Conservation Connect Fellowship Program Grant

The Conservation Connect Fellowship Program, offered by the National Forest Foundation, invites graduate students to engage in hands-on conservation projects. This fellowship provides practical experience, mentorship from conservation professionals, and training in collaborative leadership. Fellows will gain a deep understanding of forest management and expand their professional networks. With a focus on developing future conservation leaders, the program seeks students passionate about public lands and community engagement.

The National Forest Foundation (NFF) invites graduate students (pursuing a master’s or doctoral degree) to apply to the Conservation Connect Fellowship Program. The fellowship includes a summer and/or academic year practicum associated with a National Forest Foundation program of work. Location and opportunity to work remotely varies by practicum project.
Conservation Connect fellowships aim to build experience, knowledge, and skills within the next generation of collaborative and conservation leaders to support each other and advance the field. We are striving to build a cohort of emerging leaders, connecting graduate students who will go on to do important work with communities and public lands in the future!
Here's what students gain by being a Conservation Connect fellow:

• Applied experience with a national leader in conservation through a hands-on practicum project.
• Mentorship from skilled conservation professionals from the NFF and its partners, including the USDA Forest Service.
• Trainings in collaborative leadership, including facilitation, stakeholder engagement, managing projects, and more.
• Real-world understanding of forest and public lands management.
• An expanded personal and professional network.

NFF believes in the value of matching the cutting-edge knowledge acquired at the graduate level of universities with practical, hands-on experience. The purposes of the Conservation Connect Fellowship Program are to align NFF’s collaboration and conservation work with a practicum and experiential education opportunity, and to build a cohort of next generation leaders in the field of collaborative conservation. The NFF will strive to meet each fellow’s learning objectives while also effectively extending the capacity of NFF and its partners to deliver community engagement and conservation results for National Forests and Grasslands.
We are looking for students with a collaborative mindset who are enthusiastic about working with diverse staff and partners to make a meaningful contribution to our work. Applicants should have an academic background and/or interest in public lands conservation, excellent written and verbal communication skills, experience managing projects and timelines, and the ability to commit to the necessary project hours. Each practicum requires a specific skill set, as outlined in the project descriptions. Successful fellows come from a variety of academic programs, including natural resources management, conflict resolution, forestry, communications, journalism, non-profit management, law, business, and more. Please note that this is not a research fellowship.
Fellowship Components and Requirements
Practicum (at least 245 hours)Professional Development and Networking (estimated 55 hours)
More information can be found here to discover additional components and requirements details.
Funding
Fellows will be hired as temporary, part-time employees and compensated at a rate of $22.90/hour (with no benefits offered) for up to 300 hours. Fellows will be reimbursed for approved travel expenses associated with participation in the fellowship program and practicum, including the in-person retreat in June, as well as for trainings and meetings.

Eligibility

Graduate students pursuing a master's degree or doctorate are eligible for the Conservation Connect Fellowship. We anticipate students will have taken coursework related to the study of natural resources, conflict resolution, collaboration, non-profit management, communications, or other field related to the specific practicum. Fellows must be enrolled in a graduate program during the upcoming academic year.

Ineligibility

The NFF does not provide fellows with any equipment, such as laptops or phones.