Supporting Energy Equity Efforts in the Bay Area
About Acterra
Acterra is driven by the opportunity to learn and grow together, while achieving high impact through fighting climate change and reducing carbon emissions. We harness the individual strengths within our staff and our network to foster a leader-full organization. Our team members are high performers and high collaborators. We encourage creativity and failing forward.
Position Overview and Responsibilities
This position will support Acterra’s efforts to advance equity in climate action, focusing on evaluating how our programs in education, electrification, food systems, and advocacy impact the most vulnerable populations affected by climate change. The Fellow will play a key role in identifying gaps in data, analyzing current impact metrics, and providing recommendations to ensure that Acterra’s programs promote a just transition to renewable energy and climate resilience.
The Data Equity Fellow position will work with the Director of Programs, alongside all programs and will focus on the following responsibilities:
- Analyze existing impact metrics and identify key data points Acterra should be capturing to evaluate equity in program outcomes.
- Research methodologies for assessing whether Acterra’s programs are effectively supporting low-income and/or disadvantaged communities.
- Develop frameworks and tools for ongoing equity-focused data collection and analysis across Acterra’s programs, including electrification, plant-based food education, and advocacy initiatives.
- Collaborate with programmatic teams to align data insights with program goals and strategies.
- Provide recommendations for improving outreach, accessibility, and impact of Acterra’s programs to better serve vulnerable populations.
- Present an Equity Analysis report to the Acterra team with findings on research and considerations for programmatic implementation.
- Join internal and external meetings to report and share findings and contribute to strategic planning.
- Participate in community engagement activities, including EV consultations and educational events, as a way to understand on-the-ground program impacts.
Desired Qualifications
- Strong interest in environmental justice and data-driven decision-making.
- Experience in data collection, analysis, and visualization using tools such as Excel and Miro
- Knowledge of equity-focused frameworks and methods (e.g., Environmental Justice screening tools, GIS for equity mapping).
- Strong research and analytical skills, with attention to detail.
- Ability to work collaboratively with a team and communicate findings effectively to diverse audiences.
- Familiarity with G-Suite (Google Docs, Slides, Sheets).
Inclusiveness
Acterra strives to ensure that the organization is welcoming and inclusive. Acterra is an equal opportunity employer that supports and lives diversity in our staffing and values. Acterra does not discriminate as to gender, race, culture, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, social background, disability, pregnancy, marital status, political affiliation, or age.
Acterra strives to include persons from traditionally under-represented groups and complies with all applicable national and local laws pertaining to non- discrimination and equal opportunity. We strongly encourage and seek applications from women; people of color; immigrant, bilingual, and bicultural individuals; and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and gender non-conforming communities.
Acterra complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. More than 50% of our current funding for programming currently supports Low Income or Disadvantaged Communities as defined by CalEnviroScreen. Serving diverse communities is a key principle for Acterra as we develop and grow programming.
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).
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.
Undergraduates 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.
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.
