Policy Fellow

Gary Community Ventures is the legacy of Colorado philanthropists Sam and Nancy Gary, who combined the resources of a foundation and a corporation to increase opportunity for Colorado kids and families. Together, Gary Philanthropy and Gary Ventures partner with our community to leverage business, policy, and philanthropy to break down the biggest barriers to opportunity and co-create breakthrough solutions for those who need it most. As we listen with humility to our community, partners, and each other, we learn together to drive action that guarantees School Readiness, drives Youth Success, and stimulates Family Economic Mobility. Whether we’re making grants and mission investments, building new ventures, or using Gary Ventures to create policy change, we dare to be bold, working urgently with our community and partners to deliver a future where all Colorado kids can grow up healthy and reach their full potential.

Position Summary

Working with the Director of Policy & Advocacy and the Counsel for Ventures & Policy Advisor, the Policy Fellow will provide policy and political research and analysis, and manage the organization’s engagement in various coalitions. The fellow will also assist the Policy Team with planning for the next legislative session and may support campaign efforts if Gary Advocacy has any active campaigns. 

Responsibilities

Research & Analysis

• Assist in conducting research and drafting memos on topics within Gary’s three areas of focus: school readiness, youth success, and family economic mobility. 
• Research and evaluate innovative and effective state-level policies in key outcome areas to highlight in blogs, newsletters, op-eds, briefers, and reports.
• Serve as an internal resource for up-to-date information on relevant national, state, and local-level policy efforts.

Team Support

• Regularly attend and report back on relevant events in the Denver Metro area.
• Collaborate with other departments, such as marketing and communications, to ensure consistent and effective messaging regarding policy initiatives.
• Contribute to the substantive development of infographics, blogs, and reports as needed.

• Familiarity with the policymaking process gained through, for example, prior work or internship experience in state or local government is preferred but not required.
• Demonstrated interest in our outcome issue areas (School Readiness, Family Economic Mobility, Youth Success, community development, entrepreneurship, innovation, and access to capital) through past work, volunteer experience, or independent research projects.
• Self-motivated, creative, organized, and deeply committed to personal and organizational excellence. 
• Familiarity with information gathering through data collection, research analysis, and synthesis, is preferred but not required. 
• Thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic work environment
• Comfortable communicating professionally with a diverse audience
• Comfortable engaging directly with community members and working in partnership with others both inside and outside the organization
• Deep commitment to issues around equity and alignment with Gary’s values on Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

Working at Gary

Gary is committed to inclusion and diversity through our mission and values.  Everyone is welcome and supported in their development at all stages of their journey with us. We believe that each employee will be able to learn, grow, and have an impact at Gary. 

We believe we can listen better, learn more, and act faster when we are able to build strong relationships in the same physical space. With this in mind, we do our work together in person. We value in-person interactions. Our office is not remote; we are open to occasional flexible working situations, but we default to in-office and we have weekly in-person meetings.

Other Details: 

Our office is located in downtown Denver at Union Station. This is an in-person position.

The fellowship will start in June. The fellow can expect to work 30-40  hours a week for approximately 8-10 weeks. The pay range for this position is $20-27/hour. 

Our Commitment to Racial Equity

Our organization is committed to understanding the systems of racial oppression faced by our communities. We acknowledge our individual and collective privilege and actively incorporate diverse perspectives to advance racial equity in everything we do to create a more just Colorado.

This position will be staffed through The 33rd Talent Corporation which is an equal opportunity employer and encourages people of diverse backgrounds to apply. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.