Fellowship•Kenya · Hybrid

Ocean Leaders Fellowship

Funding

Fully Funded

Program dates

Mar 26, 2026 – Dec 5, 2026

The Ocean Leaders Fellowship (OLF) is an annual program from the Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA), developed in partnership with Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy. It launched in 2025 and each year equips 40 early-career ocean-conservation and climate leaders with tactical skills, mentorship, and high-level networks to advance their initiatives. Fellows work in small peer leadership pods and learn through workshops, coaching, and office hours across roughly nine months, combining weekly virtual programming with an immersive in-person institute. The 2026 cohort is centered on the global 30x30 goal — protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030.

Benefits & funding

  • Skill-development workshops and dialogue-based learning across a ~9-month arc: listening & storytelling, then bridge-building into policy spaces, then activating collective power.
  • Personalized mentorship from SOA’s expert network.
  • Peer leadership pods of 4–5 fellows for collaboration and accountability.
  • A funded opportunity to travel to and represent youth at the Our Ocean Youth Leadership Summit and Conference (hosted by Kenya, June 2026).
  • Time commitment of about 5 hours per week over the March–December program.
  • Note: the official program page does not currently publish a per-fellow stipend amount or an itemized list of covered travel costs.

Eligibility

  • Early-career ocean and climate professionals who are already organizing, leading teams, or influencing systems and want to deepen their impact.
  • Open worldwide — the 2026 cohort draws 40 fellows from around 41 countries, spanning every high-risk marine ecoregion.
  • No nationality, residency, or degree requirement is stated on the official program page. Age and English-proficiency criteria were previously listed on the program FAQ, which is not currently published; confirm them on the official application when the next cycle opens.

Application process

  1. 1
    Join the Sustainable Ocean Alliance email list to be notified when the next application cycle opens.
  2. 2
    Complete the online application while the cycle is open (it typically opens early in the year, ahead of the late-March program start).
  3. 3
    Selected fellows are notified and join the cohort for the March–December program.

Program timeline

  1. 2026 cohort program begins

    Mar 26, 2026

  2. In-person institute — Our Ocean Youth Leadership Summit and Conference (Kenya)

    2026-06

  3. 2026 cohort program ends

    Dec 5, 2026

  4. Early 2027 (expected)

    2027 application cycle opens