One-year Schneider Fellowship

Through the One-year Schneider Fellowship program, Stanford students work at a location of the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC). Fellows spend one year tackling the world’s economic, environmental, social, and technical challenges associated with harnessing energy resources to deliver energy services. Fellows receive a competitive salary with benefits as an employee of the NRDC.

The Fellow will gain skills in research and analysis, written advocacy, oral advocacy, legislative and/or regulatory processes, and inclusive and equitable policy development. The Fellow will be an integral part of the NRDC and will gain exposure to a variety of activities including attending policy meetings, working with private sector stakeholders, engaging in joint advocacy with other partners, conducting policy analysis and development, and doing legislative and regulatory research and drafting.

For more info about the Summer Quarter Schneider Fellowship opportunities, navigate to the SOLO program page.

Contact the Program Director

You can book an advising appointment with One-year Schneider Fellowship Program Director Ben Weissman (benidw@stanford.edu) and other Cardinal Careers Team members via Handshake. (Select the "Public Service and Social Impact" category.)

For questions about the Summer Quarter Schneider Fellowship program, please contact Valerie Chow (vychow@stanford.edu).

Application Deadline

Apply via SOLO by January 28, 2025

Eligibility

Eligible candidates include those with undergraduate or graduate-level experience in energy, science, engineering, economics, public policy and/or law, including candidates with multi-disciplinary experience and/or joint degrees. You must be a current student to apply.

Fellows commit to working for a full year at the NRDC. Final offers are contingent upon a satisfactory report from Stanford's Office of Community Standards.

Application Information

Applications must be submitted via SOLO. Along with answers to essay questions, applicants are asked to submit PDFs of a resume, unofficial transcript, and writing sample. The writing sample should be 3-5 pages in length and from an academic assignment on any subject. It can be an excerpt of a larger piece. NRDC is looking for good writing that is persuasive, organized, and written solely by you.

Applicants must also solicit two letters of recommendation: one from a faculty member who is familiar with the applicant’s academic work and one from a professional contact (i.e. supervisor) who is familiar with the applicant’s professional work (internship, job, etc.)

Selection Criteria

Applicants are reviewed based on the following criteria:

Readiness for fellowship experience;
Record of academic accomplishment;
Quality and content of written statements and writing sample.

NRDC encourages applications from candidates whose identities have been historically under-represented in the environmental movement. You should apply if you are eager to be part of a cross-cutting team; learn about clean energy and equity; gain valuable policy, writing, speaking, and analytic skills; and be an active team member tackling climate, equity, and policy issues.

Essay Questions

In the SOLO application form, you will be prompted to answer the following questions:

Provide three reasons why you are a compelling candidate for this fellowship. (one paragraph)
Why does this particular fellowship interest you? (one paragraph)
How do you envision applying what you learn during the fellowship to your life in the future? (up to three paragraphs)

Program Timeline

October: Application portal opens
January: Application portal closes
February-March: NRDC reviews applications, interviews finalists, and offers awards
July - September: Fellowships begin

Fellowship Requirements

Before Fellowship Term

Attend Cardinal Careers New Fellows Orientation (late May).

During Fellowship Term

Serve for 12 consecutive months of full-time work.
- The fellow can be given time off in accordance with the organization’s regular personnel policies.
- The Schneider Fellowship cannot be combined with any other award or employment.

After Fellowship Term

Assist the program in future years by nominating applicants, identifying potential mentors, and by participating in information and training sessions.

About the NRDC

The NRDC is a non-profit international environmental advocacy organization with 3.1 million members and online activists. They use law, policy, and science to protect the planet's wildlife and wild places and to ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities. NRDC was founded in 1970 and now has a staff of more than 700 lawyers, scientists, economists, policy advocates, communications experts, and others working across the United States and internationally from offices in New York; Washington, D.C.; Chicago; Santa Monica; San Francisco; Bozeman, Montana; New Delhi; and Beijing.

The Climate and Energy Program focuses on fighting climate change by designing equitable policies with community partners to cut carbon pollution and expand equitable energy efficiency and renewable energy to ensure clean, reliable, and affordable energy services that a healthy and sustainable economy needs. NRDC is currently looking for passionate individuals who are willing to learn; want to take advantage of a rich, interdisciplinary work environment; and can bring their unique skills and perspective to help develop smart and equitable environmental policies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I apply for more than one Schneider Fellowship opportunity?

Yes. You can apply to any of the opportunities that interest you and seem like a potential fit. If you apply to opportunities at multiple organizations, you will need to submit application materials for each opportunity. Review the application requirements and process for each opportunity as they may vary.

Can I apply for both the summer and year-long opportunities?

Yes. However, if you are offered a summer and year-long fellowship in the same year, you will only be able to accept one opportunity.

Can I apply if I previously received a Schneider Fellowship?

If you have already engaged in a summer Schneider Fellowship experience, you can apply and will be fully considered for a year-long opportunity.

Who should be my reference or write my recommendation letter?

Two letters of recommendation are required. One should be written by an academic reference: a faculty member, a lecturer, a graduate teaching assistant, etc. from Stanford or from another institution you attended. Your second letter should be written by a professional reference: former and/or current employers, supervisors, principal investigators, resident fellows, etc.

We recommend that you select letter writers who know you and can speak to your candidacy for the fellowship opportunity. Be sure to give them plenty of time to write and submit your recommendation letters.

What should I include for my writing sample?

Your writing sample should be a 3-5 page piece you have completed for a course or work experience. If the piece is related to the sustainable energy arena that is ideal, but not required. A policy-related piece would also be appropriate to submit.

When will Schneider Fellows be selected & notified?

All submitted applications that are completed will be sent directly to NRDC after the application deadline. Fellowship supervisors will evaluate the submitted applications and conduct interviews for selected applicants in mid-February. Final selections will be made and students notified by mid-March.

How competitive are the Schneider Fellowships?

Application numbers vary from year to year, but overall it is a popular program since all degree levels can apply. We encourage all interested students to apply and to submit thoughtful application materials. Since the number of fellows selected each year is limited, we encourage students to consider applying to other related campus opportunities as well.

What projects have previous yearlong Schneider Fellows worked on at the NRDC?

Developing a plan to phase out fossil gas use from buildings; reforming policies for rooftop solar; implementing a multi-state campaign to increase renewable portfolio standards, developing campaign materials to promote clean trucks; developing and implementing strategies to advance specific policy objectives in state and city legislatures; helping to advance equitable clean transportation and building decarbonization policies through efficiency and electrification; writing comments for regulatory agencies; generating and testing proposals and rationales for different audiences; providing integral analysis and materials development in support of federal policies around green hydrogen development and funding; and providing technical analysis on EPA regulatory rules and federal clean energy legislation.

Previous Job Listings

2024-25 listings

Western Equitable Clean Energy and Climate Fellow, San Francisco

The Fellow will be involved directly in the development of advocacy strategies, collaboration with key stakeholders, and in the preparation of NRDC materials designed to influence equitable public policy decisions. Projects that the Fellow may work on include furthering NRDC’s work to ensure California, Colorado, and New Mexico greenhouse gas reduction, energy efficiency, and renewable energy mandates are implemented effectively and with a focus on equity, quality workforce, & improving air quality in disadvantaged communities.

The work may include:

developing and analyzing policy proposals & writing comments for regulatory agencies
writing blogs and other materials, generating and testing proposals and rationales for different audiences
working with coalitions in states, and helping state advocates identify and implement priority tasks.

Past projects include helping with the implementation of a multi-state campaign to increase portfolio standards across the West, advocating for clean trucks and cars standards in CO and NM, and assisting with the implementation of California energy efficiency policies as well as decarbonization efforts of the state’s transportation and building sectors.

Energy Policy Analysis Fellow, Washington, D.C.

The Fellow will be directly involved in policy development and technical analysis of various federal regulatory and legislative approaches to energy policy. Research and analysis projects that the Fellow may work on include the development and defense of key federal standards for carbon dioxide pollution from power plants, vehicles, and other carbon-intensive sectors; approaches for strategic and more innovative climate and clean energy legislation; and the development of deep decarbonization (e.g., net-zero) pathways to inform strategic and institutional decision-making. The Fellow will work within the Science Office’s Policy Analysis Team, allowing the Fellow to interface across multiple programs and teams to analyze the economic, environmental, and public health impacts of policy opportunities and advocacy priorities.