Becoming EPIC: Building Equity

We are no longer accepting applications for 2023, but we're raising funds and momentum for 2024—find out how you can get involved!

"Becoming EPIC: Building Equity" is an 8-month program of training, mentoring, and opportunities for early/mid-career practitioners who face barriers to participation or advancement and/or whose work directly contributes to equity in our field.

About the Program

Becoming EPIC: Building Equity is a fellowship program directed by EPIC's Equity Council, whose mission is to advance equity within our community and create collaborative spaces for our community to embed equity within their work. The council is focused on addressing inequities around race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class/caste, disability, and identity in our field. We recognize that the nature of exclusion and inequity is culturally, socially, and regionally specific, and cannot be reduced to a simple demographic list.

The program will leverage the expertise and networks of the EPIC community to provide mentorship, training, and career enhancing opportunities for participants for eight months.

The cohort of successful applicants will receive:

  • EPIC Membership (1 year)
  • Enrollment in an EPIC Course of your choice
  • Custom trainings by experts in the EPIC community
  • Group coaching sessions with a professional coach
  • 1:1 career strategy sessions
  • Networking support in the EPIC community and beyond
  • EPIC2023 Registration (virtual or in-person)

In 2023 we will support applicants who identify with one or more of these categories:

  1. Equity in Practice
    We are committed to illuminating and addressing historical bias and exclusion within your industry/sector, professional role, and work practices. Applications in this category should demonstrate that your work contributes to the values of equity, diversity and inclusion; encourages diversity as a lever for innovation or organizational change; and counters bias in ethnography, research, design, or other industry practices.
  2. Socioeconomic Equity
    We are committed to ensuring that as many people as possible have access to resources and support. The Socioeconomic Diversity category is aimed at helping applicants who are economically disadvantaged have access to a powerful community that can impact their careers.
  3. Equity in Representation
    We are committed to creating systemic structures that acknowledge and honor physical, mental, cultural, ethnic, gender and sexual differences. We want to align the values that define us with a culture of excellence that is inclusive for all. The Equity in Representation category is aimed at fostering opportunities for those who are part of marginalized groups.

Requirements

Application Requirements

  • Applicants should have at least 1 year of related work experience in a non-academic setting
  • To complete the application form, applicants will need to upload a current resume, submit a 500-word equity statement addressing one of the categories above (Equity in Practice, Socioeconomic Equity, Equity in Representation), and answer a series of questions related to demographics, work experience, and career goals.

Program Requirements

If you are selected, you will be expected to:

  • Make a personal commitment to making the time to attend cohort meetings and scheduled EPIC activities during May–December 2023.
  • Exact day/time of meetings will be determined in collaboration with cohort participants.
  • Complete and submit a goals questionnaire. Leverage EPIC resources and program mentors to advance your career goals.
  • At the conclusion of the program, provide feedback to program coordinators to inform future cohorts.

Evaluation and Selection

Applications will be anonymized and resumes omitted before they are transmitted to reviewers. The Equity Council will oversee the evaluation and selection process to ensure fairness and avoid conflict of interest.

Reviewers will consider:

  • The applicant’s fit into at least one category (Equity in Practice; Socioeconomic Equity; Equity in Representation)
  • Whether the applicant’s goals are carefully considered and articulated
  • Whether the EPIC community has the right resources and expertise to help the candidate meet their goals

Additionally, ideal candidates have these characteristics:

  • Possesses work experience in their field
  • Demonstrates a desire to advance their career and openness to explore a variety of supportive resources to do so
  • Possesses or is working to develop a deeply ethical, values-based, equitable, and collaborative approach in their work
  • Demonstrates a willingness to learn from and share with others in a group setting

We know that many candidates may possess most or all of these attributes, but because of capacity limitations, we can’t accept every excellent applicant. Therefore, we will curate a deliberate mix of participants whose perspectives and experiences will complement each other. In making final selections, we will aim for a cohort with a range of backgrounds, expertise, identities, and experience levels.

Commitment to Diversity: At EPIC, we value one another's contributions and hold the conviction that diverse backgrounds and divergent points of view will lead us to the best outcomes. We welcome candidates across lines of race, ethnicity, spiritual beliefs, socioeconomic status, geographic location, gender identity, sexual orientation, immigration status, political affiliation, and ability.