Applications Open for 2025 Asia Foundation Development Fellows

Applications are now open for the 2025 Asia Foundation Development Fellows: Emerging Leaders for Climate Action. Applications will be open through July 29, 2024.

In recognition of the growing urgency of the global climate crisis, the eleventh year of the Asia Foundation Development Fellows Program will represent our first issue-specific cohort: Emerging Leaders for Climate Action. Applicants must demonstrate how their work intersects with addressing climate change and a passion for achieving a sustainable future. Fellows can come from a variety of professional backgrounds, including but not limited to environmental science, renewable energy, environmental policy, climate or nature finance, climatology, geoscience, community organizing, environmental law, ecology, wildlife conservation, climate storytelling, sustainable agriculture, sustainable social enterprise, and environmental activism. They can also be journalists, conflict and fragility specialists, women’s rights activists, or any field whose work crosscuts climate issues. No professional background is ineligible if a candidate can demonstrate how their work intersects with climate action.

Launched in 2014, The Asia Foundation Development Fellows program brings together a group of emerging leaders from across the region who are deeply committed to building an inclusive Asia and the Pacific region and securing lasting change. This yearlong career advancement program takes on a multifaceted approach to leadership development, including two intensive in-person modules, one in Asia and a second in the United States, and year-round support through mentorship, coaching, and a flexible grant. The in-person coursework deepens fellows’ leadership skills, helps fellows effectively articulate their stories, and develops their problem-solving and critical-thinking approaches.

The 2025 program will commence in February with a 12-day Leadership Training Program and study tour in Nepal, where fellows dive into authentic leadership and meet with environmental development practitioners to understand the mechanics of change on the ground. The module in Asia may also include attending a regional climate action forum, to be determined. Each fellow will also receive a professional development award of U.S. $5,000. Additionally, fellows are matched with mentors tailored to their background and professional interests and can access a fixed number of one-on-one executive coaching sessions with an experienced leadership coach. The program will conclude with visits to San Francisco and Washington, D.C., for a two-week Leadership Dialogue and Exchange program, visiting innovative environmental organizations while continuing to examine their authentic leadership journey.

Visit the Asia Foundation Development Fellows application page for more information and share this opportunity on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

The Asia Foundation is a nonprofit international development organization committed to improving lives and expanding opportunities across Asia and the Pacific. Informed by 70 years of experience and deep local knowledge, our work is focused on governance, climate action, gender equality, education and leadership, inclusive growth, and international cooperation. We work in more than 20 countries through our 17 permanent country offices and programs across Asia and the Pacific, supported by a headquarters in San Francisco and an office in Washington, DC. Our funding comes from a diverse array of bilateral and multilateral development agencies, foundations, corporations, and individuals.

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