Deadline: February 6, 2026
Nominations are open for the Fonseca Leadership Program in Africa 2026. Through the generous support of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) Graduate Scholarship Program (GSP) is honored to announce the Fonseca Leadership Program in Africa, to support rising African conservation leaders seeking to pursue a Masters or Ph.D. degree.
These high-profile and prestigious Fellowships will honor the late Gustavo Fonseca, who contributed significantly to biodiversity conservation over the course of his career, and will be awarded to candidates from GEF recipient countries in Africa.
Eligibility
All candidates must be:
- Nominated by a pre-approved/eligible nominator, including government officials; senior officials from intergovernmental agencies, academic professors, senior conservationists within the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Conservation International (CI); senior conservationists within select national NGOs;
- A citizen of a GEF recipient country in Africa
The most competitive candidates are practical conservationists, with career goals rooted in applied, practical, on the ground conservation, rather than purely academic pursuits. Candidates do not need to have been accepted in any graduate program in order to be eligible but should plan to begin studies no later than October of the year following their award.
Selection criteria
Applicant should epitomize:
- Deep and genuine commitment to conservation in their country/region
- Appropriate work experience (at least five years) with a national conservation NGO, international conservation NGO, government, private sector, academia
- Strong leadership potential
- Collaboration and an ability to work with diverse groups and perspectives across issue and sector boundaries
- Self-motivation and strong work ethic
- Applied focus, and the nation/region will benefit from future expertise in the topic under consideration
- Is at the right time in their career for further academic pursuit and maximal conservation impact, and will be capable of success at a respected institute of higher education.
Nomination
The call for nominations for the 2026 Fonseca Leadership Program in Africa, administered through the WCS GSP, is now open. The process will occur in two stages.
- Stage 1: Submission of the short-form application, due February 6, 2026.
- Stage 2: Applicants approved from Stage 1 will be invited to submit a long-form application, due March 30, 2026.
- Final Decisions: Scholarship award decisions are expected to be announced by June 2026.
The nomination process include the following:
- Only nominated applicants will be considered; unsolicited applications will not be reviewed.
- Each nominator may submit only one nomination.
- To obtain approval for a nominator, interested applicants must email the following information to Kate Mastro ([email protected]):
- A brief summary of the proposed nominator, including their name, job title, place of employment and a high-level description of their role.
- An abridged Curriculum Vitae for the proposed nominator (maximum four pages).
- Once the nominator is approved, the required nomination forms will be shared with the applicant and approved nominator. The forms include:
- A set of short-answer questions (five questions for the nominator and three questions for the nominee).
- An abridged Curriculum Vitae for the nominee (maximum four pages).
- Three letters of recommendation. Referees may include academic advisors, work supervisors, or other individuals familiar with the applicant’s qualifications/abilities.
For more information, visit Fonseca Leadership Program in Africa.
