Washington Sea Grant Coastal Resilience Fellow
Apply now for a Washington Sea Grant Coastal Resilience Fellowship!
The Washington Sea Grant Coastal Resilience Fellowship offers a unique, paid educational opportunity for early or shifting career professionals to provide additional capacity for coastal communities around coastal resilience.
Highly motivated, qualified individuals are teamed with mentors in a host office for two years, working on coastal resilience-related projects. Eligible host organizations include Tribes, local nonprofits, municipalities, special districts, conservation districts, and other local entities working on projects focused on coastal resilience.
Applications are due via eSeaGrant by June 18, 2025.
Please closely review the linked website above and for questions contact Becky Bronstein, WSG Resilience Fellowship Specialist, at beckyb23@uw.edu.
Overview
The Washington Sea Grant Coastal Resilience Fellowship offers a unique educational opportunity for early or shifting career professionals to provide additional capacity for coastal communities around coastal resilience. Highly motivated, qualified individuals are teamed with mentors in a host office for two years, working on coastal resilience-related projects. Eligible host organizations include Tribes, local nonprofits, municipalities, special districts, conservation districts, and other local entities working on projects focused on coastal resilience. Hosts provide mentorship, supervision, and opportunities for fellows that support their professional and educational goals. Through collaborative work planning, fellows’ projects will build capacity and provide tangible results for host organizations.
The two-year, paid fellowship program is driven by coastal communities’ most urgent and critical areas of focus around coastal resilience. Washington Sea Grant works to provide assistance to coastal communities in defining project scopes and criteria for prospective fellows. Criteria for potential fellows and subsequent outreach efforts are dependent on the project focus.
The inaugural cohort of this fellowship will focus on Washington’s Pacific Coast, but future cohorts may work on projects in some of the 15 coastal counties of Washington. There is also opportunity for the initial cohort of fellows to contribute to projects that support work in other coastal communities, if there are natural synergies that benefit all involved. Additionally, prospective fellows with experience living, working, learning along the Pacific Coast are prioritized.
The Washington Sea Grant Coastal Resilience Fellowship Program aims to:
- Provide tailored coastal resilience support to coastal communities through intentional capacity building,
- Develop fellows’ pathways for careers in coastal resilience through project-based learning with their host organization, mentorship, and professional learning, and
- Nurture a vibrant coastal resilience network of partnerships.
Award
In 2025, each fellow will receive a total award of $80,000, including a stipend of $75,000 to cover living expenses, required health care coverage in accordance with federal law, and tax related expenses (e.g. paying taxes, tax preparation services, etc.) and a $5,000 professional development budget (e.g. trainings, online courses, conferences, and related travel expenses) administered by Washington Sea Grant. Washington Sea Grant is committed to providing any resources we can as well as facilitating connections with fellow alumni as applicable.
In the second year of the 2025-2027 cohort, each fellow will receive an award of $83,000, including a stipend of $78,000 and a $5,000 professional development budget.
The WSG Coastal Resilience Fellowship is funded by the Climate Resilience Regional Challenge through the Department of Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Please be advised that this fellowship program is contingent upon the availability and allocation of federal funds.
2025 – 2027 Host Offices and Position Descriptions
NOTE: Please check the website for the position descriptions.
- Chinook Indian Nation & Columbia Land Trust
- North Olympic Development Council
- Pacific Conservation District
- Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe
- Quinault Indian Nation
Prospective Fellow Information
Eligibility
- Residence: The WSG Coastal Resilience Fellowship will require fellows to live in or close to the host communities where they are placed in western Washington. With this in mind, applicants who currently reside at the time of submitting their application in Washington or live in the Pacific region (Alaska, California, Guam, Hawaii, Oregon) will be given priority. Applicants who graduated from a Washington state high school, community college, technical college or university will also be given priority. Applicants who do not fit this criteria are still eligible to apply.
- Education: At minimum, the Coastal Resilience Fellowship requires an Associate Degree. Please review each position description for specific additional education requirements. Applicants should demonstrate a strong interest and/or some experience in coastal resilience or related topics.
- The WSG Coastal Resilience Fellowship will be open to individuals who have skills, work and lived experience that can support capacity building for coastal communities around coastal resilience.
Who is Encouraged to Apply?
- Individuals who…
- Have lived, worked, or learned on Washington’s Pacific Coast and/or have coastal resilience experience from other coastal regions.
- Are early or shifting in their career and looking to develop professionally in coastal resilience.
- Are looking to contribute their capacity, skills, and experience to coastal communities on coastal resilience projects.
- DACA students are eligible to apply.
- Black, Indigenous, and other people of Color (BIPOC) as well as representatives of the LGBTQ+ community, and allies are encouraged to apply for this opportunity.
Application Requirements
Applications are submitted via the eSeaGrant online submission portal.
- Resume or curriculum vitae (not to exceed two pages; 12 pt. font)
- Personal Statement (500 words or less, 12 pt. font)
- Position Preference Statement(s) (300 words or less) and Ranking (if applicable)
- Two Reference Forms – Applicants must submit two reference forms using the template provided.
- One form should be from someone who has supervised the applicant in either a professional or academic role (e.g. employer, work manager, academic advisor, research mentor, or similar).
- The other form should come from someone who knows the candidate well and can speak to their qualifications for this position, this can be someone who was a supervisor or does not have to be.
- Copies of all undergraduate and, if applicable, graduate student transcripts (unofficial transcripts are welcome). While required to confirm eligibility, details of student transcripts are not factored into the selection process.
Finalist Selection
Finalists will be selected for an interview by the Washington Sea Grant Coastal Resilience Fellowship Review Team. All candidates will be notified in late June regarding the outcome of the panel’s selection process. The review team will conduct the interviews along with representation from the host offices. Interviews will take place virtually July 8-10. Selected fellows will be notified in mid-July.
Selection Criteria
Finalists are selected based on the following criteria:
- How the fellowship would support applicant’s career pathway and further their development as a professional
- How the applicant’s lived, learned, and work experience will support coastal communities
- How the applicant has experience or shown interest in working with a variety of stakeholders
- An understanding and/or willingness to learn of varied governance structures and relevant policies
- Strong communication skills
- Relevant employment, volunteer, extracurricular activities, and/or lived experience to the fellowship
- Alignment and relevance of skills and experience to preferred positions
- Support from two references
WSG is dedicated to expanding opportunities and increasing access to coastal careers for individuals from all backgrounds. By fostering collaboration, building relationships, and sharing knowledge, WSG works to ensure that Washington’s coastal communities, industries, and ecosystems benefit from a wide range of perspectives and expertise. Guided by a culture of respect, trust, and accountability, WSG supports an inclusive and dynamic learning environment that values long-term engagement and meaningful participation.
The Washington Sea Grant Coastal Resilience Fellowship is open to all qualified individuals and is committed to broadening participation in coastal resilience work, including for those who have faced systemic barriers to education and career advancement in marine, ocean and coastal fields.
Orientation & Learning Institute
Washington Sea Grant strongly encourages all Coastal Resilience Fellows, along with other fellows, to attend a weeklong orientation and learning institute the week of September 15-19, 2025. Details of this week will be shared upon selection into the program.
How to Apply
Washington Sea Grant will be accepting all fellowship applications through our online submission portal, eSeaGrant. eSeaGrant will open to applicants in May. If you are new to eSeaGrant please give yourself plenty of time to complete your application and contact our office if you have questions.