Leadership Grants | Robert & Patricia Switzer Foundation

Leadership Grants advance the skills and leadership capacity of Switzer Fellows and connect organizations with experts in environmental science, policy, and justice.

Leadership Grants are awarded to nonprofit organizations to create a leadership position or project for a Switzer Fellow that actively advances environmental improvement. Grant projects may address any environmental issue; however, there must be a clear partnership between the fellow and the organization that accomplishes three things:

Advances the leadership skills, expertise, and professional career of a Switzer Fellow;
Achieves near-term measurable improvement on a specific environmental issue through the work of the Switzer Fellow; and
Builds the long-term capacity of the organization to effectively address the environmental issue.

One-year grants of up to $60,000 are considered. Projects must involve Switzer Fellows in a substantive leadership role. Fellows may be employed as full- or part-time staff, or on a contractual or consulting basis, as long as the project is designed to utilize and advance the fellow's expertise and leadership on the issue. Funds are awarded to the organization, which is responsible for advising and mentoring the fellow toward achieving their professional goals.

Applications open in the fall and grant decisions are announced in December.

Curious what makes a good Leadership Grant?

View recent grant recipients

Guidelines

Leadership Grants are most appropriate for new projects in which a Switzer Fellow's expertise can contribute to near-term impact, or for creating a new position for a Switzer Fellow. Funds may be used to cover direct program costs, including salaries and benefits, consulting fees, travel, materials and equipment. Up to 15% of overhead recovery will be considered. Applicant organizations are expected to provide matching funds.

The foundation currently awards one-year grants. In some cases, requests for a second year of funding are accepted; however, the applicant organization is expected to demonstrate substantial progress toward project goals and an increasing cost-share over time.

Leadership Grants may support a project in an organization where a fellow is already employed. Such requests may be considered if the project will significantly elevate the fellow's leadership role in the organization and take their work in a substantial new direction with clear environmental benefits.

For projects in which the fellow will be based at a college or university, advance communication with foundation staff is required. Please be advised that projects which create new institutes, research centers, or educational programs are not eligible for leadership grant funding. Only those projects in which fellows will make a significant contribution to policy or practice beyond the university will be considered.

Fellows may receive a maximum of three years of funding through the Leadership Grant program in one or more projects throughout their careers. Organizations may only submit one concept letter per grant cycle and may receive a maximum of one grant per year.

Who Can Apply

U.S.-based nonprofit 501(c) (3) organizations with public charity status, public agencies and educational institutions that propose to employ a Switzer Fellow in a substantive leadership role are eligible to apply. See Recent Recipients for a summary of organizations that have received Leadership Grants in the past. The project or position must have an applied focus that will yield positive environmental change. Support for fellows doing international work may be considered as long as a U.S.-based host organization is the grantee and all other criteria are met.

How to Apply

First Steps

This grant program is only open to organizations working with a Switzer Fellow. See How to Find a Fellow or Organization below for suggestions on finding a partnership.
Once an organization and a Switzer Fellow have agreed to pursue a Leadership Grant project together, the organization or the fellow must contact the Switzer Foundation to discuss the anticipated project and ensure the project idea meets the guidelines.
After the initial conversation, the organization may be directed to submit a concept letter summarizing the proposed project. Concept letters are due between August 15 and September 5. They should be 1-2 pages and describe the project, the position for the fellow, and the ways in which the proposed work meets the grant program criteria. Please include the total amount to be requested and describe the matching funds that will be contributed to the project.
Concept letters will be reviewed in early September, and the applicant will be notified whether a full proposal is invited by mid-September. If a full proposal is invited, follow the grant proposal requirements below.
Concept letters and proposals are to be written collaboratively between the Switzer Fellow and the applicant organization. No requests will be considered from an organization that has not developed the proposal jointly with a Switzer Fellow.
For organizations submitting full proposals, foundation staff will conduct telephone interviews with the Switzer Fellow and the organization during the grant review process.

Proposal Requirements

All proposals should include the following, and should be submitted as a single Adobe PDF document (audited financials can be a separate document):

A completed Robert and Patricia Switzer Foundation Leadership Grant Program Cover Sheet.
A project narrative that includes:
- A brief description of the applicant organization, its current programs and services.
- A statement of the environmental problem being addressed and the particular skills, capacity, and relationships that qualify the organization to undertake this work.
- A description of the activity to be undertaken with foundation support and outlining the specific work plan for the year including a timeline.
- A statement describing the near-term products and longer-term outcomes expected to result from this work. A description of the constituencies engaged in the project, and the social, economic, and political dimensions of the work, including who benefits from the proposed project.
- A statement of how the organization will be strengthened by the collaboration with the fellow, the specific role and responsibilities of the fellow, and specific training or professional development opportunities that will be provided to the fellow.
- An explanation of the timing and commitment for raising matching funds for the project, including specifying who is responsible for raising matching funds.
A letter from the Switzer Fellow relating the proposal to their professional development and professional career objectives.
The Switzer Fellow's and the project supervisor's curriculum vitae.
A statement signed by both the fellow and the organization regarding the nature of the collaboration and their employment agreement, including details on pay rate and benefits. Indicate whether the position is temporary, part-time, full-time, staff, or consulting, and whether or not it is expected to become permanent.
An itemized income and expense budget for the proposed project, indicating other known or anticipated sources of funding, and a budget for training or professional development to meet the career objectives of the Switzer Fellow. See budget guidelines for more details.
A copy of the IRS tax status determination letter along with a statement signed by an officer of the applicant organization that the IRS determination letter is still valid.

Please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions before submitting concept letters or proposals.

Proposal materials should be submitted electronically to Maya Higgins.

Application Deadlines

Proposal Evaluation

Projects are evaluated by the degree to which they advance the Switzer Fellow’s leadership skills and professional career, expand the organization’s capacity, address a critical environmental problem, improve environmental quality, and achieve equitable environmental outcomes.

All Leadership Grant Program proposals submitted for review are evaluated in a two-step process. First, foundation staff check proposals for completeness and have phone conversations with the Switzer Fellow and lead contact for the organization. Then, proposals are reviewed by a panel consisting of members of the Fellows Advisory Committee, Board of Trustees, and staff using the Leadership Grant Review Evaluation Matrix. Applicants are encouraged to review the matrix and ensure their proposal meets the program criteria.

Reporting

How to Find a Fellow or an Organization

Switzer Fellows who are seeking a partner organization for a project should contact us. Staff may be able to facilitate connections between fellows and prospective organizations. If fellows already have a partner organization in mind, they should also contact Maya to discuss their project idea.

Organizations seeking a Switzer Fellow with whom to develop a proposal should contact foundation staff, but may also search our Fellow Directory. For help finding a fellow, submit the following information to Maya Higgins: Organization name, contact name and title, full organization contact information including email and website address, brief organization description, and a summary describing the position or project you hope to fill with a Switzer Fellow. Please indicate any time restrictions if applicable.

Recent Grant recipients