Deadline: 24-Sep-23
Sustainable Ocean Alliance and Environmental Defense Fund are proud to offer the Leadership for Climate-Resilient Fisheries (LCRF) fellowship to support early career change-makers and fishing community members who are working to advance fisheries and their communities’ ecological and socioeconomic resilience to climate change.
Fellows receive grant funding and capacity-building experiences in the form of mentorship and training facilitated by Sustainable Ocean Alliance and the Environmental Defense Fund’s Climate-Resilient Fisheries and Oceans teams.
Through the fellowship, SOA and EDF aim to build an ecosystem of fisheries-focused leaders who understand the principles of climate resilience and how to advance locally-appropriate solutions to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
Components
- As part of the program, fellows build a stronger foundation of technical and leadership skills through mentorship, skill building workshops, and online resources from the EDF Fishery Solutions Center. Participants will gain a profound understanding of the impacts of climate change on fisheries, and learn about best practices to identify and advance solutions for greater resilience.
- In support of project advancement, fellows will develop and track key performance indicators to serve as guiding metrics around sustainability and resilience.
Funding Information
- The maximum grant award is $15,000 USD.
Benefits
- 1:1 mentorship opportunities from EDF fisheries experts and SOA mentors
- A subsidized trip to Washington, D.C. to engage with congressional decision makers and share about their projects on Capitol Hill
- The opportunity to network and build connections with change-makers around the world
Eligibility Criteria
- An individual or an organization can receive a grant, but preference is generally given to government-registered nonprofit organizations for reasons related to SOA’s status as a 501(c)3 not-for-profit and U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requirements.
- Individual recipients of a grant are typically students and/or social entrepreneurs (working to start a social enterprise or nonprofit). Individuals receiving a grant may be subject to income tax depending on the regulations in your country.
- For-profit and nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply, though preference is given to nonprofits. Only for-profits with a clear environmental/social benefit aligned with SOA’s mission are eligible to receive grant funding (these organizations are often those classified as social enterprises).
- Grants to organizations provide more flexibility and accountability; for example, grants to registered organizations can include expenses related to personnel salaries
Requirements
- Preference is given to projects affiliated with an organization, and the maximum grant award is $15,000 US. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and recipients will be notified by October 13, 2023.
- Initiatives must impact United States fisheries
- Applicant must be 18-35 years old and/or possess 10 years or fewer of relevant experience
- Proposals must include outputs that are complete in time for the final report on July 26, 2024. (By which time all grant funds must be spent).
For more information, visit Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA).