High financial barriers make it impossible for low-income students to get their foot in the door of political campaigns. This means our progressive campaigns don't reflect the values they're campaigning on.
SNAP PAC solves this problem.
We provide paid fellowships for underrepresented students from public colleges and universities to work on progressive congressional races across the country.
There's a huge problem on political campaigns across the country: while many candidates talk about racial inequality and economic injustice, their campaigns do not reflect those principles.
SNAP PAC was founded in 2005 with a mission to change the make-up of political campaigns and diversify the progressive movement. Through the years, we've realized that one of the biggest reasons why young people struggle to join campaigns is that it can be hard to take an unpaid internship: many students are paying loans, handling the burden of medical or family expenses, or simply could not afford to skip a paid opportunity elsewhere.
To address this concern, SNAP PAC provides a stipend for students from public and community colleges to work on a congressional campaign for twelve weeks the summer before a federal election. Our fellows work as Field Organizers -- not interns -- and are given substantial and meaningful work. They are also guaranteed housing, training, and support from political professionals.
1) SNAP sends a fellowship application to hundreds of public colleges and universities across the country.
2) We receive an overwhelming number of applications (over 300 in 2018) and conduct interviews where we get to know our applicants, their goals, and how SNAP might fit into that picture.
3) We pair our cohort of fellows with progressive campaigns across the country with candidates who understand SNAP's mission and want to give our fellows the best experience possible. Fellows travel to campaigns in groups of 2-4 and are provided with free supporter housing.
4) SNAP fellows spend 10-12 as Field Organizers -- managing volunteers, crafting field strategy, and more -- and work closely with paid staff to elect a progressive to Congress.
We have no paid employees: dozens of Yale students spend a combined hundreds of hours every week helping SNAP PAC succeed.
Median donation: $100.
SNAP PAC has sent talented and motivated students to over 90 campaigns, and our highly-competitive application process ensures the best possible fellows
Through over a decade of experience, SNAP PAC has refined its efforts in order to maximize our effort in the progressive wave during the 2018 election
