2020 Kinship Conservation Fellowship: A Chance to Join a Community of Practitioners

Deadline: 12 January 2020

Applications are now open for 2020 Kinship Conservation Fellowship to provide the opportunity to learn and apply principles and practices to improve how practitioners interpret and respond to complex environmental conservation problems.

Kinship Foundation is a private operating foundation established to advance the institutional philanthropy of the Searle Family. The Foundation has three areas of focus: biomedical research, environmental conservation, and education. Its work includes developing and supporting Chicago-based grant making initiatives through the Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust; administering the Searle Scholars Program, a national biomedical research grant program; and operating Kinship Conservation Fellows, a global environmental leadership program.

Only the best and the brightest practitioners in the field are chosen to become Fellows. Those who are selected receive a month of valuable training and a $6,000 stipend. The curriculum is delivered by a faculty of global experts who work closely with each carefully selected cohort of Fellows to explore new ways to apply market-based approaches to environmental issues.

The stipend is intended to defray travel expenses to and from Belllingham and help cover living expenses, either at the program or at home. Fellows are provided housing, breakfast, and a daily lunch allowance during the Fellowship.

The program will be held on the campus of Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington from June 28 through July 29, 2020.

Eligibility Criteria

They are looking for conservation leaders with at least five years of on the ground experience, who are deeply committed to conservation, involved with the implementation of market-based approaches to solve environmental problems, and ready to be part of an expanding community of global leaders.
A key part of the Fellows application is a proposed project describing an environmental issue related to the applicant’s work and the plans to develop a solution using market approaches.
Successful applicants will be familiar with business and economic principles and work in a setting where these principles can be integrated with conservation work.
18 applicants are selected to participate in the training program.
In order to be considered for the program, applicants must meet the following requirements:
- Possess a minimum of a four-year U.S. college degree (or its equivalent).
- Have a minimum of five years relevant work experience, after completing a degree.
- Be proficient in spoken and written English.
- Be a conservation practitioner (rather than an academic or researcher).