Echoing Green Fellowship

Deadline: 12/11/2010
Open to: Individuals and Partnerships (led by two individuals) runing organizations in the environmental field
Grants: $60,000 for individuals ($90,000 for 2-person partnerships)

Through our two-year Echoing Green Fellowship program, we provide start-up capital and technical assistance to help new leaders launch their organizations and build capacity.

What is offered

•    A grant of $60,000 for individuals ($90,000 for 2-person partnerships) paid in four equal installments over two years
•    A health insurance stipend
•    A yearly professional development stipend
•    Conferences led by organizational development experts
•    Access to technical support and pro bono partnerships to help grow your organization
•    A community of like-minded social entrepreneurs and public service leaders, including the Echoing Green network of nearly 500 alumni working all over the world

Application criteria

•    Applicants must be 18 years of age or older.
•    Applicants must have sufficient English fluency to participate in interviews and Echoing Green events.
•    Organization must be the original idea of the applicant.
•    Organization must be in a start-up phase. To be considered a start-up, the organization may have been in operation for up to two years, and Echoing Green’s financial support should qualify it as significant early funder. Applicants who have only worked on their organization on a part-time basis or have yet to start the organization are generally considered eligible.
•    Organization must be independent and autonomous. The applicant must be the primary decision maker for the organization’s development and management. Generally, organizations with fiscal sponsors are still considered autonomous.
•    Applicants must make a full-time commitment (minimum 35 hours per week) to the organization’s development for the duration of the two-year fellowship. It is expected that all selected fellows resign from their current employment to dedicate themselves full-time to their initiatives. Students will not be eligible for their fellowship stipend if their organization is put on hold due to conflicts with their studies.
•    Partnerships (organizations led by two individuals) may apply. Both partners must meet all eligibility requirements and make a full-time commitment of no fewer than 35 hours per week to the development of the organization.
•    Applicants can be citizens of any nationality and their organizations can be based in any country. However applicants based in the US must have legal status to work in the US. If you are authorized to work in the US, but this status is granted to you through your current employer and you are only authorized to work for that employer, you are not eligible to apply for a US-based proposal.
•    Applicants must commit to attending Echoing Green’s training conferences if selected as fellows. All new fellows attend a conference in summer the year they are selected, as well as a winter conference for four years. Echoing Green covers all expenses related to these events and will announce the dates a few months prior to each conference.

The following proposals are not eligible for consideration for an Echoing Green Fellowship:
•    Expansion of an existing organization that is past its start-up phase
•    Research projects
•    Lobbying activities
•    Faith-based initiatives (in this context, faith-based implies that you are associated with a religious institution or are promoting a specific faith; if your work has a spiritual basis but is not tied to any specific religion or faith, you may be eligible for consideration)
•    Recipients of prior Echoing Green funding

The official deadline is 12th November 2010.

Official Website