Public Allies members pose for a photo at a climbing gym

Public Allies Arizona

Be the change for your community in Phoenix or Tucson

Public Allies Arizona is changing the face and practice of leadership throughout Phoenix and Tucson communities by demonstrating our conviction that everyone can lead, and that lasting change results when citizens of all backgrounds step up, take responsibility and work together.

We are a 10-month AmeriCorps program that places emerging leaders in paid nonprofit internships with partner organizations in the community. Allies come from many backgrounds and do not need to attend ASU. Our mission is to create a just and equitable society and the diverse leadership to sustain it.

Become an Ally Become a Partner Educators

The logos for Public Allies Arizona and Americorps.

Four Public Allies Arizona members pose for a photo

Placement and practice

Selected from diverse backgrounds, Allies engage in 10 months of paid, work-based learning with local nonprofit, social service and government agencies to further community services and address real local needs. Nonprofit internship placements are available in Phoenix and Tucson.

See where Allies have been placed in recent years

Continuous learning

Allies transform their leadership and professional skills through training curriculum and retreats led by community leaders, nonprofit professionals and peers. After the program, each Ally receives an AmeriCorps Education Award to further their education or pay back student loans.

Service

Allies work alongside community members to create innovative responses and sustainable solutions to real local needs. They engage in a diverse range of service initiatives, including Team Service Projects and AmeriCorps National Days of Service.

Evaluation and reflection

Allies receive professional and peer-to-peer coaching, amplified by leadership assessment tools, to enhance personal development and convert feedback into actions for the common good.

4 people converse while sitting around a table. A laptop and papers are on the table.

Allies receive

10-month, full-time or part-time apprenticeship to gain real work experience at a reputable community organization
$22,000 (gross) stipend
Healthcare benefits, childcare stipend and student loan deferment while in the program
Individual mentoring and peer-to-peer coaching to enhance your personal and professional capacity to do community-change work
$7,395 AmeriCorps Education Award for college, further training or eligible student loans, upon successful completion of the program
Access to the Arizona and National Public Allies Alumni Network for support and networking opportunities

Our story

Public Allies Arizona has a long history of engaging young emerging leaders in Arizona. Serving across Phoenix and Tucson in more than 100 nonprofit organizations, nearly 400 alumni have participated in the internship program since its inception. The ASU Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation added Public Allies to its portfolio of programs in 2006, aligning with the Center's focus to build the capacity of those who lead, manage and support nonprofit organizations.

Back in 2005, at a convening of grantees organized by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, ASU Lodestar Center Executive Director Robert F. Ashcraft met with a senior staff member of the Public Allies National Office (PANO). They shared mutual goals and aspirations for the need for more diverse leaders of social sector organizations that truly represent the communities in which they serve. PANO, it turned out, was seeking expansion through geographic reach to implement their proven leadership model. The Center, meanwhile, was seeking greater intentionality in its work to recruit and prepare diverse leadership for the sector. What would it look like to leverage AmeriCorps resources into Arizona to change the face of leadership?

In 2006, after an intense six months of strategizing and organizing, the Lodestar Center added Public Allies as a national partner to its portfolio of programs. In 2019, with the help of Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, Public Allies Arizona launched in Tucson.

Public Allies' D.C. beginnings

In 1992, two young women, Vanessa Kirsch and Katrina Browne, mobilized a diverse network of young leaders and experienced mentors to create Public Allies in Washington, D.C. Confronting myths of young people as uncaring, apathetic, or worse, Public Allies began with the belief that the untapped energy and idealism of young people can be a powerful force to transform communities.

The founders created a program that links diverse young Americans who want to make a difference with nonprofit organizations in their communities who need them. In the process, Public Allies shows young leaders how to turn their passion for making a difference into a viable career path. This unique approach has led Public Allies to grow nationally, in 25 communities across the country, while developing a respected, replicable model.

Frequently Asked Questions Learn more

Alumni stories Learn more

Public Allies Arizona

Be the change for your community in Phoenix or Tucson