Funding / Coastal Resilience Fellowship Program

NOAA Coastal Resilience Fellowship Program

Established in 2024, this fellowship provides a unique, two-year opportunity for early-career professionals to gain hands-on experience.

Successful applicants will support Climate Resilience Regional Challenge grant recipients as they implement projects that build climate resilience within coastal communities. Each project includes a focus on serving marginalized, underserved, and underrepresented communities. Project descriptions for each of the 33 fellowship opportunities are posted below.

Benefits

Each fellowship offers a competitive salary, medical benefits, and reimbursement for travel and relocation expenses. Annual salaries range from $42,000 to $56,000, depending on the cost of living adjustment in the fellowship location. Exact salaries are listed in each position description. Fellows also receive travel funds to cover the following: a required peer-to-peer sharing event with other grant recipients and fellows in the spring of 2027; project-related travel up to a designated amount; and training, conferences, and meetings that will advance professional growth. Fellows will also be provided training and professional development opportunities from NOAA and their host.

Mentoring

Each fellow will be assigned a mentor, who will provide professional development advice and support, ensure the fellow is integrated into the project team and office, and look for opportunities for the fellow to gain skills and experience, in addition to supervising their project work. The mentor will ensure the fellow receives the resources and support needed to accomplish Climate Resilience Regional Challenge project goals as well as their individual and professional goals.

Eligibility

The minimum requirements for education and experience vary by project. Please see the individual project descriptions for specific eligibility requirements. Eligible candidates must be U.S. citizens.

Timeline

December 2, 2024

Application period opens

February 28, 2025

Application deadline (by 5:00 p.m. pacific time)

Early March 2025

Application review by the Tridec/NOAA team

Late March to April 2025

Application review and interviews – fellowship hosts/mentors

May 2025

Offers extended

June 2025

Fellowship begins

June 2027

Fellowship ends

Available Fellowship Projects

Fellows are required to relocate to their designated fellowship location. Projects are listed below by state.

Alaska California Hawaii
Louisiana Maine Minnesota
New Jersey Ohio Rhode Island
U.S. Virgin Islands Virginia Washington

Alaska

Kvichak Smolt Monitoring

Host Organization:
The Nature Conservancy and Igiugig Village Council

Location:
Alaska (Lakes Region of Bristol Bay preferred)

Annual Salary:
$56,133


Apply here
Lake Iliamna Freshwater Seals Monitoring

Host Organization:
The Nature Conservancy and Igiugig Village Council

Location:
Alaska (Lakes Region of Bristol Bay preferred)

Annual Salary:
$56,133


Apply here
Indigenous Knowledge and Data Sovereignty

Host Organization:
Alaska Conservation Foundation

Location:
Anchorage, Alaska

Annual Salary:
$56,133


Apply here
Indigenous Adaptation Planning and Data Management

Host Organization:
Adaptation International

Location:
Remote (Alaska community preferred)

Annual Salary:
$56,133


Apply here
Emergency Management Fellow

Host Organization:
Association of Village Council Presidents

Location:
Positioned in Bethel, Alaska, but serves the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta

Annual Salary:
$56,133


Apply here
Climate and Health Community of Practice

Host Organization:
Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium’s Center for Climate and Health

Location:
Anchorage, Alaska

Annual Salary:
$56,133


Apply here

California

Communications and Outreach

Host Organization:
California Marine Sanctuary Foundation

Location:
Santa Cruz, California

Annual Salary:
$54,008


Apply here
Regional Monitoring

Host Organization:
Central Coast Wetlands Group at Moss Landing Marine Labs

Location:
Moss Landing, California

Annual Salary:
$54,008


Apply here

Hawaii

Community-Engaged Research and Capacity Building

Host Organization:
University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program

Location:
Honolulu, Hawaiʻi

Annual Salary:
$54,890


Apply here
Community Risk Reduction and Disaster Resilience

Host Organization:
University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program

Location:
Honolulu, Hawaiʻi

Annual Salary:
$54,890


Apply here

Louisiana

Tribal and Indigenous Coordination

Host Organization:
Tulane University

Location:
Lafayette, Louisiana, or another location within the project region

Annual Salary:
$42,000


Apply here
Outreach and Partnership

Host Organization:
New Orleans Community Support Foundation

Location:
New Orleans, Louisiana

Annual Salary:
$42,000


Apply here
Water Knowledge Directory

Host Organization:
Tulane ByWater Institute

Location:
New Orleans, Louisiana

Annual Salary:
$42,000


Apply here
Community Engagement and Outreach

Host Organization:
The United Houma Nation

Location:
Houma, Louisiana

Annual Salary:
$42,000


Apply here
Technical Support, Project Evaluation, and Communications

Host Organization:
Community Resilience Center at The Water Institute

Location:
Coastal Louisiana – New Orleans or Baton Rouge, depending on fellow’s preference

Annual Salary:
$42,000


Apply here

Maine

Coastal Flood Risk

Host Organization:
Maine’s Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future

Location:
Portland or Augusta, Maine

Annual Salary:
$48,363


Apply here
Inland Flood Risk

Host Organization:
Maine Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future

Location:
Portland or Augusta, Maine

Annual Salary:
$48,363


Apply here

Minnesota

Tribal and Local Government Liaison

Host Organization:
Arrowhead Regional Development Commission

Location:
Duluth, Minnesota

Annual Salary:
$42,000


Apply here
Geospatial and Climate Data Analyst

Host Organization:
University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership

Location:
Duluth, Minnesota

Annual Salary:
$42,000


Apply here

New Jersey

Environmental Justice

Host Organization:
Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute

Location:
West Long Branch, New Jersey

Annual Salary:
$50,576


Apply here
Education and Engagement

Host Organization:
Rutgers University Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences

Location:
Tuckerton, New Jersey

Annual Salary:
$50,576


Apply here

Ohio

Environmental Justice

Host Organization:
Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition

Location:
Cleveland, Ohio

Annual Salary:
$44,180

Note:
Two positions are available.


Apply here

Rhode Island

Climate Resilience Action Plan Engagement

Host Organization:
Aquidneck Land Trust

Location:
Aquidneck Island, Rhode Island (Newport, Middletown, or Portsmouth)

Annual Salary:
$48,363


Apply here
Project Coordination and Implementation

Host Organization:
Aquidneck Land Trust

Location:
Aquidneck Island, Rhode Island (Newport, Middletown, or Portsmouth)

Annual Salary:
$48,363


Apply here

U.S. Virgin Islands

GIS and Data Coordination

Host Organization:
USVI Department of Planning and Natural Resources

Location:
U.S. Virgin Islands

Annual Salary:
$54,121


Apply here
Watershed Resilience

Host Organization:
USVI Department of Planning and Natural Resources

Location:
U.S. Virgin Islands

Annual Salary:
$54,121


Apply here

Virginia

Coastal Resilience

Host Organization:
Virginia Tech

Location:
Hampton, Virginia

Annual Salary:
$42,689

Note:
Two positions are available.


Apply here

Washington

Small Communities Cohort

Host Organization:
King County, Washington

Location:
Seattle, Washington (with flexibility to be located in Puget Sound Basin)

Annual Salary:
$47,876

Note:
Two positions are available.


Apply here
Outreach and Storytelling

Host Organization:
Washington State Department of Ecology

Location:
Lacey, Washington

Annual Salary:
$47,876


Apply here
Climate Resilience, Equity, and Engagement

Host Organization:
Washington State Department of Ecology

Location:
Lacey, Washington

Annual Salary:
$47,876


Apply here

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