NOAA’s Young Changemakers Fellowship

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Young Changemakers Fellowship (YCF) is a year-long opportunity for high school students across the United States, U.S. territories, and tribal nations to make a difference for the ocean and environment.

Donor Name: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

State: All States

County: All Counties

Type of Grant: Fellowship

Deadline: 06/10/2024

Size of the Grant: Less than $1000

Grant Duration: 1 Year

Details:

With support from NOAA, participating students design and carry out an action project to address an ocean or environmental issue in their home community and share their perspectives with NOAA on important ocean and environmental issues.

Applications are now open for the next cohort of changemakers! Each of the 15 high school students selected for this opportunity will:

Travel to D.C. for a fellowship kick-off summit involving hands-on workshops, discussions with government officials, and opportunities to get to know the other members of the cohort (all expenses will be covered for both the changemaker and one accompanying parent / legal guardian).
Join virtual monthly meetings to build changemaking skills and share project progress and challenges.
Match with a NOAA mentor who will assist one-on-one with project planning and offer advice on post-high school career paths.
Be eligible for up to $750 in funding for project implementation.
Receive a $800 stipend for full fellowship completion.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the Young Changemakers Fellowship, you must:

Be a high school student during the entire 2024-2025 school year.
- All grades within high school are accepted. The fellowship is open to all types of high school students, whether you attend a public school, home school, charter school, private school, or other type of high school.
Be at least 13 years old.
- You must be at least 13 years old at the time you apply for the fellowship. If you are not going to be 13 years old by the application deadline of June 10, 2024, please wait until a future year to apply.
Be living in and attending school in the United States, U.S. territories, or tribal nations.
- They are excited to select a diverse group of fellows from across the United States, tribal nations, and territories! They require all applicants to both live and attend school in one of these locations.
Be excited about the environment, ocean, Great Lakes, and/or coasts, and their protection.
- They are looking for passion and commitment in the fellows. They don’t expect you to come into the fellowship already knowing everything there is to know about the environment, ocean, climate justice, or NOAA, but they want you to come ready to learn and engage!
Be willing to commit to this year-long program and its requirements from July 2024 to June 2025.
- Only 15 students will be selected as fellows this year. They want to make sure each one of them is ready to commit to participating in all aspects of the program! Requirements include:
  - Attending the kick-off summit with an accompanying parent / legal guardian in Washington, D.C., on July 23-27, 2024 (NOAA covers all travel expenses)
  - Attending and participating in at least 9 of the 12 mandatory monthly meetings
  - Responding to emails within 5 days
  - Contacting your NOAA mentor at least monthly
  - Planning and carrying out an action project in your community, which includes on-time submission of a written project plan and final documentation of the project
  - Providing feedback to the NOAA team about your experience.