Fellows Program

The Center for Collaborative Conservation’s Fellows Program provides funding and training to students, faculty, and practitioners who use a collaborative approach to help communities improve their livelihoods and achieve conservation goals. Our growing network of Fellows stays connected to the CCC and their cohort during and after the fellowship for lifelong friendship and learning. For a comprehensive view of our program, check out our CCC Fellows Program 10-year review: Assessment of impacts.

We are no longer accepting proposals for Cohort 14.

Applications closed November 3, 2023. Thank you to everyone who applied, see timeline below.

How to become a Fellow

The Fellows Program is for those interested in conservation at any stage of their careers– whether a graduate student, a mid-career professional or academic, or an experienced practitioner. This innovative program provides funding, training, and a community of practice to plan and implement on-the-ground projects.

Past Fellows projects have included:

Working with a diverse group of stakeholders to do on-the-ground conservation efforts, such as a restoration project, conservation research, social science research, citizen science, or education.
Projects designed to build capacity of a group of stakeholders to work together to accomplish conservation efforts, such as training, planning, creating tools (such as an app, social network map, photovoice, etc.), gathering and sharing information, outreach, or other support activities.
Convening a diverse group of organizations, agencies, and other stakeholders to support collaborative conservation efforts.

Who should apply:

Individuals or teams representing organizations or existing collaboratives may apply. We accept project proposals from:

Practitioners: non-CSU people who use, own, or manage natural resources as individuals (e.g., landowners, ranchers, foresters, farmers) or who work professionally as part of Native Nations, the private sector, non-profits, government and state agencies, and other entities.
CSU graduate students from all colleges and departments. Graduate students should be officially admitted and registered at CSU.

Faculty, research scientists, post docs, and extension agents from all colleges and departments.

The CCC is strongly committed to the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) efforts of Warner College of Natural Resources. The Fellows Program seeks to increase the diversity and representation of our Fellows to provide deeper cultural learning among the cohort, and increase collaborative research, education, and practice opportunities for underserved communities.  In addition, we recognize that COVID-19 has disproportionately affected people and communities of color, individuals with disabilities/chronic illness, and those with limited financial resources. As such, we encourage applications from individuals who identify as belonging to an underrepresented group, and/or projects that focus on underserved or marginalized communities. 

Those interested in becoming a Fellow should submit a proposal by November 3, 2023. Leading up to this date, applicants will have multiple opportunities to learn what is likely to be successful, have their questions about the project or overall goals of the program answered, and gain additional ideas and preliminary feedback.

Three virtual information sessions will be held on 9/27 (9:00-10:00 am)MT, 9/29 (12-1 pm)MT, and 10/5 (5-6 pm)MT. Allison Brody, CCC’s Associate Director of Learning, will be available throughout September and October to support the proposal preparation process by answering questions about project ideas, proposal format and content, and address other questions and concerns.

Interested applicants should learn more through scheduled virtual Information Sessions and direct outreach to CCC’s Associate Director of Learning, Allison Brody (allison.brody@colostate.edu) (schedule a meeting here).

PROPOSAL TIMELINE

Project proposal submitted	By November 3, 2023
Review Committee selects finalists	January 15, 2024
Travel and other logistical needs to attend Fellows Training Retreat in April	January 15-April, 2024
Fellowship begins with orientation meeting	March 2024

Submit a Project Proposal:

Cohort 14 RFP

Foundations for Practicing Collaboration Conservation: a Theoretical Framework & the CC Fellows Learning Modules

Partnership Levels of Engagement

Project Proposal Guidelines

Project Proposal Review Criteria

Budget Template

FAQ’s

Successful project proposals will describe:

How you, your teammates, and your project will benefit from participating in this program. How poised are you in your personal and professional growth to be able to take advantage of this learning cohort?
The ways in which your project exemplifies collaborative conservation work.
How stakeholders/community members are either currently or anticipated to participate in the project (for example, Partnership Levels of Engagement).

The types of conservation or community issues that your project will address, and how.
The capacity of the project team to not only implement the project, but also provide an impactful experience for the Fellow(s) involved.
How each member of the project team will contribute to the project and fulfill the expectations of the Fellows Program.
A draft budget (see budget template).

Questions? Contact Allison.brody@colostate.edu

Current Fellows

Cohort 12

$67,900 awarded to 10 Fellows working on 5 projects in New Mexico, USA, Tanzania, Colombia, India, and Guatemala. Meet the Fellows and read about the projects here.

Cohort 13

$76,000 awarded to 12 Fellows working on 5 projects in Colorado and Montana, USA, Botswana, Cameroon, and Ecuador. Meet the Fellows and read about the projects here.

Recent Fellows

Cohort 11

$42,300 awarded to 7 Fellows working on 3 projects in Colorado, Brazil, and Tanzania. Meet the Fellows and read about the projects here.

Cohort 10

$48,000 awarded 6 Fellows working on 4 projects focused on human-carnivore relationships. Meet the Fellows and read about the projects here.

Fellows Training

Our Fellows Program 10-year Review describes how the program trains individuals in collaborative conservation, and how, in the words of one CCC Fellows, ”there is pedagogy and evidence-based best practices for effective collaboration.” To access training materials we have used over the years, see our “how to” resources.

Fellows Products

CCC Fellows have produced over 150 theses, peer-reviewed journal articles, reports, videos and more that provide insight into collaborative conservation general and specific efforts across the globe. Check out the full list here.

Fellows Interactive Directory

Nearly 150 CCC Fellows have worked in 27 countries and 17 Native American nations. See who has done what where by clicking on this interactive map.

Fellows Testimony

95% of CCC Fellows Program alumni reported that their fellow’s project had been useful to them professionally.

96% reported that the Fellows Program had increased the collaborative nature of their project.

80% indicated that both their Fellow’s project and the Fellows Program had improved their ability to work with a diversity of people.

100% indicated that they had worked across cultural, disciplinary, administrative, or linguistic boundaries in their Fellows’ project.

“Being part of the CCC Fellows community was a defining moment in my professional development… Thank you!”

“I feel that the CCC played a really essential role in shaping me as a conservationist.”

“As a graduate fellow who now works in conservation, having a much better grasp on the idea of collaborative conservation has been really important in the way that I now view the world.”

“I never thought of collaboration as something that was teachable because it feels amorphous and ambiguous. The Fellow Program helped me see that there is pedagogy and evidence-based best practices for effective collaboration.”