Birding For Everyone Fellowship Grant

The Birding For Everyone Fellowship, offered by the Golden Gate Bird Alliance, aims to empower BIPOC conservation leaders and promote diversity in the birding community. This fellowship provides free access to courses, networking opportunities, and field trips to reduce barriers for underrepresented groups. By nurturing diverse leadership, the program enhances community engagement and environmental stewardship in the Bay Area. With over 200 bird walks annually and a century of conservation efforts, the fellowship continues the legacy of inclusivity and education.

Golden Gate Bird Alliance is dedicated to protecting Bay Area birds, other wildlife, and their natural habitats. We conserve and restore wildlife habitats, connect people of all ages and backgrounds with the natural world, and educate and engage Bay Area residents in the protection of our shared, local environment.
Area covered: San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, Albany, El Cerrito, Richmond, Orinda, Moraga, Piedmont, San Pablo, El Sobrante, Kensington, and Treasure Island.Number of field trips: Over 200 bird walks led by volunteers each year, mostly free and all open to the public.Number of schools served in our award-winning Eco-Education program: Two in Oakland, three in Richmond, two in San FranciscoNumber of students served: Over 400 students annually in grades three through fifth. Shoreline in Oakland and Pier 94 in San Francisco. Golden Gate Bird Alliance advocacy has helped launch restoration projects at the Emeryville Crescent, Berkeley Meadow, Eastshore State Park, Heron’s Head Park, Alameda Wildlife Reserve, Crissy Field Lagoon, Yerba Buena Island, and Pier 94.
The mission of the Birding for Everyone Fellowship is to develop and empower the next generation of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) conservation leaders. We strive to develop and elevate conservation leaders of color to better serve their communities and our collective birding community.
This Birding For Everyone Fellowship is intended to nurture diverse leadership within the Golden Gate Bird Alliance (GGBA) community by reducing financial and social barriers to participation in the GGBA’s adult education offerings.
Fellowship recipients receive the following:
Free GGBA courses for one calendar year (GGBA offers seasonal classes in the Fall, Winter, and Spring, and Summer plus a year-long Master Birder program in partnership with the California Academy of Sciences, if it is offered.)
Monthly gatherings and networking opportunities with other Fellows, BFE alumni, GGBA Board and leadership, and the broader birding and conservation community organized by the Fellowship Mentor
Free one-year membership to Golden Gate Bird Alliance
Priority access to more than 280 free GGBA field trips each year (not counting Birdathon and related fundraiser events)
We will award up to 10 fellowships. Recipients can attend as many Adult Education courses as they like in 2025. In general, Fellows will get priority access for enrollment for a limited time prior to general enrollment.

Eligibility

To fulfill the stated objectives of the fellowship, we will prioritize applicants who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color).Applicant identifies as a member of an under-represented community, including Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), members of the LGBTQ community, people with disabilities, and people from marginalized socio-economic groups.Applicant is over the age of 18 and lives in Alameda, Contra Costa, or San Francisco County.Applicant has circumstances or life experiences that would enhance the diversity of the birding community.