Job Description

About the Foundation

Trellis Foundation is a grant-making public charitable organization dedicated to improving postsecondary attainment for low-income students and students of color in Texas. Our approach is highly collaborative and prioritizes catalytic investments, focused on changing or informing change to policy, practice, and systems.

Position Overview

The Graduate Fellow will support the Programs team through research, grant review, and synthesis of grant learnings. Grants in higher education access and student success cover issues of removing or reducing barriers for low-income students and students of color in preparing for and persisting in college. The Graduate Fellow will be exposed to postsecondary and workforce policy and practice, along with various areas of the grantmaking programs.

Key Responsibilities

• Research : Conduct research, scans, and literature reviews that inform the Foundation’s understanding of policy and practice in higher education access and success, workforce training, grantmaking, and other related topics.
• Grant Management : Assist Programs Team in review of grantee reports and summarizing learnings.
• Strategy : Inform the Foundation’s understanding of its grantmaking processes, policies, and strategies for the future.
• Other administrative duties, research, and analysis as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Candidates must reside in Texas.
• Enrollment in a graduate program (master’s or doctoral level) for both the Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 semesters. The selected candidate will be a doctoral-level student, a master’s student preparing to start their second year of graduate school, or a first-year master’s student with comparable professional experience.
• One year of experience in higher education research and/or practitioner best practice analysis with demonstrated experience in writing briefs, literature reviews, or landscape scans.
• Excellent skills in multiple writing styles to communicate with varied stakeholder groups, including academic briefs, policy briefs, and professional blogs. Must be able to quickly synthesize research into short summaries for non-academic audiences.
• Strong research skills, including analyzing and summarizing relevant research literature and providing recommendations.
• The ability to analyze and report findings, central themes, and key takeaways.
• Ability to expand from micro-view to macro and vice versa.
• Proficient in common office software (i.e., Microsoft Office Suite).
• Creative, proactive, and resourceful.
• Ability to work on multiple assignments simultaneously.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ability to visit our offices in Round Rock, Texas, as often as twice a month.
• Postsecondary policy, practice, or research content expertise.
• Understanding of historic and current systemic barriers to racial equity and the effects of those barriers on educational attainment.
• Academic focus on public policy/public affairs, higher education administration, nonprofit management, or related field.
• Lived experience reflecting the Foundation’s priority populations (students of color, students from low-income backgrounds, Opportunity Youth, justice-impacted individuals) or professional experience assisting these populations to succeed in postsecondary education.

Learning Opportunities

• Gain practical experience by analyzing grant proposals and reports.
• Hone research and writing skills.Learn about the inner workings of a nonprofit foundation.

Supervision

The Programs Graduate Fellow will report to the Senior Program Officer.

Duration and Hours

This part-time fellowship requires approximately 15-20 hours per week, with flexible work hours. It is expected that most of the Fellow’s work hours will be scheduled during regular business hours to enable collaboration and communication with the Programs team. Start date and term length are flexible but are expected to include the Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 semesters, with a flexible start date in mid to late August 2026.

Compensation

This is a hybrid, non-exempt position with an hourly rate of $25/hr. If your academic institution allows you to receive course credit for fellowship experiences, you must coordinate credit requirements directly with your college or university and communicate to the Foundation any employer requirements your institution requires for course credit (such as completing supervisory assessments).

Application Process

Applications should be submitted via the online portal . The position will be open until it is filled.

Trellis Foundation values the perspective of students who have experienced barriers to accessing and completing postsecondary education, and we encourage applicants with such experiences to apply. The Foundation supports all interns and employees with reasonable accommodations.

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