United States of America (Stanford off-campus)

Schneider Summer Fellowships: California Forward - Summer 2027

Description of Organization

California Forward (CA FWD) is a multi-partisan, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization building a New California Economy that is sustainable, resilient, and inclusive. We support economic growth using a regions-up approach, stewarding state resources, driving the energy transition, and building resilience in the face of a changing climate.

CA FWD has two Schneider Fellowship positions available for summer 2027.

Fellowship 1: Climate and Fiscal Resilience Fellow

Without proactive action to reduce risk and build resilience, the public sector will continue to face mounting costs from climate-driven natural disasters that limit resources for infrastructure, social services, workforce development, and economic opportunity. CA FWD is committed to meeting this moment by advancing bold, practical solutions through an approach that considers all climate risks, strengthens fiscal health, drives investments in climate adaptation, and aligns economic incentives to improve insurability.

The Fiscal Resilience Fellow will research opportunities to secure public revenues for resilience at the state and local levels. This work will draw on CA FWD’s Resilience District Incubator and publications including Investing in Resilience: A Framework for Funding and Financing Climate Adaptation and Paying for Preparedness: Why California Needs Sustained Investment in Climate Resilience. Related assignments may include developing resources on securing state and local public revenues for resilience, including contributions to funding and financing toolkit specific to Climate Resilience Districts.

The fellow will also contribute legislative tracking, research, and memos across CA FWD’s Fiscal Resilience work. This will include assignments responding to research needs, policy developments, and questions emerging from the program’s expert workgroups, including the Community Wildfire Resilience Workgroup.

The fellow will work with CA FWD’s Fiscal Resilience Team, with regular guidance and opportunities to engage with government, nonprofit and community partners.

Specific tasks may include:

Conduct legislative tracking, research, and memos across CA FWD’s Fiscal Resilience work.
Research state and local public revenue options for resilience, including existing mechanisms, potential new approaches and policy changes that could help communities secure sustained investment.
Develop research memos and case studies for resources on securing public revenues for resilience, including contributing to funding and financing toolkit focused on Climate Resilience Districts.
Review literature, participate in stakeholder conversations, and synthesize findings into clear materials for policy and practitioner audiences

Work Location and Start Date

CA FWD is a fully remote organization. This position will be based in California and may include in-state travel.
Fellows must begin the week of June 14 or June 21, 2027.
Work is full-time (35-40 hours per week) for twelve consecutive weeks.

Application Requirements

Resume (Required)

1–2-page resume covering academic and work experience. Relevant coursework, research projects, leadership or volunteer work may be included.

Cover Letter (Required)

One-page on your interest in the fellowship and your experience.

Writing Sample (Required)

3-5 pages, or an excerpt, from a research paper, policy memo or analysis you wrote.

Reference (Required)

One name and contact.

Fellowship 2: Carbon Management Fellow

The Carbon Management Fellow will help CA FWD make carbon accounting easier to produce and more useful for business decisions. The work builds on the GHG Protocol, the standard most companies already use, and asks how emissions data can inform procurement, logistics and investment decisions. The fellow will work across three connected areas: CA FWD's Carbon Accounting Working Group of California companies, implementation of California's corporate climate disclosure law (SB 253) with a focus on Scope 3 supply chain emissions, and a 2027 pilot with a partner company testing whether better emissions data or market-based purchasing changes how it makes decisions.

Analyze corporate SB 253 disclosures and California Air Resources Board (CARB) rulemaking materials, focusing on Scope 3 implementation.
Research questions raised by Working Group members and summarize findings in short memos.
Support the design of the evaluation framework for CA FWD's 2027 pilot, including metrics, baseline data and data collection templates.
Join Working Group meetings and stakeholder interviews, take notes and track recurring themes.
Shadow meetings with CARB staff, partner companies and research partners.

Deliverables

SB 253 disclosure and Scope 3 analysis (lead): a dataset and short report on the first SB 253 Scope 1 and 2 reports from companies in CA FWD's priority sectors, with implications for Scope 3 implementation.
Working Group research memos (lead): two or three short memos answering questions the Working Group sets, such as how companies source supplier data for priority Scope 3 categories.
2027 pilot evaluation framework (support): research and analysis for an evaluation design led by the Director of Carbon Management, including a review of evaluation methods, draft metrics and data templates.

Qualifications

Undergraduate or graduate student in environmental engineering, earth systems, economics, business, public policy or a related field.
Working knowledge of the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard and Scope 3 Standard, through coursework, research or work experience.
Strong spreadsheet skills in Excel or Google Sheets, including cleaning data, lookups and pivot tables.
Interest in climate policy, supply chains and corporate sustainability. Familiarity with life-cycle assessment or product carbon footprints is a plus.
Clear writing for policy and business audiences.
Organized, self-directed and detail-oriented, and comfortable working remotely.

Supervisor

The fellow will work directly with Aaron Schreiber-Stainthorp, Director of Carbon Management, with weekly check-ins.

Work Location and Start Date

CA FWD is a fully remote organization. This position will be based in California and may include in-state travel.
Fellows must begin the week of June 14 or June 21, 2027.
Work is full-time (35-40 hours per week) for twelve consecutive weeks.

Application Requirements

Resume (Required)

One to two pages covering academic and work experience. Relevant coursework, research projects, leadership or volunteer work may be included.

Cover Letter (Required)

One-page on your interest in the fellowship and your experience with GHG accounting, data analysis, supply chains or climate policy.

Writing Sample (Required)

Three to five pages, or an excerpt, from a research paper, policy memo or analysis you wrote. A sustainable energy or policy topic is ideal but not required.

Reference (Required)

One name and contact.

Eligibility and Requirements:

Eligibility:

For complete eligibility requirements, please review our program policies in its entirety.

Applicants must be:

enrolled at Stanford for the winter and spring quarters of this academic year (2026-27); and
be in good academic standing and not on suspension, probation, or academic notice.

International Students on an F-1 or J-1 visa should consult with Bechtel International Center to confirm eligibility and work authorization requirements.

Undergraduates and graduate students from all academic disciplines are encouraged to apply, and applicants may vary in academic interests, public service involvement, and experience. Priority will be given to students who have completed fewer than two previous Cardinal Quarter opportunities.

Students can apply to up to four Schneider Fellowship host organizations for summer 2027.

Requirements:

Selected Fellows are expected to begin service by June 21, 2027 for this summer fellowship. All fellows are required to work with their community partners full-time (35-40 hours) for twelve consecutive weeks at their placements. Other commitments include the following:

Quarter before fellowship

Complete an online program orientation.
Complete the Engaging in Ethical and Effective Service workshop or worksheet.
Attend Schneider Fellows cohort session(s)
Identify and meet with an on-campus mentor at least once.
Design a personal learning plan and share the learning plan with site supervisor and on-campus mentor.
Complete all required pre-orientation forms.

During fellowship

Submit a brief preliminary report.
Submit a final report, complete a program evaluation, and correspond with fellowship donor(s) as requested by fellowships program staff.

Quarter after fellowship

Meet with on-campus mentor at least once.
Participate in outreach activities to share the experience and help publicize the program.

Selection Process:

For those who seek assistance, advising is available at the Haas Center to help students develop their applications.

This fellowship is intended for individuals whose application, references, and interview demonstrate

an integration of the fellowship experience with applicant’s academic, personal and/or career goals
prior demonstrated interest or involvement in the subject area, including related coursework
a compelling match between applicant’s skills and interests and an organization’s work and needs
strong potential for the fellowship experience to deepen a candidate’s understanding of an identified community issue or challenge

Complete applications are screened, finalists interviewed, and fellows selected by our partner organizations with the intention to award fellowships within six weeks of the application deadline. Applicants are responsible for checking their Stanford email (including Spam folders) and responding promptly to interview invitations. Failure to respond to an interview invitation will result in withdrawal of the application.

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.

Amount

$11,500

Opportunity Type:

Internship

Public Service

Cardinal Service

Contact:

Valerie Chow

Email: vychow@stanford.edu