Rising Leaders Fellowship 2025: Applications are now open!

Click Here to apply Eligibility Criteria FAQ's What is RLF? 2025 Program Schedule About the program Two people of color, one of them masculine presenting and the other femme presenting, are in the woods. They are with their bikes and one person is pointing upwards while the other's gaze looks up.

What is the Rising Leaders Fellowship? We have extended our deadline to Friday, January 24, 2025!

Application Process:

All applicants must fill out the application form. If your employer is supporting your participation in the program (i.e. you can attend sessions during work hours, reference organizational documents for learning modules, etc.), we ask that a supervisor or appropriate organizational representative fill out the employer form.

Rollout Timeline:
October 18 - November 29: Applications Window
December 2 - December 13: Interview Window
January 13: Selections Sent Out
Must be able to attend the orientation held on February 23, 2025 The Rising Leaders Fellowship supports the continued career development of individuals in entry- to mid-level positions within the outdoor/environmental/ environmental justice sector. Specifically, Justice Outside seeks to engage Black, Indigenous, and People of Color and allies committed to effecting culture change within their organizations to ensure that communities of color are authentically seen, valued, and connected to the outdoors. The Rising Leaders Fellowship builds professional capacity while creating a supportive network of like-minded leaders through a project-based cohort series that focuses on social justice and racial equity in the outdoors.

The 2025 Rising Leaders Fellowship will host two cohorts: one in-person in Los Angeles and one virtual cohort. Applications will be open to participants throughout the United States. Sixty fellows will be invited to participate in a series of capacity-building sessions, and the development of an impact project focused on culture change within their organization or community between February and September 2025.

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