Program Website and Application Information
Program Overview
Inspired by efforts to uplift BIPOC professionals in environmentally-related sectors, the Dr. Roger Arliner Young (RAY) Fellowship Program supports two cohorts of Fellows per year: RAY Conservation Fellows and RAY Clean Energy Fellows. The RAY Fellowship Program aims to increase and facilitate conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy-related career pathways for emerging leaders of color. The RAY Fellowship Program is a two-year paid fellowship designed to equip recent college graduates with the tools, experiences, support, and community they need to become leaders in the conservation and clean energy sectors—one that, in our visions of the future, fully represents, includes, and is led by the diverse communities, perspectives, and experiences of the United States.
Managed by the Environmental Leadership Program (ELP), the RAY Conservation Fellowship and RAY Clean Energy Fellowship provide first-time career access opportunities for recent college graduates who do not have previous professional experience or a graduate degree. RAY Conservation Fellows are placed within one of our 'Conservation Member Organizations' for a two-year paid fellowship position, with the resources and support to develop experiences that will launch them onto a path of career growth in conservation. Likewise, RAY Clean Energy Fellows are placed within one of our ‘Clean Energy Member Organizations’ for a similar two-year paid fellowship position, with similar resources and support to develop experiences that will launch them onto a path of career growth in energy-efficiency or renewable energy.
All Fellows work with mentors, grow their networks, and forge lasting relationships within and between the Conservation and Clean Energy cohorts of Fellows. RAY Fellowship positions are full-time paid positions with competitive entry-level salaries plus benefits. All Fellows will also receive a stipend of $1,000 to go towards professional development opportunities, in addition to coordinated professional development through RAY Partner Organizations and ELP.
Ideal Candidates
The RAY Fellowship Program looks for applicants that demonstrate:
- Passion, capacity, and transformational potential to exercise leadership and respond to social and environmental challenges
- Commitment to the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion within the environmental and social change fields
- Willingness to actively contribute to the Fellowship and take advantage of its benefits including eagerness to connect with and learn from others
- The desire to be active in and give back to community – their own and the large RAY Community during and after the fellowship
- Transformational potential to benefit greatly from the Fellowship’s opportunities and experience
Applicant Eligibility
Our goal at the RAY Fellowship Program is to increase opportunities for emerging leaders of color to learn about, engage with, and enter the conservation and clean energy sectors by way of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) and various federal agencies. We know there is no one right way to do this work, but we understand how much the environmental field can benefit from the contributions of our points of view and life experiences. In this spirit, we are excited to announce that we now invite applicants who are within THREE years of having received their undergraduate degree, meaning that applicants for the 2024-2026 Cohort (Cohort 9) must have graduated after May 2021. Historically we have required a maximum of one year post graduation at the time of applying. This decision will widen the applicant pool, allow applicants to apply more than once if they are not selected for the previous cohort, and help us meet the needs of a wider community with a variety of life experiences.
Eligible RAY Fellow applicants:
- Identify as a person from a historically marginalized group, with interest in the conservation and/or clean energy field(s).
- Demonstrate a commitment to equity, environmental justice, racial justice, and social change.
- Be within THREE years of having received their undergraduate degree (must have graduated after May 2021).
- Have not had a full-time job in conservation or clean energy.
- Have the ability to work in the United States and commit to the entire two-year fellowship.
People who identify under the imperfect term “BIPOC”, that is: Black, Indigenous (or of aboriginal descent), and/or as a person of color, any intersection therein and are from historically excluded backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.
The RAY Fellowship stands with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients. We work to support and advocate for RAY applicants and Fellows, regardless of their country of origin, and we support permanent solutions and pathways to citizenship like the Dream Act. Learn more about DACA, the Dream Act, and what we stand for by reading this press release from the incredible folks over at Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS): https://www.sacnas.org/2018/02/26/sacnas-stands-with-our-dreamers_daca/.
Whether applying for a position through us or elsewhere, we encourage you to know your rights if you are a recipient of DACA. Please visit the National Immigration Law Center website for information on what you are and are not required to share with employers: https://www.nilc.org/issues/daca/about-daca-and-employment/.
Our eligibility requirement is that applicants must have the ability to work in the United States and commit to the entire two-year fellowship. RAY Fellowship applicants are not required to be US citizens and we have had several non-citizens become RAY Fellows. Applicants must be able to work in the US, including completing an I-9 form to verify work eligibility. This could be through a visa (eg: OPT), DACA, permanent residency, or any other agreements allowing work authorization that will allow a RAY applicant to work in the US for a US-based organization. RAY Host Organizations will not, at this time, sponsor visas for international applicants.
Informational Webinars
The RAY Fellowship Program will also be hosting two informational webinars on the following dates to introduce the program and answer any questions. Zoom links will be shared after registering for the event.
March 21st, 2:00 PM - 3:00 PT / 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM ET. Register here.
