2025 New Futures Fellowship 

Planet Reimagined is a global nonprofit organization on a mission to deliver fair solutions for people and the planet. We bring together researchers and advocates from around the world to collaborate on initiatives that touch all aspects of the climate crisis. Our Action Research method trains and engages the climate leaders of the future while using media and entertainment platforms to reinforce strategic advocacy to mobilize climate action.  

The New Futures Fellowship program is a full-time three month paid opportunity for current and recent undergraduate and graduate students to practice action research in a virtual global team. Fellows receive professional supervision and training. 

The themes for 2025 are River Delta Communities, Clean Energy, and Building a Fan-based Climate Movement

Fellows of different disciplinary backgrounds work in thematic groups to address a specific problem, learn how community and national organizations are addressing it and develop advocacy strategies and messaging. During the fellowship they acquire skills in effective public communications as well as power analysis and advocacy tools to develop and advance solutions. They receive hands-on coaching in creative skills such as storytelling, digital media, graphic design, and video production. They participate in conversations with guest speakers, from academia, activism, policymaking, and the private sector, and advocates such as environmental justice leaders in India, the Philippines and South Africa.

Each team produces policy briefs, case studies, and advocacy plans that propose concrete recommendations for change. Fellows also create multimedia products such as explainer videos, social posts, and public service announcements to support the specific advocacy goals for the project. Planet Reimagined amplifies each team’s creative content through Planet Reimagined’s communications networks and digital channels. We work with our media and entertainment partners to make fellowship findings, advocacy solutions, and campaigns highly visible to the public, reach key audiences who can influence policy and practice, and turn research into action.

  • The fellowship is aimed at undergraduate and graduate students. Applicants are expected to be currently enrolled in a degree program OR have recently finished a degree program in 2024 OR  be planning to enter a graduate degree program by January 2026 with proof of acceptance. Fellows must have reliable internet access to participate in the program. 

    Fellows may come from any field of study including natural and physical sciences, social science, arts, humanities, communications, journalism, public relations, etc., except where specifically noted in a fellowship description. We prioritize a track record of having pursued positive change for the environment, the climate, and communities. 

    Additionally, all fellows must be able to work and write fluently in English, the primary language of the fellowship program. 

  • Fellows are expected to be fully committed to attending all scheduled events, at times that vary from week to week, and are expected to meet all deadlines. Fellows must fully participate in the program to receive their stipend and recognition of completion. The schedule is mainly but not limited to the U.S. ET working hours. Given the global participation of this program, Fellows must be highly flexible in accommodating different time zones to collaborate effectively with others in the group. Fellowships may include required or optional travel as noted in the descriptions. 

  • May 28 – September 5, 2025 

  • $3000

Clean Energy

Planet Reimagined’s Common Grounds Initiative seeks to develop co-located renewable energy resources on public lands actively being used for fossil fuel production. Twenty-three million acres of federal land is currently leased for oil and gas production and exploration, a large percentage of which is located in areas with high potential for renewable energy generation. Through co-location - the mixed use of one unit of land for multiple productive purposes - the Common Grounds team is working to encourage land-sharing between existing fossil fuel lease lands and clean energy projects in order to increase the number of renewable energy projects on public lands, revitalize energy communities through reinvestment, and reduce energy related emissions.

The 2025 energy fellowship contributions will focus on producing action research in support of the Common Grounds mission in the United States and internationally. Energy fellows will perform research and advocacy on one of the two areas described below:

Global Common Grounds: Co-Locating Clean Energy on Fossil Fuel Lands in The Middle East and South America

Fellows will review the renewable energy development potential on previously contaminated or disturbed lands in the Middle East and South America. Through action research, fellows will contribute to the Common Grounds initiative by identifying opportunities to support renewable energy adoption and encourage the repurposing of disturbed lands - previously degraded from fossil fuel extraction - for clean energy production. Research questions will include the following:

  • What is the available land associated with abandoned or current  fossil fuel infrastructure?

  • What private and public sector stakeholders are actively involved in the reclamation and remediation of previously disturbed lands?

  • What are the unique policies/regulations that would affect the ability to co-locate solar or wind with abandoned fossil fuel infrastructure?

Through advocacy and outreach, fellows will build and nurture relationships with energy, land management, policy, and research stakeholders in their assigned region. Additionally, fellows will create public facing content to strengthen support for renewable energy development initiatives and disseminate information on policy and programmatic efforts aimed at accelerating the adoption of clean energy resources. 
Additional eligibility requirements:

  • Education or experience with research projects in renewable energy development is preferred. An understanding of energy markets outside of the United States is required.

The fellowship is primarily virtual. Optional travel may include invitations to attend in-person meetings or events.

Workforce Development: Strategies to Create Clean Energy Jobs 

Fellows will review workforce development initiatives as they relate to decarbonization, energy equity, and environmental justice with a specific focus on the U.S. intermountain west. Through action research, fellows will contribute to the Common Grounds initiative by identifying opportunities to support skills training, education, and professional advancement for workers within the renewable energy sector and work together to determine how workforce development models in energy communities can be incorporated into Common Grounds projects. Through advocacy and outreach, fellows will build and nurture relationships with clean energy and workforce development stakeholders throughout the United States such as GRID Alternatives, Interstate Renewable Energy Council, and Center for Energy Workforce Development. Additionally, fellows will create public facing content, using storytelling as an element of action research to create a broader constituency for siting renewable resources on state and federal lands, to strengthen support for renewable workforce development initiatives, and to disseminate information on policy and programmatic efforts aimed at expanding the accessibility of workforce training opportunities. 

Additional eligibility requirements: 

  • Workforce Development Fellows must be U.S. citizens or have permission to work in the U.S. 

  • Education or experience with research projects in workforce development and renewable energy is preferred. An understanding of U.S. based energy markets is required. 

The fellowship is primarily virtual. Optional travel may include invitations to attend in-person meetings or events. 

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. Plan to submit your application as soon as possible. Application will close on Friday March 14, 2025 at 11:59 PM EST. 

Building a Fan-based Climate Movement

Planet Reimagined’s Amplify program is pioneering new ways to mobilize live event audiences for climate action. Hundreds of millions of tickets are sold every year in the United States bringing communities together around music, sports, comedy, and other collective entertainment experiences. In these shared moments, as we sing, dance, cheer, and laugh together, many tap into an energizing experience of connection, empowerment, and hope known as “collective effervescence.” Amplify seeks to harness the magic of these shared experiences by providing fans with the opportunity to transform their collective energy into positive social change. Live entertainment events provide the opportunity for effective advocacy that empowers artists, athletes, comics, and other celebrities to act as trusted messengers who connect their loyal fans to local organizers who provide tangible ways for them to make an impact in their community. 

See Amplify: How to Build a Fan-Based Climate Movement to learn how this program has helped drive climate action at sold-out concerts and produce real climate wins across the US.   

Mobilizing Sports Fans for Climate Action

As part of the 2025 New Futures Fellowship cohort, fellows will produce action research, including communications materials, in support of Amplify’s mission by exploring how to perform effective climate advocacy in professional sports. Fellows will research and propose relevant recommendations based on recent past examples and current practices to understand how professional athletes and sports teams engage in social change issues in the United States. This research may include the unique dynamics between individual athletes, teams, and management; and the possible positive and negative impacts of climate advocacy in a variety of sports contexts. Action may focus on promoting the unique ways that athletes can synergize their advocacy across games, interviews, social channels, brand partnerships, and other unique mediums. 

The aim of this fellowship is to produce key insights and recommendations to shape future advocacy efforts in the professional sports context and to develop compelling media content to disseminate project recommendations and expand public support for this approach.  


Additional eligibility: 

  • Mobilizing Sports Fans Fellows must be U.S. citizens or have permission to work in the U.S. 

  • Education/Experience in social advocacy, including coursework or hands-on experience in community organizing, policy advocacy, or related fields, is required.

  • General familiarity with and understanding of U.S. professional sports, including awareness of major leagues and teams, and the cultural influence of sports in American culture, is required.

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. Plan to submit your application as soon as possible. Application will close on Friday March 14, 2025 at 11:59 PM EST. 

River Delta Communities 

Applications for this fellowship have closed.

The 2025 fellowship project contributes to Planet Reimagined’s ongoing impact program on River Delta Communities. The 2025 fellowship contribution will focus on the impact of river delta deterioration on young people and their futures, with case studies on three globally important Deltas: the Mississippi, Danube (Romania), and Mekong (Vietnam). 

The Fellows will highlight key challenges facing youth (18-30 years old) in their designated river delta and work to propel change through action research, including advocacy and persuasive storytelling, and work together for solutions across all three case studies. 

River deltas are home to half a billion people. They are hubs of economic trade, cultural life, local livelihoods, agriculture, and aquaculture, and are critical for thousands of plant and animal species. They supply 4% of the world’s food on just 0.5% of the world’s land. Yet they are among the most threatened and vulnerable landscapes, experiencing sediment loss, sinking, increased flooding, and pollution, caused by human activity and worsened by climate change.

Young people in river delta communities are experiencing these adverse effects but their concerns remain largely unaddressed in climate policy and adaptation plans.

Fellows will consolidate research on youth-related issues, including employment, education, environmental impacts, physical and mental health; engage with relevant local organizations, institutions, or community members in the river deltas of Mississippi, Danube, and Mekong; identify areas to support ongoing solutions and bring research about the value of river deltas to a broader audience. Advocacy will aim to influence state, national, and regional adaptation plans and international standard-setting, providing decision-makers with youth-focused insights and solutions. Furthermore, storytelling as an element of action research will create a broader constituency for making the protection of river deltas a priority, translating complex climate and environmental issues into narratives that bridge local communities with policymakers. Fellows will be supported to travel in person to their respective delta region to visit groups and gather stories through interviews, photos, videos, and other interaction.   

Ultimately, this program supports changes in policy or practice that will allow the next generation in river delta communities to lead resilient, sustainable futures.

Applications for this fellowship have closed.