Core 101 Application

We appreciate your interest in the Gideon’s Promise Core 101 program and becoming the movement we are building to bring equal justice to the vulnerable communities we serve. The demand for the program is growing and the application is becoming increasingly competitive.

Once you begin this application, it must be completed. There is no login to save and re-access the application. You are encouraged to use the .pdf of the essay questions to begin working on the application before submitting online.

Please review the remaining instructions carefully.

I. Financial Commitment

The cost of participation in the three-year Core 101 Program for an individual public defender is $20,118, not including travel. We ask the partner public defender office to contribute a minimum of $8,500 plus cover the cost of travel. Applicants may request a scholarship from Gideon’s Promise of up to the remaining $11,618 to cover the cost of their participation in the CORE 101 Program.

The greatest fundraising pressure on our organization is to subsidize the cost of the Core 101 Program for public defenders who could not otherwise afford it. Each year we raise between $500,000 and $700,000 to support our new class. Therefore, we look to our scholarship recipients to help with our fundraising efforts. Without this collective effort, we would not be able to continue to support defenders who need Gideon’s Promise.

There is no required contribution amount, but we ask each scholarship recipient to give what they can afford. Some of our lawyers make a small contribution ($5-$10) every pay period. Some engage in their own fundraising, Kickstarter, GoFundMe campaigns. Others come up with additional creative ways to help offset the cost of the program. Again, while a personal contribution is not required, we do ask scholarship recipients to help offset the cost of their programming to the extent they can. We also expect all scholarship recipients to reach out to friends and family to consider supporting Gideon’s Promise during at least one of our annual fundraising campaigns. Gideon’s Promise staff will assist members with this outreach.

Please indicate if you will be requesting a scholarship. You should make sure to consult with your Chief before responding to this question. Keep in mind, that if you do not request a scholarship, you or your office will be responsible for the full $20,118 amount. If you request a partial scholarship, you or your office will be responsible for the difference between your partial scholarship and the $20,118 amount. Please make your selection below:

No Scholarship Request Requesting ALL of $11618 Requesting PART of $11618

Please indicate the amount requested: *

Please tell us your ideas about how you will/can help contribute to the scholarship fund. We are looking for a commitment to help the fund from each scholarship recipient. Please be specific: *

We are looking for public defenders who not only are eager for the training and support the Core 101 Program offers, but who are also excited about being an active member of the Gideon’s Promise community. As the community grows, building and a maintaining it requires a commitment from each member.

Before completing this application, we want to be clear about the requirements and expectations that go along with being a member of the Core 101 Program.

Barring an emergency, every member of the Core 101 Program is required to attend ALL training sessions in their entirety. This means program participants are expected to be in their seat at 1pm on August 1st, ready and prepared to go, and that they are present at all sessions until the culmination of the programming on August 15th. You should not schedule a flight to leave Summer Institute until 5:30 PM or later on the final day. If you cannot commit to attending for the entirety of Summer Institute, you should not apply to be a member of the Core 101 class. Non-completion of Summer Institute will require the individual to re-apply the next year in order to continue with the Core 101 program. Required training sessions include the full two weeks of Summer Institute, and five weekend meetings (Friday-Sunday) every six months thereafter.

You are also expected to promptly respond to requests for information made by Gideon’s Promise staff to facilitate the administration of the Core 101 program and Summer Institute. Please adhere to the deadlines established by Gideon’s Promise for the collection of information, it is critical that you respond in a timely member in order to prevent delays to the entirety of the program planning.

Every member of the Core 101 Program is also expected to contribute to the development of the movement we are building together. While there is not specific requirement for HOW any particular member contributes, and none are expected to engage in all the examples below, each is expected to help in ways that best fit his or her individual talents and inclinations. Some of the expectations include:

Using social media to promote Gideon's Promise
Providing video/written testimonials about your experience as a member of Gideon’s Promise for promotion and outreach
Helping promote outreach events and attend events if in your jurisdiction
Writing op-eds or blog posts
Speaking at events when the opportunity arises
Helping identify potential support and resources (required for scholarship recipients)

The above list details the required expectations for a scholarship recipient, and members of the class can choose to do at least one. While full participation in training events and timely responses to requests for information needed to facilitate the logistical demands of running our regular meetings are required of all participants, we also expect members to take ownership in this community and do what they can to help build and support it. The above list provide some, but not an exhaustive list of, examples.

By clicking here you acknowledge that you are willing to make this commitment. *

Please describe how you plan to support the Gideon’s Promise Community if selected to participate in the CORE 101 program: *

Eligible candidates should have earned a law degree at an accredited law school, currently work as a public defender or have a commitment from an office to start by December 31 of this year.

Please check all that apply.

Graduated From One of The Following Accredited Law Schools

Accredited Law School *

Other law school name

Employment at a partner office: *

Currently employed at a partner office

Commitment from a partner office to start by December 31 of this year.

Partner Office *

Organization name

First Name *

Middle Name

Last Name *

Gender *

Ethnicity *

Date of Birth *

Email Address *

Hometown

Position / Title

Address 1 *

Address 2

City *

State *

Zipcode *

Phone *

How Did You Hear About Us?

I. Financial Commitment

Before completing this application, we want to be clear about the requirements and expectations that go along with being a member of the Core 101 Program.

Eligible candidates should have earned a law degree at an accredited law school, currently work as a public defender or have a commitment from an office to start by December 31 of this year.

Please check all that apply.

You may answer the following by writing or typing in the space provided, or you may use a separate sheet of paper.
Please elaborate on skills, passions and dedication related to public interest and/or public defense exhibited in past activities and/or experiences.

In order for us to consider your application, we require that your Chief submit an Authorization Form on your behalf. Please provide us with your Chief’s name and email so they can receive this form.

Core 101 Application

I. Financial Commitment

Before completing this application, we want to be clear about the requirements and expectations that go along with being a member of the Core 101 Program.

Eligible candidates should have earned a law degree at an accredited law school, currently work as a public defender or have a commitment from an office to start by December 31 of this year.Please check all that apply.

You may answer the following by writing or typing in the space provided, or you may use a separate sheet of paper.Please elaborate on skills, passions and dedication related to public interest and/or public defense exhibited in past activities and/or experiences.

In order for us to consider your application, we require that your Chief submit an Authorization Form on your behalf. Please provide us with your Chief’s name and email so they can receive this form.

Eligible candidates should have earned a law degree at an accredited law school, currently work as a public defender or have a commitment from an office to start by December 31 of this year.

Please check all that apply.

You may answer the following by writing or typing in the space provided, or you may use a separate sheet of paper.
Please elaborate on skills, passions and dedication related to public interest and/or public defense exhibited in past activities and/or experiences.