Deadline: January 6, 2014
Echoing Green’s new Climate Fellowship, built in partnership with The ZOOM Foundation, is specifically targeted for next-generation social entrepreneurs committed to working on innovations in mitigation and adaptation to climate change. Any emerging eco-social entrepreneur from any part of the world working to disrupt the status quo may apply.
The threat of global climate change is one of the greatest humanitarian and economic challenges of our time. Echoing Green expects powerful social returns from investment in promising leaders who recognize the future impact that climate change will have on their health, communities, and economic outlook. Our interest is in considering the full spectrum of responses to the climate crisis – from innovative technology in Silicon Valley to community organizing in the developing world.
Benefits
The 2014 Climate Fellowship will be awarded to individuals or partners representing up to ten organizations who will receive:
- A stipend of $80,000 for individuals (or $90,000 for two-person partnerships) paid in four equal installments over two years
- A health insurance stipend
- A yearly professional development stipend
- Leadership development and networking gatherings
- Access to technical support and pro bono partnerships to help grow their organization and a dedicated Echoing Green portfolio manager
- A community of like-minded social entrepreneurs and public service leaders, including the Echoing Green network of nearly 600 Fellows at Large working all over the world.
Eligibility
Applicants must meet the following criteria to be eligible for all Echoing Green Fellowships:
- Applicants must be 18 years of age or older.
- Applicants must have sufficient English fluency to participate in interviews and Echoing Green events.
- Organization must be the original idea of the applicant.
- Organization must be in a start-up phase. To be considered a start-up, the organization may have been in operation for up to two years, and Echoing Green’s financial support should qualify it as significant early funder. Applicants who have only worked on their organization on a part-time basis or have yet to start the organization are generally considered eligible.
- Organization must be independent and autonomous. Organizations cannot be considered independent or autonomous if they are started under the direction of an existing organization. The applicant must be the primary decision maker for the organization’s development and management. Generally, organizations with fiscal sponsors are still considered autonomous.
- Applicants must make a full-time commitment (minimum 35 hours per week) to the organization’s development for the duration of the two-year fellowship. It is expected that all selected Fellows resign from their current employment to dedicate themselves full-time to their initiatives. Students will not be eligible for their fellowship stipend if their organization is put on hold due to conflicts with their studies.
- Partnerships (organizations co-founded and led by two individuals) may apply. Both partners must meet all eligibility requirements and make a full-time commitment of no fewer than thirty-five hours per week to the development of the organization.
- Applicants can be citizens of any nationality and their organizations can be based in any country. However applicants based in the US must have legal status to work in the US. If you are authorized to work in the US, but this status is granted to you through your current employer and you are only authorized to work for that employer, you are not eligible to apply for a US-based proposal.
- Applicants must commit to attending Echoing Green’s training conferences if selected as Fellows. All new Fellows attend a conference in summer the year they are selected, as well as a winter conference for two years. Echoing Green covers all expenses related to these events and will announce the dates a few months prior to each conference.
Note: Organizations may be for-profit or nonprofit.
Please read the full eligibility, ineligibility and assessment criteria here before applying.
For more information, click here.
