Fellowship selection and success
The Open Access fellowship program is available to candidates in all stages of their careers, from recent graduates to seasoned professionals. The program is also highly selective. For example, Lopez completed seven college internships in public policy, economics and commercial real estate. Thomas spent years working in finance, including a role in capital markets at JPMorgan Chase and one in affordable housing development with the City of New York.
But the program wasn’t without its challenges.
“The most challenging part of Open Access was trying to absorb the fields of NMTC and LIHTC in just 160 hours,” Lopez said. “These are programs that can be lifelong careers. However, Open Access provides the right exposure to gain fundamentals of the programs, and both Genesis LA and Open Access provided the resources and support.”
While host organizations ultimately choose their candidates, there are some commonalities among successful fellows.
“They’re go-getters,” Billups said. “They took this opportunity, and they just ran with it. They were networking. They went to every event, every call. The successful candidates really just seize the opportunity and take full advantage.”
Open Access fellowship by the numbers
3
years
71
fellows
76%
fellows placed or promoted in community development finance roles
Gaining access and opportunities
Once the fellowship is complete, 76% of Open Access fellows have taken jobs in community development finance. Often, host organizations hire former fellows in new roles. Other times, the host organizations extend the fellowship until a long-term position opens. In other situations, organizations outside community development hire the fellows.
Lopez and Thomas were both hired by their hosts. Lopez, who completed the Open Access fellowship in 2022, is currently an associate at Genesis LA.
“It’s an absolute joy to work at an organization and with a team that deeply cares about the city,” he said. Working with fellow regional CDFIs, and with CDEs through projects right in my backyard, made me feel proud of giving back.”
“During my fellowship with TruFund Financial Services, I worked closely with the NMTC asset management team,” Thomas said. “Upon completion of the program, I was hired full-time to manage the asset management portfolio.” Thomas is now Vice President of Community Climate Finance at TruFund, where she’s responsible for managing a national clean-energy fund to finance energy efficiency and decarbonization projects. “I credit the Open Access program for this great opportunity.”
