In Washington, D.C., public service is often measured in titles, offices, and proximity to power. At HillVets, it is measured differently: by whether those who have served this country in uniform continue serving in the rooms where decisions are made.
Founded in 2013, HillVets is a community of veterans, service members, military spouses, survivors, and supporters working in governance, policy, advocacy, international affairs, and politics. Its mission is simple but powerful: to serve those who have served in their pursuit of continued service in government.
That mission matters because Capitol Hill still has a representation gap. Fewer than 2% of congressional staff have served in the military, even though the policies debated there directly affect service members, veterans, military families, and national security. HillVets exists to help close that gap, not through partisanship, but through preparation, access, and opportunity.
The HillVets Fellowship places highly qualified veterans, service members, active-duty military spouses, and Gold Star family members in congressional offices for approximately six months, where they do substantive policy work. Fellows receive mentorship, professional development, networking opportunities, housing, and a small monthly stipend for part of their placement.
Behind every placement is a human story. Some Fellows arrive after years in uniform, carrying experience from combat zones, intelligence work, logistics, medical service, or coalition operations. Others come as military spouses or survivors who understand, firsthand, how policy decisions shape family life, transitions, health care, education, and economic security.
HillVets House is more than a place to sleep. One Fellow described HillVets House as a “godsend,” saying the Fellowship gave him a “new lease” on his future. Located in Eastern Market, HillVets house can accommodate up to eight Fellows at time at no cost for the Fellow. It also serves as a coworking, meeting, and community space for Fellows, alumni, staff, and partners. For someone trying to break into public service in one of the most expensive cities in the country, that support can be the difference between possibility and impossibility.
HillVets also invests in leadership through its LEAD Program, which stands for Leadership, Ethics, Advocacy, and Dedication to self-improvement. The program brings together military-connected professionals for a year of leadership development, education, and community-building with distinguished speakers and mentors. Participants include veterans, active-duty military spouses, survivors, active-duty service members, Guardsmen, and Reservists.
But HillVets is not only a fellowship or a leadership program. It is a convening force. From policy conversations and fireside chats to signature community events like the Welcome to Congress Party, August Recess gatherings, storytelling workshops, and partner receptions, HillVets creates spaces where the military-connected community can build relationships that last. Its programming offers people opportunities to reconnect, learn, and experience the kind of camaraderie many feared they left behind when their formal service ended.
This is the heart of HillVets: service does not end when the uniform comes off. It evolves.
Today, HillVets is building a stronger bridge between military service and civic leadership. Its Fellows support congressional offices across the political spectrum. Its alumni continue into influential roles in policy, government, advocacy, and public affairs. Its partners help make housing, stipends, mentorship, and programming possible.
For those who believe the people who have served this country should also help shape its future, HillVets offers a meaningful way to invest in that next mission. Readers can partner with HillVets, meet its Fellows, make a gift, or help open the next door at hillvets.org.