Schneider Fellowships

The Schneider Fellows program is open to currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students. Fellows commit to working 12 weeks for the summer program or one year at their host NGO. Generally, summer fellowships begin in June and the one-year fellowships begin in September.

The NGOs will receive and screen candidate applications. There are no limits to the number of fellowships to which applicants may apply.

NGOs and Fellowships

Yearlong Fellowship Opportunities

Natural Resources Defense Council

• Western Equitable Clean Energy and Climate Fellow - San Francisco, CA
• Energy Policy Analysis Fellow - Washington, D.C.

2024 Summer Fellowship Opportunities

Environmental Defense Fund

All nine EDF summer fellowship descriptions and application form available via this SOLO webpage

• Fellowship 1: Air Quality Research (Graduate Student Preferred) - Hybrid out of New York or U.S. Remote (must work U.S. Eastern Standard Timezone)
• Fellowship 2: Blue Carbon Research - U.S. Remote, with option to be hybrid out of Boston, MA or San Francisco, CA 
• Fellowship 3: Community Air Monitoring - U.S. Remote, with possibility to be hybrid out of Austin, TX, Boston, MA, Boulder, CO, or New York, NY
• Fellowship 4: Ecosystems Fisheries Management - U.S. Remote, with possibility to be hybrid out of San Francisco, CA
• Fellowship 5: Greenhouse Gas Inventory - U.S. Remote, with option to be hybrid out of Boston, MA or San Francisco, CA
• Fellowship 6: Net Zero Resources - Hybrid out of San Francisco, CA, New York, NY, Boston, MA, or U.S. Remote
• Fellowship 7: Small-Scale Fisheries - U.S. Remote, with option to be hybrid out of Boston, MA or San Francisco, CA
• Fellowship 8: U.S. Federal Climate Innovation - Hybrid out of Washington, D.C. (preferred) or U.S. Remote
• Fellowship 9: Western Electricity Markets - Hybrid out of San Francisco, CA or U.S. Remote

Natural Resources Defense Council

Seven NRDC summer fellowship descriptions and application form will be available via this SOLO webpage

• Fellowship 1: Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities Fellowship - Hybrid out of New York, NY or Washington, D.C.
• Fellowship 2: Soil Fellowship - Hybrid out of Washington, D.C. or Santa Monica, CA
• Fellowship 3: Lands Sector Fellowship - Hybrid out of San Francisco, CA
• Fellowship 4: California Climate & Clean Energy Fellowship - Hybrid out of San Francisco, CA
• Fellowship 5: Dirty Fuels Project and Transportation Fellowship - Hybrid out of New York, NY or Washington, D.C.
• Fellowship 6: India Program Fellowship - Hybrid out of Washington, D.C.
• Fellowship 7: Climate Test Fellowship - Hybrid out of Washington, D.C.

Union of Concerned Scientists

• Climate & Energy Summer Fellowship (2 positions available) – Cambridge, MA (Hybrid)

U.S. Climate Alliance

• Research and Analysis Fellow (1 position available) – Washington, D.C. (Hybrid or Remote)

U.S. Green Building Council

• Innovation and Research Fellow (1 position available) – Washington, D.C. (Hybrid or Remote)
• LEED Technical Development Fellow (2 positions available) – Washington, D.C. (Hybrid or Remote)

Rocky Mountain Institute

• Deadline passed - View opportunities here and apply through the RMI application portal to be considered – Washington, D.C.; New York; and Boulder or Basalt, CO

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I apply for more than one Schneider Fellowship opportunity?

Yes! You can apply to any of the opportunities that interest you and seem like a potential fit. If you apply to opportunities at multiple organizations, you will need to submit application materials for each opportunity. Review the application requirements and process for each opportunity as they may vary.

Can I apply for both the summer and year-long opportunities?

Yes! However, if you are offered both a summer and year-long fellowship, you will only be able to accept one of the opportunities.

Can I apply if I previously received a Schneider Fellowship?

If you have already engaged in a summer Schneider Fellowship experience you will have lower priority for the current summer program. You can apply, and be fully considered, for a year-long opportunity if you previously completed a summer fellowship experience.

Who should be my reference or write my recommendation letter?

Summer opportunities:
Recommendation letters are NOT required for the summer fellowship opportunities, but you will be asked to provide the name and contact information of one or two references. References will only be contacted if the host organizations require additional information about your application. References can include Stanford faculty, staff, lecturers, graduate teaching assistants (for undergraduates), residence fellows as well as former employers or internship supervisors.

Yearlong opportunities:
Two letters of recommendation are required. One should be an academic reference – feel free to ask faculty, lecturers, graduate teaching assistants, etc. from Stanford or from a previous institution. Your second letter should be a professional reference: former and/or current employers, internship supervisors, principal investigators, residence fellows.

For both opportunities:
Peers should not serve as references or recommenders. Best advice is to select someone who knows you best and can speak to your candidacy for the fellowship opportunity. Be sure to ask them early and give them plenty of time to submit your recommendation letter by the deadline.

What should I include for my writing sample?

If your fellowship application requires a writing sample (not all organizations require this) plan to include a 3-5 page piece you have completed for a past course or work experience. If the piece is related to the sustainable energy arena that is ideal, but not required. A policy-related piece would also be appropriate to submit.

How are Schneider Fellows selected?

All submitted applications that are fully completed will be sent directly to our partner organizations just after the application deadline. Each fellowship supervisor will review all applications and determine interviews and final selections.

When will Schneider Fellows be selected & notified?

Fellowship supervisors will evaluate the submitted applications and conduct interviews for selected applicants in mid-February. Final selections will be made and students notified by the first week of March.

How competitive are the Schneider Fellowships?

Application numbers for each fellowship opportunity do vary from year to year, but overall it is a popular program since all degree levels can apply. We do encourage all interested students to apply and to submit thoughtful application materials. Since the number of fellows selected each year is limited, we encourage students to consider applying to other related campus opportunities as well. Other opportunities to consider include:

Graduate & Undergraduate summer opportunities:

• Shultz Energy Fellowships – Precourt, Bill Lane Center, SIG
• energyStartup Internships & Energy Impact Fellowship – TomKat Center for Sustainable Energy
• Partnerships for Climate Justice in the Bay Area (PCJ in the Bay) Summer Fellowships (link available soon) – Haas Center

Undergraduate summer opportunities:

• Environment & Policy Internships in California (EPIC) – Woods Institute, SIG
• Earth Systems Public Service Fellowship – Haas Center
• Bill Lane Internship – Bill Lane Center for the American West
• Public Service Projects Fellowship – Haas Center

Postgrad opportunities for graduating undergraduates:

• Community Impact Fellowship
• John Gardner Public Service Fellowship
• Tom Ford Fellowship in Philanthropy

To explore additional energy-related opportunities visit Explore Energy.