Schneider Summer Fellowships: Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) - Summer 2026
Through the Schneider Fellows program, Stanford students work at leading U.S. nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the sustainable energy field. Schneider Summer Fellows spend a summer quarter tackling the world’s economic, environmental, social, and technical challenges associated with harnessing energy resources to deliver energy services.
Fellows receive a stipend of $11,500 for a 12-week summer fellowship. Additional funding of up to $1500 is available for fellowship-related travel.
NRDC (the Natural Resources Defense Council) works to safeguard the earth—its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. NRDC combines the power of more than 3 million members and online activists with the expertise of some 700 scientists, lawyers, and other environmental specialists to confront the climate crisis, protect the planet's wildlife and wild places, and to ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities.
Check out the seven summer fellowship positions available to Stanford students below. Applicants can apply to and rank up to three fellowship positions.
Schneider Fellows will begin their fellowships either on June 15, 2026 or June 22, 2026.
Fellowship 1: Equitable Climate Action in Colorado
Division: Place-based Advocacy
Office and Work Arrangement: Hybrid (8 days a month, about 2x a week) out of New York, D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, or Santa Monica. Manager is located in Chicago and it is highly preferred for the Schneider Fellow to work hybrid out of the Chicago office.
Position will support statewide efforts to advance bold, equitable climate action in Colorado, including through clean transportation and public transit, and clean energy in the power sector. The fellow will research and track state-level climate policy developments, contribute to policy analysis and education related to the upcoming gubernatorial transition in 2026 (in a (c)(3) advocacy capacity), and help build upon the forthcoming Colorado Climate Blueprint. The fellow will collaborate with partners and coalitions to promote effective climate policies that accelerate the state's path toward a clean energy future while reducing costs.
Fellowship 2: Power Sector Policy Analysis
Division: Place-based Advocacy
Office and Work Arrangement: Hybrid (8 days a month, about 2x a week) out of New York, D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, or Santa Monica. Manager is located in Chicago and it is highly preferred for the Schneider Fellow to work hybrid out of the Chicago office.
Position will support analysis of different state level policy levers to reduce GHG emissions and pollution from the power sector while keeping electricity bill affordable and help develop summaries for policy makers.
Fellowship 3: Innovation in Decarbonizing Industrial Technologies
Division: Industrial
Office and Work Arrangement: Hybrid (8 days a month, about 2x a week) out of New York, D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, or Santa Monica. Manager is located in D.C. and it is highly preferred for the Schneider Fellow to work hybrid out of the D.C. office.
Position will support our work fostering American innovation in decarbonization technologies. The fellow would research durable funding models that could be used to more resiliently support the Dept. of Energy's long-term innovation ecosystem, research existing U.S. state programs that support innovation and which could be expanded including on workforce development, and research how technology prizes could be deployed to spur climate tech innovation in the coming years when traditional federal support is shaky.
Fellowship 4: Chemicals Industry Advocacy
Division: Industrial
Office and Work Arrangement: Hybrid (8 days a month, about 2x a week) out of New York, D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, or Santa Monica. Manager is located in D.C. and it is highly preferred for the Schneider Fellow to work hybrid out of the D.C. office.
Position will support our work on tackling climate and pollution challenges in the chemicals industry. The fellow would contribute to research and policy analysis to support our advocacy in this area. Specifically, the fellow would explore the relationships between global chemicals and oil and gas markets, as well as key chemicals important for clean energy and their sustainable production.
Fellowship 5: State Industrial Decarbonization Policy
Division: Industrial
Office and Work Arrangement: Hybrid (8 days a month, about 2x a week) out of New York, D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, or Santa Monica. Manager is located in D.C. and it is highly preferred for the Schneider Fellow to work hybrid out of the D.C. office.
Position will support our work on state policy to decarbonize the production and use of key industrial materials, specifically cement, steel, and possibly aluminum. The fellow would research and write an analysis of the state of place of current U.S. state policies in the following topic areas: C-PACE (commercial property assessed clean energy), embodied carbon, and clean procurement of materials.
Fellowship 6: State Building Electrification Analysis
Division: Buildings
Office and Work Arrangement: Hybrid (8 days a month, about 2x a week) out of New York, D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, or Santa Monica. Manager is located in San Francisco and it is highly preferred for the Schneider Fellow to work hybrid out of the San Francisco office.
Position will finish a survey of state and utility funding available for building electrification (BE) in NRDC priority states and analyze the state dollars spent per emission reduction achieved across the range of policies secured by NRDC and partners in those states. The fellow will make policy recommendations for most impactful BE policies based on their research.
Fellowship 7: Data Centers and Equity & Community Partnerships
Division: Equity & Community Partnerships
Office and Work Arrangement: Hybrid (8 days a month, about 2x a week) out of New York, D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, or Santa Monica. Manager is located in Santa Monica and it is highly preferred for the Schneider Fellow to work hybrid out of the Santa Monica office.
The fellow will have the opportunity to work on multiple projects, including the development of community health impact analysis and cumulative burden analyses for emerging technologies such as Data Centers, and engaging community partners to ensure that their voices are included in decision-making processes. The fellow will produce reports, policy briefs, and community education materials that support NRDC's advocacy efforts. Key deliverables can include cumulative burden analyses, health impact analysis, and recommendations for regulatory improvements.
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 (2025-26); and
- be in good academic standing and not on suspension
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.
Requirements:
Selected Fellows are expected to begin service by June 22, 2026 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.
