Improving Community Outreach for Climate Resilience in North Fair Oaks
Overview
NFOCA is a relatively new, grassroots nonprofit organization established by community leaders in North Fair Oaks (NFO), an unincorporated community surrounded by the cities of Menlo Park, Atherton, and Redwood City. NFOCA seeks to increase community representation and participation in NFO, in order to empower residents, promote unity and support understanding of social, cultural, economic, environmental, and health issues. The founders of NFOCA are long-time residents of North Fair Oaks who bring diverse, professional backgrounds as well as a combined 50+ years of community work and activism. NFOCA’s current projects address issues of health, environment, education, safety and preparedness, society and culture, and economy.
Climate change has created new challenges, particularly for marginalized and people of color communities. Much of NFOCA’s work relates to mitigating, planning, and preparing for climate change-related events, including more frequent heat waves, wildfire smoke impacts, and flooding. Accomplishing this requires building a strong base of community participation and engagement in community activities and in decision-making processes that affect North Fair Oaks. As one of its projects, NFOCA seeks to create Block Action Teams to support community preparedness and emergency response. These Block Action Teams will also provide a strong foundation for building involvement in other NFOCA programs, including a current effort to plant trees in order to reduce heat impacts and improve overall community well-being.
The founders of NFOCA have been working with Stanford faculty and students, particularly with the Stanford Future Bay Initiative, for several years on understanding and building resilience to climate risks in the community. Much of this collaboration has focused on mapping vulnerabilities and data analysis to inform implementation of programs such as a tree-planting effort, to reduce heat impacts and provide other environmental benefits.
About the Fellowship
The intern would play a key role in establishing key organizational functions, outreach, and communications, as well as contribute to critical projects. Activities may include:
Improving outreach and communication with the community:
- Assist in creating and implementing an effective social media outreach plan.
- Develop and test strategies to determine best ways to engage and inform residents, particularly during climate-related events, but also for civic engagement and community participation.
- Logistics of mailing/distributing materials community-wide and assist with NFOCA’s newsletter. This may include going door-to-door to engage with community members to provide written/verbal information.
- Assist with production of training materials that include handouts, videos, social media posts, and webinars.
- Help advocate for more trees in North Fair Oaks. This may involve engaging with community members to support community petitions to government officials, collaborating with other organizations, writing Op-ed pieces in local newspapers, etc.
- Assist with dissemination of information of DIY air filters, which includes community outreach and training through social media and webinars.
Assistance with the organization’s operation:
- Help identify potential funding sources and assist with grant writing and innovative nonprofit organizational sustainability options.
- Compile information about NFOCA’s work to date and incorporate it into NFOCA's website for public display/access.
- Create essential documentation/tools for future onboarding interns, including a basic description, history, list of useful websites, contacts' info, etc.
- Assist in launching the NFO Emergency Block Action Team (BAT) Program to prepare for climate change events, including outreach & recruitment needs.
- Assist with identifying funding sources and proposal preparation/submission for additional emergency kits that can be donated to BAT participants.
The student would gain an understanding of how a small grass-roots community organization works, as well as different efforts to outreach to and engage with a difficult to reach, diverse community.
Preferred qualifications:
- Self starter who is able to take initiative and be proactive
- A passion to advance equity and environmental justice and a commitment to working with people of color and marginalized communities to improve the environment and overall health of the community
- Experience working with community-based organizations, and an interest in being part of launching new, grassroots programs
- Experience and interest in communications and community outreach
- We prefer undergrad or masters-level students
Thank you for your interest!
Stipend
Undergraduate Cardinal Quarter Fellows receive a base stipend of $8,000 (which includes a $500 cost of living adjustment for the Bay Area) to support living expenses during the 10-week fellowship. Financial aid and supplemental funding ($1,000-$1,500 additional) may be available to students who qualify (learn more here).
Students in a 2-year Masters program will receive a stipend of $9,500. Students who have begun their coterm programs (i.e. paying graduate tuition) will also receive a stipend of $9,500.
Please note that students can apply for no more than three different PCJ fellowship opportunities during a single application round.
This is a full-time (35-40 hours/week), 10-week opportunity during Summer 2025, starting no later than July 7, 2025. All fellows are required to work with their community partners for ten consecutive weeks.
Undergraduate, co-term and Masters students from all academic disciplines are encouraged to apply. Priority will be given to students who have completed fewer than two previous Cardinal Quarter opportunities.
Graduating seniors are only eligible to apply during Round 2 (early April) if funding is available and positions are still open. Please note graduating seniors are not eligible for financial aid supplemental funding. Please review our program policies for complete eligibility requirements.
In order to be eligible for a Haas Center-sponsored Cardinal Quarter summer opportunity, undergraduate students are required to be enrolled in both the winter and spring quarters. Graduate level students must be enrolled at least in spring quarter.
Students are required to be in good academic standing. The requirements for good academic standing include: 1) Earn at least 9 units of credit in a single quarter. 2) Earn at least 36 units over the most recent three quarters 3) Maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or above.
Additional Fellowship Requirements
This opportunity is associated with Partnerships for Climate Justice in the Bay Area (PCJ in the Bay), an initiative to build equitable climate change solutions by supporting partnerships between Stanford students, faculty and Bay Area community leaders. Fellows will be a part of a cohort of other PCJ in the Bay summer fellows placed at sites across the Bay Area.
Additional requirements include
Spring 2025:
- Complete an online program orientation.
- Participate in an in-person Engaging in Ethical and Effective Service workshop at the Haas Center.
- Identify and meet with an academic mentor (Stanford faculty or staff) at least once.
- Design a personal learning plan and share the learning plan with your site supervisor and academic mentor.
- Complete all required pre-orientation forms.
- Attend the spring retreat with cohort peers (date TBD).
Summer 2025:
- Complete a pre-program assessment survey.
- Attend all PCJ in the Bay Fellows cohort activities (more information will be shared about these events in spring quarter).
- Submit a final report documenting your work and reflecting on your learning.
- Correspond with fellowship donor(s) as requested by fellowships program staff.
- Complete a post-program assessment survey.
Fall 2025:
- Meet with your academic mentor to discuss your fellowship experience at least once.
- Participate in outreach activities to share the experience and help publicize the program.
Frequently Asked Questions for PCJ Summer 2025 Fellowships.
Selection Process
Complete applications are screened, finalists interviewed, and fellows selected by the host organizations staff with the intention to award fellowships prior to spring break. Applicants should respond promptly (within 48 hours) via email to a fellowship offer, or the offer will be rescinded. Once an applicant accepts a fellowship offer, the student should promptly notify all other Stanford and non-Stanford programs to which they have applied that they have accepted another offer and to withdraw their candidacy.
