Call for Nominations: Fonseca Leadership Program in Africa 2026 – YOA

Deadline: February 6, 2026

Nominations are open for the Fonseca Leadership Program in Africa 2026. Through the beneficiant help of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) Graduate Scholarship Program (GSP) is honored to announce the Fonseca Leadership Program in Africa, to help rising African conservation leaders looking for to pursue a Masters or Ph.D. diploma.

These excessive-profile and prestigious Fellowships will honor the late Gustavo Fonseca, who contributed considerably to biodiversity conservation over the course of his profession, and shall be awarded to candidates from GEF recipient international locations in Africa.

Eligibility

All candidates have to be:

• Nominated by a pre-permitted/eligible nominator, together with authorities officers; senior officers from intergovernmental companies, tutorial professors, senior conservationists inside the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Conservation International (CI); senior conservationists inside choose nationwide NGOs;
• A citizen of a GEF recipient nation in Africa

The best candidates are sensible conservationists, with profession targets rooted in utilized, sensible, on the bottom conservation, moderately than purely tutorial pursuits. Candidates don’t must have been accepted in any graduate program in order to be eligible however ought to plan to start research no later than October of the 12 months following their award.

Selection standards

Applicant ought to epitomize:

• Deep and real dedication to conservation in their nation/area
• Appropriate work expertise (at the very least 5 years) with a nationwide conservation NGO, worldwide conservation NGO, authorities, non-public sector, academia
• Strong management potential
• Collaboration and a capability to work with various teams and views throughout difficulty and sector boundaries
• Self-motivation and powerful work ethic
• Applied focus, and the nation/area will profit from future experience in the subject into account
• Is on the proper time in their profession for additional tutorial pursuit and maximal conservation influence, and shall be able to success at a revered institute of upper schooling.

Nomination

The name for nominations for the 2026 Fonseca Leadership Program in Africa, administered via the WCS GSP, is now open. The course of will happen in two phases.

• Stage 1: Submission of the quick-kind application, due February 6, 2026.
• Stage 2: Applicants permitted from Stage 1 shall be invited to submit an extended-kind application, due March 30, 2026.
• Final Decisions: Scholarship award choices are anticipated to be introduced by June 2026.

The nomination course of embrace the next:

• Only nominated candidates shall be thought-about; unsolicited functions won’t be reviewed.
• Each nominator might submit just one nomination.
• To get hold of approval for a nominator, candidates should e mail the next data to Kate Mastro ([email protected]):
  • A quick abstract of the proposed nominator, together with their title, job title, place of employment and a excessive-degree description of their position.
  • An abridged Curriculum Vitae for the proposed nominator (most 4 pages).
• Once the nominator is permitted, the required nomination types shall be shared with the applicant and permitted nominator. The types embrace:
  • A set of quick-reply questions (5 questions for the nominator and three questions for the nominee).
  • An abridged Curriculum Vitae for the nominee (most 4 pages).
  • Three letters of advice. Referees might embrace tutorial advisors, work supervisors, or different people acquainted with the applicant’s {qualifications}/skills.

For extra data, go to Fonseca Leadership Program in Africa.