Blue Forest, Biodiversity and Climate Finance Internship, Summer 2025
Every summer, The Bill Lane Center for the American West offers many opportunities for Stanford undergraduates (including graduating seniors and co-terms) to work with organizations throughout the West. Through these internships, students can explore careers in natural history, conservation, land use, museum curation, resource management, energy and more.
All internships are full-time for nine to ten weeks during the summer. They are fully funded by the Lane Center with stipends ranging from $7,500 to $10,000.
The Lane Center has placed hundreds of interns in positions across the West since 2005. It has developed strong relationships with host organizations and works hard to ensure interns have successful and enriching experiences.
For more information about the internship program, please visit the FAQs page, or email Education Manager Corinne Thomas.
Details about previous summer student interns and their placements can be found here.
Student reflections about the internship experience can be found by visiting the Out West student blog and the Lane Center Instagram channel.
Stipend Information:
The Bill Lane Center will provide a base stipend of $7,500 with additional funding for student financial aid and location, if applicable, up to $10,000. The stipend is provided to cover living expenses and, if applicable, part of the summer earnings expectation of the Office of Financial Aid.
The stipend is not intended to be, and is not, a paid, hourly wage. An internship is an educational and experiential learning opportunity intended for the student to apply their academics and gain real-world experience.
Description of the Organization:
Blue Forest is a conservation finance non-profit founded in 2015 that advances ecosystem restoration through scientific research, financial innovation, and collaborative partnerships. Since 2018, Blue Forest has managed investor capital through its flagship financial product, the Forest Resilience Bond (FRB), which deploys private capital to finance forest restoration projects to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire.
Internship Overview:
The intern will work on a project to analyze the demand drivers, quantification tools, and frameworks in biodiversity and carbon markets. Their work will involve reviewing policies, market reports, and international agreements, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity or the Paris Agreement, to map out how biodiversity and carbon targets are set, tracked, and achieved. Key tasks will include identifying major target- setters (e.g., countries, corporations), examining the metrics used (e.g., Mean Species Abundance, Biodiversity Intactness Index), evaluating effectiveness of existing systems, and assessing variations in market behavior among different entities.
Additionally, the intern will conduct interviews with experts in the field to gain insights into current market expectations and emerging trends. Their findings will help Blue Forest understand the practical applications of these frameworks and identify opportunities for engaging in biodiversity and carbon markets. The intern will independently manage this project, producing a report and presentation with actionable insights and potential strategies for Blue Forest’s involvement in these growing markets.
Internship Work Environment:
The internship will be fully remote and indoor, with a focus on research and analysis, occasional in-person events and day-long trips to the Sierra Nevada or greater Sacrament/ Bay Area to visit project sites. There may be a potential opportunity for a field visit to a project site, depending on scheduling.
The intern must be located in the Bay Area/Sacramento region.
The intern will primarily work independently on their project, with oversight and guidance from a supervisor/mentor within Blue Forest’s science team. They may also engage with team members in other departments specializing in ecosystem services, policy analysis, and market research as needed for insights and feedback.
The intern will receive guidance and supervision from a mentor who will provide project direction, set expectations, and review their work. They will have opportunities to meet with other team members for introductions, coffee chats, and feedback on specific aspects of the project, ensuring alignment with Blue Forest’s strategic goals.
A typical day will involve conducting desktop research on biodiversity and carbon markets, including reviewing policy documents, market reports, and target-setting frameworks. The intern may spend part of the day analyzing and summarizing findings or identifying key metrics and demand drivers. They will also prepare for or conduct interviews with industry experts, followed by organizing and synthesizing interview insights. Regular check-ins with their mentor will keep the project on track, with time allocated to preparing visual aids or reports summarizing their progress.
The intern will primarily work with professionals in their 20s-30s on the Blue Forest team, rather than with other college-age students or interns.
The intern must be located in the Bay Area/Sacramento region.
Transportation: It is not necessary for the intern to have a car; Blue Forest can arrange car pools for site visits.
Housing is not provided.
Blue Forest's location is Sacramento, California.
- Analyze and summarize policy documents, market reports, and international agreements related to biodiversity and carbon markets.
- Identify and catalog key target-setting entities, their metrics, and frameworks in biodiversity and carbon finance.
- Conduct interviews with market experts and compile insights on current and emerging trends.
- Explore at least one US-based case study in the biodiversity or carbon market and align it with findings from tasks 1, 2, and 3.
- Develop a report outlining findings and including visual displays that illustrate variations in market participation, biodiversity targets, market demand drivers, and potential engagement strategies.
Bill Lane Center internships are part of Cardinal Quarter opportunities and students from all disciplines are encouraged to apply. The opportunities are full-time (40 hours a week) for 9-10 consecutive weeks during the summer.
Specific start and end dates during the summer can be coordinated directly with the supervisor.
All undergraduates of any year, including graduating seniors, are eligible. Graduating seniors are eligible only if they are graduating in spring quarter. Students who have already graduated, e.g., fall or winter quarter of this academic year are not eligible.
Preference is given to students who have not previously been awarded a Bill Lane Center West internship and to students who will be enrolled the following fall quarter.
For more application advice, please visit the BLC’s FAQs page.
Please note:
- Students are not permitted to engage in another full-time internship, job, or volunteer opportunity (whether funded by Stanford or otherwise) during this full-time, summer internship.
- Student athletes should confirm the impact of any awarded stipend on their athletic eligibility by contacting the Compliance Services Office prior to committing to an internship.
- New Stipend Policy per the U.S. Department of Education: A stipend is considered a resource and it may have an impact on a student’s financial aid. To comply with US Department of Education regulations, student payments, awards, prizes, and gifts that are made available to the student because they are a Stanford student, must be reported to the Financial Aid Office. The Financial Aid Office is responsible for the disbursement of stipend funds to undergraduates. For more information, please visit the Financial Aid Office's webpage about the student stipend policy.
Application Guidelines for this Internship:
Blue Forest has an interdisciplinary team and welcomes students with broad backgrounds.
It prefers more experienced students who are comfortable with a high level of autonomy.
Majors in environmental science, ecology, conservation finance, environmental management, economics, climate policy, or related fields would be most relevant.
Required Skills:
- Strong research, reading, and synthesis abilities to analyze complex policy and market information effectively.
- Excellent writing skills are essential for clear report writing and summarizing findings.
- Candidates must have experience with conducting interviews, basic project management, and the ability to work independently on tasks.
- Familiarity with Excel or Google Sheets for data handling is also required.
Preferred Skills:
- Prior experience with conservation finance, biodiversity metrics, or carbon market analysis, which would help the intern navigate specialized topics more effectively.
- Familiarity with environmental policy frameworks or international agreements, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, would be beneficial.
- Blue Forest also values skills in data visualization for creating informative charts and infographics, as well as prior experience in stakeholder engagement or market research, which would be useful for conducting expert interviews.
- Strong organizational skills and familiarity with project management tools (like Trello or Asana) are a plus.
Selection of applicants:
Complete applications are screened by Lane Center staff and the top candidates are contacted for a first-round interview with staff from The Bill Lane Center for the American West.
After the first-round interviews, top candidates for the position are then selected by a Lane Center committee to be forwarded to the host organization for consideration and possible second-round interviews with their potential supervisors and other staff. Preference is given to students who have not previously been awarded a Bill Lane Center West internship and to students who will be enrolled the following fall quarter.
After consideration, host organizations will then notify the Lane Center of their preferred candidate and that applicant will receive an internship offer from the Bill Lane Center by email.
The applicant is expected to respond promptly (within 48 hours) via email to the offer or the offer will be rescinded and another candidate may receive the offer.
Once an applicant accepts the offer, they should promptly notify all other Stanford and non-Stanford programs to which they have applied that they have accepted the Lane Center internship offer and withdraw their candidacy from those other opportunities.
Applicants not selected will be notified by Lane Center staff as soon as possible.
