Prospective Fellows: Help mission-driven organizations put AI to work for good
Claude Corps is a fully funded, 12-month paid fellowship that places early-career talent inside mission-driven nonprofits. Fellow applications are open to anyone 18 or older who is at the start of their career and authorized to work in the US without employer sponsorship. There is no education requirement. We are looking for fast learners who have everyday comfort with AI tools, work well with others, can clearly communicate their ideas, and have a demonstrated drive for societal impact.
About Claude Corps
Claude Corps is a fully-funded, 12-month paid fellowship that places early-career AI-skilled talent inside mission-driven nonprofits—referred to throughout this FAQ as host organizations. Fellows work full-time on projects that help host organizations use Claude across their missions in areas like workforce development, public health, housing, food security, veterans services, and education.
Three organizations run Claude Corps together. Anthropic funds the program, leads its overall strategy, and provides Claude expertise. CodePath—a national nonprofit focused on technical education—recruits, trains, and employs fellows as the employer of record. Social Finance administers the program’s philanthropic capital and leads measurement and evaluation.
Fellows are full-time CodePath employees with full benefits. CodePath handles payroll, W-2s, and HR, while the host organization directs day-to-day work.
Claude Corps will place 1,000 fellows across three cohorts: about 100 in Cohort 1 (starting October 19, 2026), 300 in Cohort 2 (starting March 8, 2027), and 600 in Cohort 3 (starting August 2027).
Host organizations are nonprofits of all sizes, geographies, and focus areas. Focus areas include:
- Arts and culture
- Benefits access and public assistance
- Civic technology and government services
- Community development
- Education
- Environment and conservation
- Financial health and economic opportunity
- Food security and nutrition
- Housing and homelessness
- Humanitarian assistance
- Refugee services
- Legal services and justice
- Public health and healthcare access
- Research
- Small business and entrepreneurship
- Workforce development and job training
Program overview
- Where you are in your career. Claude Corps is a launchpad for people at the very start of their careers. It’s a fit if you’re:
- finishing or just finished a degree or trade program, and haven’t yet held a full-time role
- transitioning out of military service into your first civilian career
- in your first full-time job and looking to move into mission-driven work
This fellowship is built around being a first step. Not sure if this is for you? Apply anyway.
- Age. You’re 18 or older by your cohort’s start date.
- Work authorization. You’re authorized to work in the US without employer sponsorship.
- No degree required. That includes no technical education—it’s okay if you’ve never written code.
- Willing to relocate. Your host organization could be anywhere in the country, and most placements are on site. You need to be open to moving for the year—we cover relocation costs if you do.
- One application. Apply here—applications are rolling.
- Deadlines. Applications for Cohort 3 open at the end of September 2026. Cohort 3 begins in August 2027. We review applications on a rolling basis.
- What the application includes. A short form about you, two Anthropic courses on AI fluency and Claude, and two short-answer questions.
- If you move forward. You’ll have a take-home assessment, a 25-minute conversation with our team, and a final round of two interviews. Anthropic and CodePath employees will conduct the conversations and interviews. At each stage in the process, we will let you know where you stand as soon as we can.
- If you’re selected. You will interview with two to three host organizations to find the best fit for you and the host organization based on their projects, your skill set, and your interests.
- You have used AI. You have used Claude or AI in your daily life and have a baseline understanding of how it works. You do not need to have experience with coding or other technical tasks.
- You’re interested in learning new skills. You pick things up on your own and are not afraid of trying something new.
- You can clearly communicate your ideas. You can explain what you’re working on and why in a way others understand.
- You work well with others. You listen, like working with other people, and collaborate well on a team.
- You’ve shown up for something. That can be a cause, a community, or a problem that matters to you—and you’ve tried to do something about it, in a small or large way.
- You’re a paid employee. CodePath is your employer for the year. You get a full salary, health benefits, and paid time off.
- You work alongside your host’s team. Most fellows work on site at their host, moving to where the organization is and working there in person. Every fellow reports to a supervisor at their host organization. Your host organization will give you a project (or projects) based on what they need most. By the end of your fellowship, you will have used AI to further the mission of your host organization.
- You keep learning. The year starts with Foundations and Basecamp. After that, about five hours a week is structured training; the rest is project work.
- You have a community. You’ll have access to a CodePath mentor, Anthropic trainings and CodePath office hours for the hard technical questions, and a national cohort of fellows.
- You have an on-ramp to build your career. The point of this year is to develop a set of skills and experiences that help you navigate a world that’s changing fast. Our hope is that the next step is truly yours: join a nonprofit, a government agency, or a company; enroll in school; or build your own thing.
- You leave with real skills and real work. You have a year of hands-on experience putting AI to work inside an organization, and at least one project you owned from start to finish. We hope that helps open the doors you want opened.
- You leave with a network. You have relationships with your host organization and a national cohort of fellows that outlast the year.
Eligibility
Claude Corps is a launchpad for people at the very start of their careers. It’s a fit if you’re:
- finishing or just finished a degree or trade program, and haven’t yet held a full-time role
- transitioning out of military service into your first civilian career
- in your first full-time job and looking to move into mission-driven work
This fellowship is built around being a first step. Not sure if this is for you? Apply anyway.
Applicants must meet all of the following:
- Are 18 or older by their cohort’s start date
- Are authorized to work in the US without employer sponsorship
- Already use AI tools in their day-to-day life or work, and have taken concrete action on a cause, community, or problem they care about
- Are willing to relocate to the host organization if needed (relocation support is available)
There is no minimum education requirement. Fellows do not need a college degree, so STARs (workers Skilled Through Alternative Routes) are encouraged to apply.
No formal AI training or coding background is required, but applicants should already be using AI tools in their day-to-day. Specifically, we expect fellows to be able to:
- Use Claude (or a similar AI tool) to research a topic, summarize sources, or work through a question they don’t yet know the answer to
- Draft, revise, and improve written work with AI assistance
- Ask an AI for help understanding or working with code, even without a coding background
- Judge when an AI’s response is trustworthy and when it needs verification or a follow-up question
- Adjust how they prompt when a first attempt doesn’t get them what they need
Every fellow completes a Claude-focused training program before placement, so we are not looking for expertise—we are looking for the comfort and judgment that comes from real day-to-day use. Fellows with deeper technical backgrounds are matched to more technical projects. The take-home shows us how you work with AI on realistic tasks, some of them technical.
Yes, however, we want to be extremely mindful of your college experience. We want students to continue their education, and we don’t want participation in Claude Corps to require someone to pause their studies or risk disrupting a scholarship. We feel a responsibility not to encourage students to step away from their education to participate and do not recommend applying if you plan to be enrolled in a full-time program, even if it is remote or online.
Yes. We don’t set a limit on years of experience. Claude Corps is built for people at the very start of their careers, like those finishing a degree or trade program, leaving military service, or in their first full-time job. Not sure if this is for you? Apply anyway.
No. Fellows must already hold US work authorization that does not depend on employer sponsorship or support, and that remains valid for the full 12-month fellowship. Authorization tied to student visa status (F-1 CPT, OPT, or STEM OPT) and statuses requiring employer involvement (such as TN or H-1B1) do not qualify.
The application
Applications can be submitted here. The application asks for:
- Background and experience
- Short-answer questions, including one about a time the applicant made an impact in their community, and one about a time they learned from a mistake or setback
- Completion of two short AI training modules (AI Fluency and Claude 101) hosted on Skilljar—this gives applicants a preview of the training fellows receive, and helps the program see how they prompt, evaluate an AI’s response, and adjust when the first answer is not quite right (instructions are included in the application)
- Demographic information (voluntary, used for program reporting and equity tracking)
Use a personal email address you’ll keep after you graduate, not a school (.edu) address. Some universities block school accounts from creating the Claude account you need for the take-home, and school mailboxes can filter our messages or close after graduation. Use the same address for your application, your Claude account, and any email to us so nothing gets lost.
Applications for Cohort 3 open at the end of September 2026. Cohort 3 begins in August 2027. We review applications on a rolling basis.
Yes. To be considered for Cohort 3, submit a new application. Past applicants are welcome to reapply, including anyone who wasn’t selected for an earlier cohort.
Yes. Email recruiting@claudecorps.org and tell us what you need. We’ll work with you on it.
Selection and matching
Selection is based on five things: hands-on comfort with AI tools, ability to learn quickly, communication skills, self-direction, and a demonstrated drive to work on societal challenges. No specific background is required. The program is not looking for specific credentials but for people who already use AI in their day-to-day, pick things up quickly, communicate clearly, and can work independently in a new environment.
How selection works
- Apply. Fill out a short form, complete two free courses (AI Fluency and Claude 101), and answer two short-answer questions.
- Take-home assessment. Work through realistic tasks using AI tools, some of them technical.
- Recruiter conversation. A 25-minute video call. We get to know you, and you can ask us anything.
- Final round. Two back-to-back 20-minute video interviews. One walks through a workplace scenario. The other covers your background and why this work matters to you. There’s nothing technical to study, so bring real, specific examples.
- Matching. If you’re selected, you’ll meet two to three host organizations. Both sides share preferences before placements are set.
Anthropic and CodePath staff run every conversation over video, and we’ll update you after every stage.
No. Every conversation and interview happens over video.
The final round is two 20-minute conversations. One walks through a workplace scenario. The other is about your background and why this work matters to you. Bring real, specific examples. There is nothing technical to study.
Matching is a two-sided process. After fellows are selected, both fellows and host organizations rank their preferences. Matches are made based on project fit, geographic proximity, and mutual interest. Fellows interview with two to three finalist host organizations before a placement is confirmed, so fellows have a voice in where they end up.
Cohort 1 placements are in-person or hybrid. Fellows work on site with their host organization’s team, and if your host follows a hybrid schedule, you follow it too. Cohorts 2 and 3 will also include some remote placements, and fellows matched with a fully remote host will work remotely. We can’t guarantee a remote match, so be open to working on site.
We do our best to place fellows close to home when there’s a strong fit, but we ask that fellows be ready to relocate when the right match is elsewhere. Fellows share the regions they’d prefer, and matching takes those preferences into account. If you’re placed outside your current area, you’ll receive a one-time relocation stipend to cover the costs of getting to your new city and settling in, such as movers or a truck rental, flights, a security deposit, first month’s rent, and utility setup. It doesn’t cover ongoing rent after that first move-in. If you’re matched with a fully remote host, you’ll work remotely.
The fellowship
Cohort 1 begins October 19, 2026 with Foundations, a virtual training period. The week of November 2, all fellows and host representatives attend Basecamp in San Francisco. Cohort 2 begins March 8, 2027 with Foundations (March 8 to 19), followed by Basecamp March 22 to 26. Cohort 3 begins in August 2027. After Basecamp, fellows start work with their host organization.
Foundations is your first two weeks as a fellow. It’s virtual and mostly self-paced, with a live kickoff and optional office hours along the way. You’ll set up your accounts and complete Anthropic Academy courses on AI fluency, Claude, Claude Code, and related tools. Foundations leads straight into Basecamp, an in-person week of hands-on sessions.
Basecamp is a mandatory in-person orientation and training week between Foundations and your first day at your host organization. It covers the Claude curriculum, how to work with your host’s teams, and professional skills for the year. We cover travel and logistics, and accepted fellows get the details.
Fellows are embedded full-time at their host organization, working alongside colleagues at the organization on AI projects defined with the organization’s leadership. Projects typically focus on an operational or programmatic challenge the organization faces, such as streamlining intake processes, surfacing insights from data, or building tools that help staff focus more time on direct service. No two placements are identical.
Yes. About five hours each week is dedicated to structured training and professional development. This time is built into the fellow’s schedule—it is part of the job, not extra work on top of it. Supervisors at the host organization know this time is reserved.
Most of your week is project work with your host organization’s team. About five hours a week is set aside for structured training and professional development, and that time is part of your job. You’ll also meet weekly with your CodePath mentor and a small group of fellows for office hours. We share the full training schedule before you start.
Fellows report to their host organization supervisor, who manages day-to-day work and project direction. Each fellow also has a CodePath mentor for program support and professional development. CodePath is the employer, so if there’s ever a conflict, CodePath is the final word on employment matters.
Fellows have dedicated support throughout the year, including help with problem definition and discovery, scoping and designing solutions, architecture guidance, prompt engineering support, evaluation design assistance, and regular office hours.
Fellows should tell their CodePath mentor. CodePath will work with the fellow and the host organization to understand the situation and find the right path forward.
You won’t be on your own. You report to your host supervisor, who guides your day-to-day work, and your CodePath mentor is there for program support and coaching all year. If something isn’t working, talk with your mentor. CodePath will work with you and your host to find a way forward. As your employer, CodePath is the final word on employment matters.
The fellowship is a 12-month term designed as a career on-ramp. Fellows leave with a year of applied AI experience, a portfolio of shipped work inside a mission-driven organization, and a CodePath reference. The role does not convert automatically to a permanent CodePath position, but fellows are welcome to apply to any open roles through the normal process, and CodePath supports each fellow’s transition at the end of the year. Some host organizations may offer a role after the fellowship. That choice is up to each host.
Pay and benefits
Claude Corps fellows are employed by CodePath at a salary of $85,000 per year, paid twice a month.
As full-time CodePath employees, fellows receive:
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance
- 401(k) retirement plan
- Paid holidays and flexible PTO
- Life and disability insurance
- Additional benefits including FSA, EAP, and pet insurance
Full benefits details are shared at offer.
Yes. Your host organization will set up your Claude account as part of onboarding, and Anthropic provides your host up to $2,500 in Claude credits to support your work there. Fellows also receive training on Claude and the Anthropic API as part of Basecamp and ongoing professional development.
Other questions
The fellowship is a full-time commitment. Outside employment or freelance work that conflicts with fellowship duties, creates a conflict of interest, or compromises performance is not permitted. Fellows with a specific situation should talk to their CodePath mentor.
Yes. Fellows work with their host organization’s internal data, systems, and processes. Confidentiality obligations apply both during and after the fellowship, and fellows may be asked to sign a confidentiality or IP agreement with their host organization as part of onboarding.
Contact recruiting@claudecorps.org. CodePath complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and applicable state laws, and will work with the fellow to determine appropriate accommodations.
Yes. You’ll meet your cohort in person at Basecamp. Before the fellowship starts, you’ll also join a private Slack community with other fellows, your mentors, and CodePath staff, where you can ask for help, share wins, and connect with fellows in your sector or city. Most host organizations have two fellows, so you’ll likely have a teammate on site.
Reach out to recruiting@claudecorps.org. This FAQ will be updated as more details are confirmed.