Engineers and Scientists Acting Locally (ESAL) hosts an online network, called ESAL Community. This is a place where people with backgrounds in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics can connect, learn, and grow their civic participation. If your organization is looking for a new offering you can provide your members to build knowledge, skills, and support their civic action, an Organization Membership to ESAL Community may be the right solution for you.
Our Organization Memberships offer services and benefits to increase your organization’s reach, impact, and the growth of your members.
Your membership to ESAL Community gives you a tool to stay connected and share information with your members, while connecting them with new people in STEM that share a common interest in civic action. All of your members can access the network for free. We can create an exclusive space within ESAL Community for you to connect, collaborate, and share important information with your members directly.
Receive recognition for your organization as a supporter of ESAL Community and share your work with our community of 250+ people in STEM with static displays of your organization’s logo and information within the network and opportunities to co-host events with ESAL Community.
Give your members access to customizable educational programming to turn their expertise into meaningful contributions to their local communities and develop as leaders.
Our workshops are customizable live trainings to help participants develop local civic engagement skills and knowledge. This can include information about relevant local policies and case studies that intersect with your member’s interests,case studies of professionals with similar backgrounds who are engaging locally, and step-by-step guides from ESAL’s Local Engagement Playbook.
Our on-demand civic education course is designed for people in STEM to learn how to engage with state and local governments, community groups, and community science initiatives while leveraging their valuable skill sets from their education and professional lives. Brief video lessons featuring local STEM leaders sharing their real world experiences are paired with action-oriented exercises to help participants learn more about their local communities and plan their engagement.
This fellowship supports up to 3 of your members per year committed to developing as local STEM leaders. ESAL provides access to local project development and management tools, relationship mapping and building activities, and accountability support through the full project lifecycle. Fellows also gain complementary access to the on-demand course.
We offer four tiers of Organization Memberships with set benefit packages that give your members access to our training and networking programming.
We are able to create custom benefit packages and pricing to meet your organization’s needs upon request. Custom plans can include full access to The Local Civic Engagement Toolkit (our on-demand civic education course) for your members.
Reach out to us at info@esal.us to get started with your Organization Membership. We are available to provide more information and answer your questions. You can sign-up as an individual member of ESAL Community to learn more about our network and start connecting today.
ESAL Community Fellowships are designed to empower individuals from our partner organizations to lead meaningful local civic engagement projects that connect science, engineering, and public life. Fellows receive guidance, resources, and access to a network of like-minded STEM professionals who are driving change in their communities. ESAL will provide support for fellows with check-in calls, planning tools, and eligibility for local event support funds and sponsorship for community grant applications.
This program is offered as a benefit of the "Builder" and "Mobilizer" organizational membership tiers within the ESAL Community and can be included in custom membership plans.
Partner organizations receive up to 3 fellowship positions each year. Fellows are required to design and implement a local civic engagement project. The ESAL team will work with Fellows throughout the year to support their projects. Fellowship positions can be extended or offered to new candidates annually when the organization renews its membership.
Each ESAL Fellow gains access to:
Fellows may also be featured in spotlight posts or events highlighting their work and impact within ESAL Community.
Fellowships can support new or existing initiatives that promote civic engagement at the local level, such as:
View our original articles for other examples of the type of initiatives ESAL would support.
Organizations are responsible for recruiting candidates for their fellowship positions. ESAL can provide outreach materials. Fellowship candidates must submit a brief proposal of a local civic engagement project or initiative they wish to start or expand. ESAL will work with organizations to select the ESAL Community Fellows.
Approved fellows will be given access to paid-member benefits in ESAL Community and invited to join monthly check-in meetings to support the growth of their projects. If Fellows wish to access financial support for their projects, either in the form of one time funds from ESAL to support an event or assistance applying for a community grant, they must complete a required request form.
Please note that ESAL cannot financially support partisan initiatives, such as political campaigns or advocating for specific policies or ballot initiatives.
A successful fellowship experience would include:
Whether launching new efforts, expanding current projects, or connecting communities around STEM and public service, Fellows will get the support they need to make a difference in their local communities.
Contact the ESAL Team at info@esal.us to sign-up for an Organization Membership to give your members access to professional development, civic education, and leadership development opportunities. Our team is happy to meet with you to discuss the plan that best meets your needs and set up your access.
