2027 Switzer Fellowship in the USA | $18,000 Award for Environmental Leaders

Applications for the 2027 Switzer Fellowship will open in September 2026, offering graduate students in the United States and U.S. territories an opportunity to receive an $18,000 unrestricted cash award, leadership training, career support, and access to a professional network of more than 800 environmental leaders.

The fellowship is designed for graduate students whose academic and career goals focus on environmental improvement and who demonstrate leadership, applied problem-solving, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a commitment to advancing social equity through environmental work.

About the Switzer Fellowship

The Switzer Fellowship is a one-year graduate fellowship supporting emerging and established environmental leaders across a broad range of disciplines.

Switzer Fellows work in areas including:

• Environmental science
• Public policy
• Environmental justice
• Public health
• Economics
• Advocacy
• Planning
• Business
• Law
• Research and academia

The fellowship welcomes applicants from diverse academic, professional, social and economic backgrounds, particularly those who are committed to interdisciplinary approaches, practical environmental solutions, collaborative leadership and social equity.

For the 2027 fellowship cycle, the programme has expanded nationwide and is no longer restricted to applicants studying in New England or California.

What Does the Switzer Fellowship Provide?

Selected fellows receive an $18,000 unrestricted cash award, paid in two installments in June and January.

The fellowship also provides opportunities for:

1. Leadership Development

Fellows participate in two multi-day retreats focused on cohort building, networking, equity-centered leadership and professional skills development.

2. Career Coaching

Switzer Fellows have access to career coaching and leadership guidance during their fellowship year and beyond. The Foundation helps fellows identify leadership opportunities and establish connections throughout the Switzer Network.

3. Switzer Network Membership

One of the major advantages of the fellowship is lifelong access to the Switzer Network, a community of more than 800 fellows selected since 1986.

Network activities include:

• Professional networking events
• Job and information sharing
• Webinars and training
• Social gatherings
• Professional development opportunities
• Additional grant opportunities

 

4. Future Grant Opportunities

After completing the fellowship year, fellows can access additional grant programmes designed to strengthen leadership and professional development, including leadership and professional development grants.

Who Can Apply?

Applicants must meet the Switzer Fellowship’s eligibility requirements.

To qualify, applicants must:

• Be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, DACA recipient, refugee or asylee according to the specified U.S. Department of Homeland Security definition.
• Be enrolled in an accredited graduate institution in the United States or U.S. territories.
• Not be enrolled in an online programme.
• Plan to remain enrolled throughout the entire 2027–2028 academic year.
• Have strong academic qualifications and academic and career goals focused on environmental improvement.

Requirements for Master’s Students

Master’s degree candidates, including J.D. students, must have completed at least one semester or quarter of coursework when applying and must be pursuing the Master’s degree as their terminal degree.

Students planning to continue into a Ph.D. are advised to wait and apply once they are enrolled in their doctoral programme. Students entering a one-year Master’s programme may apply before enrollment, but they must have been formally accepted before they can be interviewed.

Requirements for Ph.D. Students

Ph.D. candidates must have completed their qualifying examinations by the time of application.

Mid-Career Applicants

Mid-career students are encouraged to apply. They must demonstrate how their academic programme will strengthen their effectiveness as environmental leaders.

Who Is Especially Encouraged to Apply?

The Switzer Foundation particularly encourages applications from:

• Black students
• Indigenous students
• Students of color
• First-generation college students
• Individuals from groups traditionally underrepresented in environmental graduate programmes
• Students from a wide range of universities, including state universities

 

How Are Fellows Selected?

The Foundation selects approximately 20 fellows each year from hundreds of applicants.

Applications are assessed according to several criteria, including:

1. Environmental commitment
2. Applied focus
3. Innovative problem-solving
4. Leadership potential
5. Collaboration and engagement
6. Social equity awareness and experience
7. Communication skills

 

Successful candidates should therefore demonstrate more than strong academic performance. Their applications should clearly show how their environmental work addresses practical problems and affects human communities.

Ph.D. applicants are expected to have a clearly defined research focus and explain how their academic goals can contribute to positive change in applied environmental problems.

Application Review Process

After an initial eligibility review, applications go through three rounds of review by Switzer Fellowship alumni.

The alumni reviewers are selected to provide broad representation across areas such as:

• Race
• Gender
• Educational background
• Degree programme
• Professional sector
• Fellowship cohort
• Geography

 

Selected applicants participate in a virtual panel interview in May with Switzer Foundation fellows and representatives. Award decisions are communicated in writing within two weeks following the interviews.

2027 Application Timeline

The application timeline provided by the Switzer Foundation is:

Applications open: September 2026

Interviews: Early May

Award notifications: June

 

Application deadline: The source currently states that applications will begin being accepted in September 2026 but does not provide a specific closing date. Applicants should therefore check the official application page once the 2027 application cycle opens.

Fellowship Responsibilities

Being selected as a Switzer Fellow comes with participation requirements.

Attend Two Retreats

All fellows must attend two multi-day, in-person retreats held in September and April during the fellowship year.

The retreats focus on:

• Cohort building
• Networking
• Equity-centered leadership
• Skills development

 

Participate in the Switzer Network

Fellows are expected to remain active members of the Switzer Network during and after their fellowship year.

Participation can include:

• Attending or hosting networking events
• Participating in network discussions
• Coaching earlier-career fellows
• Serving on the Fellows Advisory Committee
• Participating in the selection of future fellows

 

Submit a Fellowship Report

Fellows must submit a brief written report at the conclusion of their fellowship year. An optional interim report may also be requested in January.

How Can the $18,000 Award Be Used?

The unrestricted fellowship award may be used for one or more of the following:

• Tuition
• Matriculation and university fees
• Living expenses
• Education-related expenses
• Research-related expenses

If the fellowship funds are not used for these purposes, they may be considered taxable income and the fellow may be responsible for applicable income tax.

Who Should Consider Applying?

The Switzer Fellowship could be particularly relevant for graduate students who are developing solutions to environmental challenges and want to connect their work to broader social outcomes.

Potential applicants may include students working on environmental problems related to:

• Climate and environmental change
• Environmental justice
• Public health
• Environmental policy
• Sustainable development
• Natural resources
• Community resilience
• Environmental planning
• Environmental science and research

However, the fellowship is not restricted to a single academic discipline. The Foundation’s existing fellows work across science, policy, health, economics, advocacy, planning, business, law and other fields.

Tips for Preparing a Strong Application

If you intend to apply when applications open in September 2026, consider preparing early.

1. Clearly Explain Your Environmental Focus

Your application should make it easy for reviewers to understand the environmental problem you are addressing and why it matters.

2. Demonstrate Practical Impact

The Foundation places emphasis on applied environmental problem-solving. Explain how your research, studies or professional work can contribute to real-world solutions.

3. Highlight Leadership

Provide concrete examples showing how you have taken initiative, influenced others, collaborated with stakeholders or contributed to environmental change.

4. Connect Environment and Social Equity

Social equity is an important part of the Switzer Fellowship’s selection criteria. Applicants should clearly demonstrate how their environmental work affects people and communities.

5. Show Collaboration

The selection criteria include collaboration and engagement, so demonstrate your ability to work across disciplines, communities or professional sectors.

Important Exclusions

Employees and trustees of the Robert and Patricia Switzer Foundation, as well as their family members, are not eligible to apply.

The Foundation states that it does not discriminate in selection on the basis of race, color, gender, gender expression, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin.

How to Apply

Applications for the 2027 Switzer Fellowship are scheduled to open in September 2026.

Applicants should use the official How to Apply information provided by the Switzer Network when the application window opens.

Applicants can also explore the Switzer Network and learn more about previous fellows to understand the range of environmental and social-impact work represented within the fellowship community.

Conclusion

The 2027 Switzer Fellowship provides an opportunity for graduate students in the United States and U.S. territories to develop as environmental leaders while receiving an $18,000 award, leadership development, career coaching, professional networking and access to a long-term community of environmental change-makers.

With only about 20 fellows selected each year, applicants should prepare carefully and demonstrate a clear connection between their academic or professional work, practical environmental problem-solving, leadership and social equity.

Applications are expected to open in September 2026, making this an opportunity prospective applicants should begin preparing for now.

Discover more opportunities on the OFY Webpage.