The Civic Leadership Program is for housing champions who are open to running for local office, working on a local campaign, and/or serving in a local governmental board or commission. Participants often have experience with one of these, but rarely all three.

You may not nominate yourself. If you are interested in participating in the program, please encourage someone to nominate you using the form.

If you are interested in or ready to nominate someone for the 2027 Cohort, please use the Nomination Form here. 

You may only nominate one person for the 2027 Cohort, and you may not nominate yourself. If you are interested in participating in the program yourself, please encourage someone to nominate you.

Nominations for the 2027 Cohort will be accepted through August 3rd, 2026 through this form. After reviewing the nominations, the SV@Home Action Fund will invite qualified nominees to apply before the end of August 2026. We will then invite exceptional applicants for an interview in September 2026. We will notify all applicants whether or not they have been accepted into the program by the end of October 2026.

The Civic Leadership Program is for housing champions who are considering (a) running for local office, (b) working on a local campaign, and/or (c) serving in a local governmental board or commission. Participants often have experience with one of these, but rarely all three.

Our focus is on training emerging leaders in Santa Clara County who already prioritize housing justice. We teach participants the foundations of housing policy and how to gain (and help others gain) seats of influence in elected and appointed office. 

Over five intensive days of training, participants will deepen their leadership skills, gain an introduction to housing policy, and learn strategies and tactics to take on more leadership roles and shape decision-making bodies in Santa Clara County. Participants in this free program will have continuing opportunities to connect, learn, and build relationships with their peers, mentors, an influential alumni network, and the broader ecosystem of local housers and political leaders.

The four core areas of the curriculum are

• Running for local office
• Housing policy, including production, affordable housing preservation, renter protections, funding, development process, and fair housing
• Serving effectively and ethically in local government
• Leadership and communications, including public speaking, fundraising, handling difficult questions, dealing with the press, and communicating persuasively about housing

To complete the program, participants must: 

• Attend and fully participate in all 5 days of training (10am to 4pm on January 23rd, February 6th, February 20th, March 6th, and March 20th 2027)
• Prepare and deliver a short speech to their cohort on a relevant topic to help educate their peers.
• Meet 1-1 with each of their fellow cohort members.
• Commit to run for office, work on a local campaign, and/or apply for a local board or commission.
• Commit to staying in contact with their fellow CLP alums and SV@Home to further our collective fight for housing justice.

The objective criteria for CLP participants:

• Available to attend and fully participate in all trainings from 10am to 4pm on January 23rd, February 6th, February 20th, March 6th, and March 20th 2027
• Live in Santa Clara County, are at least 18 years old, 
• Not a current candidate for public office (now through March 20th, 2027)

The Civic Leadership Program is a competitive program, but it has always been completely free for selected participants. We are only able to keep the program tuition-free thanks to our donors. Please consider contributing to the SV@Home Action Fund to make sure the CLP stays tuition-free for the 2027 Cohort.

Ideal nominees:

1. Are open to at least one of the following roles in the next four years: (a) run for local office, (b) work on the campaign of a pro-housing candidate, and/or (c) apply for a local governmental board or commission
2. Demonstrate commitment to housing justice, equity, and their community
3. Show exceptional leadership qualities like resilience, intellectual curiosity, thoughtfulness about how decisions impact others, and an ability to inspire and/or persuade

Applicants should also meet the following criteria, though we understand that you may not be able to confirm all of these, especially if you are submitting an anonymous nomination:

1. Live in Santa Clara County
2. Are at least 18 years old
3. Are not a current candidate for public office (now through March 20th, 2027)
4. Available to attend and fully participate in all trainings from 10am to 4pm on January 23rd, February 6th, February 20th, March 6th, and March 20th 2027

We welcome nominations for people who may not meet every criteria. Research shows that individuals from historically marginalized groups tend to self-select out of opportunities at higher rates. We take a holistic approach to selection. In particular, we hope to receive nominations of people who represent the full diversity of Santa Clara County, especially from groups that are often underrepresented in the halls of power, including people who identify as women, LGBTQ, persons of color, young people, immigrants (regardless of status), differently abled, low-income, people who have past or current experience with a range of housing situations (e.g. homelessness, housing insecurity, overcrowding, rent-burden). To represent the geographic breadth of the county, we encourage nominations of residents of small and mid-sized cities as well as people from neighborhoods that have historically been under-invested in. We will make reasonable accommodations for people with different abilities.

The objective criteria for CLP participants

• Live in Santa Clara County, are at least 18 years old, 
• Not a current candidate for public office (now through March 20th, 2027)
• Available to attend and fully participate in all trainings from 10am to 4pm on January 23rd, February 6th, February 20th, March 6th, and March 20th 2027

What are the requirements and expectations during participation?

To complete the program, participants must 

• Attend and fully participate in all 5 days of training (10am to 4pm on January 23rd, February 6th, February 20th, March 6th, and March 20th 2027)
• Prepare and deliver a short speech to their cohort on a relevant topic to help educate their peers
• Meet 1-1 with each of their fellow cohort members.
• Commit to run for office, work on a local campaign, and/or apply for a local board or commission
• Commit to staying in contact with their fellow CLP alums and SV@Home to further our collective fight for housing justice