forging partnerships is key to building power and driving change.

You want to grow. You know we all have ways in which we can grow, and we all grow more quickly with feedback and a little support. You are excited to spend time developing concrete skills and knowledge, and to support your peers in their development. You like the idea of learning with and from colleagues who have had different life experiences. You also like the idea of testing your policy ideas with other policy experts in your field.

You’re scrappy. You’re a self-starter. You’re a team player. You are excited to join and build a small, highly motivated, and creative team. You see problems and you solve them. You see questions and you dive into them. You like a balance of working individually and collectively, and know that collective work means sometimes prioritizing support of others in their work. You want to have the autonomy to focus on what matters, while being accountable for results.

You truly, deeply believe that diversity of all kinds—of life experience, of background, of skills, of knowledge—makes us stronger. You want to build an inclusive organization that lives that value. We are explicitly interested in varying backgrounds and levels of professional and life experience. You may have politics or policy experience, organizing or direct service experience—or you may not. You may have had personal experience with the challenge you want to solve—or you may not. But, you must care passionately about this challenge, and even more passionately about developing rigorous and relevant policy solutions to address it.

But what will Next100 Policy Entrepreneurs actually do?

You’ll research, develop, and advocate for better public policy:  You’ll spend two years working to better understand and fix a public policy problem in an area of your choosing, including:

• identifying original research questions and conducting rigorous and relevant research;
• developing new policy ideas and analyzing existing ideas;
• working with impacted communities and individuals to prioritize challenges, develop solutions, and evaluate policy; and
• building partnerships and relationships to strengthen your ideas and drive policy impact.

You’ll build: You’ll be a core member of an innovative program that values support, collaboration, and getting shit done. You’ll build an inclusive team culture we can be proud of, and systems to make us an effective team. You’ll conduct outreach to allied organizations and policymakers on behalf of our vision, our team, and our ideas. You’ll get your hands dirty in the weeds of a startup culture, whether that means managing our Twitter handle, helping your colleagues plan events, or writing a newsletter for the team.

You’ll publish: Next100 is not about research for research’s sake. You will publish your research and policy ideas, share them, promote them, advocate for them, and be part of real world campaigns for policy change.

You’ll collaborate: You’ll work closely with your peers, supporting them in conducting their research and problem-solving with them when they hit roadblocks. You’ll work on projects together, across your issue areas. You’ll build relationships with, learn from, and work with partners beyond Next100, because no one makes change alone.

You’ll learn: You’ll leave your two years with new skills, knowledge, and networks you didn’t have coming in. You’ll develop your research, policy, advocacy, and communication skills. You’ll deepen your content knowledge. And you’ll develop relationships with advocates, policymakers, and other players in your area.

You’ll get shit done: No, really. You’ll get to be a part of a group of badass policy leaders on a mission to change the world. At the end of two years, you’ll look back and know you’ve made a difference.

Oh, and the details: You’ll work in New York City, with your cohort. You’ll have a full-time job, with comprehensive benefits (including health and disability insurance, vision and dental coverage, gym and phone reimbursement, and more), for two years (January 2024-December 2025). The salary range for Policy Entrepreneurs will be $70,000–$90,000/year.

FAQs

Is this a full-time job?

It sure is—for two years. Next100 Policy Entrepreneurs will be full-time employees based out of our New York City office. They will receive salaries in the range of $70,000–$90,000/year, and comprehensive benefits (including health and disability insurance, vision and dental coverage, gym and phone reimbursement, and more), from January 2024 through December 2025. Please note that applicants must be authorized to work in the United States for the full term of the Policy Entrepreneur position.

Where will I be based?

Next100 will be based in New York City, and Policy Entrepreneurs will be expected to work out of our New York City office a majority of the time (some remote/hybrid days will be available, but Policy Entrepreneurs should expect to be in the office more often than not). We are committed to recruiting candidates from across the country and will provide reasonable relocation assistance for those who need it.

How much experience do I need to be a Policy Entrepreneur? Is there a minimum educational level required?

We are looking for applicants who have relevant experience (lived, professional, and/or academic) with a specific public policy issue. We don’t have a cutoff for minimum experience, but we are looking for candidates with some work experience under their belt. We do not have any specific educational requirements for this position.

What’s the application deadline and process?

In terms of applying—the sooner the better, but definitely before July 28th, 2023! We will be reviewing applications on an ongoing basis, and will reach out to finalists for interviews by the end of August. All applicants will hear back from us by the beginning of September.

I’m still a little confused by what the Policy Entrepreneurs actually do—can you share more?

Absolutely! The Policy Entrepreneurs drive their own agendas and projects—with lots of support. Looking at the work of previous cohorts on the Next100 website might give you a better picture of the types of work that Policy Entrepreneurs have done in the past, but keep in mind that no two PEs have identical experiences. To pick just a handful of examples, Policy Entrepreneurs have worked with impacted communities to produce original research, built national coalitions to address newcomer student inequity, convened an event on how civilian climate corps programs can impact economic and climate justice, launched a campaign to abolish legal slavery, put up murals and leveraged their unveilings to educate communities and push for policy change, done more traditional analysis of existing policies and made related recommendations, commissioned original polling, and advocated to Congress.

What if my issue area isn’t one of the ones you listed? What if I want to focus on making policy change in a place that isn’t New York City, New York State, or the United States as a whole?

If you believe you have a compelling idea for making change, please apply! We certainly didn’t plan to have someone working on Oklahoma policy, but Isabel Coronado, one of our former Policy Entrepreneurs, worked on Oklahoma policy multiple times in addition to her federally focused work. Also, multiple Policy Entrepreneurs have worked across issue areas, incorporating work around expanding economic opportunity, language access, and equitable public spaces, among other subjects, into their policy and advocacy.

How is Next100 funded?

Next100 is powered by The Century Foundation, a 100-year old think tank committed to elevating the best ideas, most diverse perspectives, and policy research with purpose. Additional funding has been generously provided by other institutional and individual funders. You can pledge your support for Next100 here.

I’m not a candidate, but want to get involved. Can I?

Absolutely! Sign up for our email list here, and follow us on Instagram @the_next100 and on Twitter @thenext100 for all the latest news.

Other questions? Reach out to [email protected].