The Climate Career Bridge Fellowship is a unique new opportunity, designed by the Climate
Talent Initiative (CTI), for leaders in the energy transition sector who are undergoing a career
shift and have a new idea that they need time and space to explore.
Program Goals
The program aims to:
- Support experienced climate professionals at a time of transition.
- Seed new ideas for projects, programs or organizations that can contribute to the just
energy transition. - Ensure that highly-skilled talent remains focused on driving the energy transition.
Program Benefits - Stipend
If selected into the program, fellows will receive a stipend equivalent to a reasonable non-profit
salary for their geographic region and level of experience. The stipend will be for the duration of
the fellowship only and is largely meant to be applied towards living costs. Expenses incurred to
develop the scope of work (e.g. travel, work visas, or equipment) are generally outside the
scope of the program. - Coaching and Mentoring
Depending on the scope of their ideas, the Climate Talent Initiative can connect fellows with
internal or external coaches or mentors to help strengthen and advance their work. - Cohort
While this is not designed as a cohort-based fellowship, there will be occasional virtual meetings
to meet other fellows, hear from guest experts, and explore collaboration. - Network
The Climate Talent Initiative is connected to a wide array of funders, intermediaries and civil
society organizations all over the world who are working toward a just energy transition.
Depending on their projects, CTI will draw on this network to help advance fellows’ work, either
through future full-time roles or potential funding.
Eligibility Criteria
To apply for the program, candidates:
● Must have a demonstrated track record of working on the energy transition OR a new
idea that can benefit the movement towards a just energy transition.
● Can be from anywhere in the world, though preference will be given to candidates from
the global south or whose scope of work (see below) is primarily focused on the global
south.
● Should have 5+ years of professional experience, though preference will be given to
candidates with demonstrated leadership experience/track record.
● Must be in career transition i.e., they cannot be employed by another organization nor
be working in a contractor/consultant capacity. The fellowship is designed to be a
full-time “bridge” from one career chapter to another.
● Should be focused on the nonprofit sector. The fellowship is unable to support for-profit
initiatives.
● Must make a reasonable justification for the amount of funding they are seeking.
Program Details
Duration
This is a bespoke program designed to provide just the right amount of support needed. Fellows
can apply for three months (or less) of bridge funding. In certain circumstances, the stipend may
be available for up to six months and, in rare cases, may go beyond six months. Since our
resources are limited, fellows who apply for shorter/lower stipends have a greater chance of
being selected.
Scope of work
Fellows must apply with a concrete scope of work or outcome in mind from the opportunity.
The scope of work should:
● Describe the fellow’s past experience of working on climate change and in particular
towards the energy transition
● Explain why the fellowship is a good fit at this time, or to what extent the candidate is in
a career transition
● Describe the fellow’s idea for how they will use the fellowship
● Specify concrete outputs from the fellowship period. Examples of outputs may include:
○ Development of an idea to start a new organization
○ Development of a project that will eventually be executed by an existing
organization
○ Fieldwork or research into a key aspect of the energy transition that leads to a
publication or business plan
○ Etc. (the above is not an exhaustive list)
● State how much funding is needed and why that is the right amount (in line with the
‘Stipend’ section above)
● Be no longer than 3 pages
Milestones
Based on each fellow’s scope of work, the Fellow and CTI will jointly agree on specific
milestones or deliverables that will ensure the outputs from the scope of work are on track and
can be completed within the fellowship timeline.
Check-Ins
Fellows will have monthly or bi-monthly check-ins with CTI staff to share progress, help with
problem solving, and adjust deliverables/milestones as needed. This includes a final reflection
meeting to review their journey in the program.
Application deadline
Applications can be submitted on a rolling basis throughout 2025 or as long as funds are
available.
Selection Process
Application
The application consists of demographic information and submission of the candidate’s latest
resume/CV as well as a short concept note or proposal (2-3 pages max) that will outline their
scope of work (see guidelines above). Finally, candidates will share the names of two references
familiar with their climate work, who may be contacted during the selection process.
Application Review
Applications will be screened and shortlisted on a monthly or bimonthly basis by CTI staff to
ensure they meet the criteria and goals of the program (as described above). Applications will
then be reviewed by a selection panel of funders and other stakeholders.
Scope of Work Refinement
Candidates who are still in the process will then be invited to discuss the scope of work and
answer questions arising from the selection panel’s review of the application. This may happen
through a virtual meeting or over email. At this point, there may be requests for further
refinement of the scope of work, timelines and stipend amount.
Selection
Selected candidates will be informed about the final decision of the selection panel after a
review of any changes made during the previous step. Candidates who are selected will sign a
contract with CTI that lays out the expectations of the program, based on the scope of work and
stipend duration.
Questions? If you have any questions, please contact erin@climate-talent.org.
Ready to Apply?
Note: You will need a Google account to apply. If that presents a problem, please contact
erin@climate-talent.org.
