The Robert and Patricia Switzer Foundation created the Leadership Grant Program in 1990 to help advance the professional careers of Switzer Fellowship Alumni and to give non-profit organizations, educational institutions and government agencies greater access to individuals with superior technical and scientific expertise. Grants are awarded to organizations actively addressing issues of environmental quality to implement programs designed collaboratively with Switzer Fellows.

Past Leadership Grant recipients have included organizations such as the Union of Concerned Scientists, the Apollo Alliance, Adirondack Nature Conservancy, The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment, and the Massachusetts Audubon Society. Non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations with public charity status, government agencies and educational institutions which aim to employ a Switzer Fellow in a substantive role are eligible to apply for Leadership grants. The project or position must have an applied focus that will yield positive environmental change.