Graduate Student Research Fellows

The National Wildlife Federation is currently accepting applications for our 2026 Graduate Student Research Fellowships. Fellows will work directly with NWF staff on specific research efforts in three different focus areas.

To apply for a Fellowship, applicants are asked to review the following Requests for Applications for the three research offerings and choose one to apply for. If you are interested in being considered for more than one of the Fellowships, you are able to indicate so in your application.

 

To Apply:

1. Review the full Request for Applications document for your research focus area of interest
2. Complete the online application form
3. Identify a faculty/staff advisor and submit a letter of recommendation which you can either upload in your application form or send via email fellows@nwf.org including your name in the subject of the email.
    

Eligibility:

• Graduate students from any college or university within the U.S. are eligible to apply and if awarded the Fellowship, must submit a W-9 and provide proof of valid work authorization to receive stipend payment.
• Applications are invited from students in all disciplines and are not limited to environmental studies majors.
• Current and former employees of National Wildlife Federation and former NWF Campus Ecology Fellows are ineligible to apply.
• Former NWF interns are eligible to apply following one year from their final work date.
• The name on the application must be limited to one individual and the Fellowship reporting, training, or other requirements cannot be transferred to or shared with another student. Additional involvement should be noted in the proposal.
• The applicant must be enrolled in school through the duration of the 4-month grant period.

The National Wildlife Federation prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of any class or characteristic protected by federal, state and/or local law.