Fellowships, Internships & Opportunities

Paid Climate Justice Action Fellowships and Internships open to all CUNY students!

Deadline

August 17, 2025

at 11:59 PM

CUNY students take part in the 2024 Climate Justice Fellowship orientation.

These positions are now closed. We will be in touch with shortlisted students in the coming weeks.

Are you a CUNY undergraduate or graduate student interested in organizing in your student community to advance social justice and climate justice (CJ)?

Do you want to raise awareness of CJ issues facing students across CUNY? Do you want to meet other CUNY students and put your advocacy, communications, policy and organizing skills into practice? If so, then apply for one of two paid opportunities with the NYC Climate Justice Hub! These opportunities are open to all current CUNY students across all campuses enrolled in the 2025-2026 academic year.

The Climate Justice Action Fellowship ($5,000 for 10 months) is for all current CUNY undergraduate and graduate students interested in representing other CUNY students on NYC-EJA campaigns and initiatives through hybrid working.
NYC Climate Justice Hub Internship Program ($9,000 for 4 months) is for all current CUNY graduate students interested in interning 2 days a week in-person at a NYC-EJA member organization.

Please apply for your preferred position below.

The deadline to apply for both positions is on Sunday, Aug 17, 2025, at 11:59 PM.

VIRTUAL INFO SESSION

We hosted a virtual information session on Wednesday, August 6th, on both opportunities. You can watch the recording here. The passcode is eg&H9H9G.

ABOUT THE HUB

Launched in September 2023, the NYC Climate Justice Hub is a partnership between the City University of New York (CUNY)—the nation’s largest public urban university—and the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance (NYC-EJA)—a coalition of grassroots organizations from the city’s most environmentally burdened neighborhoods who have led the fight for environmental and climate justice in NYC since 1991. Operating out of the Center for the Humanities at the CUNY Graduate Center, the Hub unites CUNY and NYC-EJA to advance NYC-EJA’s transformative policy priorities and research agenda, operationalize climate justice infrastructure at CUNY, and nourish an emerging generation of community-based climate leaders in NYC.

Hear from the 2024-2025 Climate Justice Fellows on their experiences during the kick-off Academy.

1. Climate Justice Action Fellowships

This Climate Justice Action Fellowship is a 10-month program running from October 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026 to help CUNY students gain the skills, networks, and opportunities you need to advance climate solutions, including professional development, campaign organizing, and policy-making.

As a paid Fellow, you will learn about climate justice policy and campaigns in NYC, and work directly with the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance (NYC-EJA) on their campaigns related to energy, the just transition, waste management, and transportation among other issues. Bring your experiences and knowledge to bear on CJ issues that impact you, broaden your student networks, meet key leaders in the field and on the ground, and gain professional footing in the climate sector.

The fellowship will run from October 2025 – June 2026.
You will need to be able to attend a mandatory Academy orientation on October 7th, 8th and 9th, 2025 from 5-8 PM each day. This will be in-person and in a Manhattan location.
9-12 CUNY students will be selected and each receive a $5,000 fellowship award for their participation (paid out in two $2,500 installments, pending satisfactory completion of fellowship requirements).
To be eligible to receive the fellowship award, students must be enrolled at CUNY for both the Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 semesters. Please check with your campus’ Financial Aid Office about your eligibility to receive funds through your CUNY First account PRIOR to applying.

Core Expectations

Attend a mandatory intensive kick-off Academy at a Manhattan location on October 7th, 8th and 9th, 2025 from 5-8 PM each day.
Represent the CUNY student community at NYC-EJA campaign meetings
Create student networks across CUNY, mobilize student groups and clubs to support NYC-EJA campaigns and attend events and actions as necessary.
You must be able to commit 5 hours a week in the Fall (August 2025 – December 2025) and Spring (January 2026 – June 2026) including attending mandatory in-person sessions and workshops on a monthly basis at an NYC location. This will include attending:
- weekly NYC-EJA campaign meetings online. There may be in-person meetings that you will be expected to attend.
- every two weeks meeting as a cohort online
- monthly in-person experiential learning opportunities throughout the year
- one in-person full day workshop per semester to share your work and further peer learning and/or training
We expect you to be available every Wednesday 4-6pm so that we can schedule meetings and check in with you
Join an online peer network on Slack where you share opportunities and updates with each other and where we can share information, events, and actions we want you to participate in
Update project progress to the Hub team
Complete a semester report and evaluation survey

Who should apply?

All CUNY undergraduate or graduate community college, senior college, master’s, and doctoral students.
Students who identify as Black, Indigenous, People of Color, gender nonconforming, immigrant, disabled, and first-generation are particularly encouraged to apply.
If you have access-related concerns or if English is not your first language, please contact us so we can plan for accommodation.
Students who have and can demonstrate some experience of organizing in their community or on campuses.
Ideal applicants will be active in their campus communities or have knowledge about student organizing on their campus.
We encourage students to apply who are from any discipline and any professional interest.
If you have strong verbal and written communication skills.

If you are unsure about how your immigration status might affect your eligibility, please contact us at [email protected]. Any conversation we have about your status will be confidential.

How to Apply?

Fill out this application form below by Sunday, August 17, 2025 at 11:59 (EST). Late applications will not be considered.
Please note application forms that have used AI to formulate answers will not be considered. We want to hear about your personal experiences, passion and why you want to be involved!
Shortlisted candidates will be contacted by August 26 to schedule an interview.
Acceptances will be announced by September 10!
For your application, you will be expected to answer short essay questions, upload a resume and provide two references (1 academic reference, 1 community-based).
Email [email protected] if you have any questions.

2. NYC Climate Justice Hub Internships

This opportunity is open to current CUNY graduate students ONLY.

Are you a graduate student and want to work directly with a frontline, grassroots Climate Justice organization in NYC? If so, then apply for a NYC Climate Justice Hub Internship! As a paid intern, you will learn about climate justice policy and campaigns in NYC, and work directly with one of the following NYC-EJA member organizations: Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES), Brotherhood Sister Sol, El Puente or We Stay/Nos Quedamos. Bring your experiences and knowledge to bear on CJ issues that impact you, meet key leaders in the field and on the ground, and gain professional footing in the climate sector.

The internship is a 4-month program running from September 2025 through January 2026 to place CUNY students directly with organizations campaigning for climate and environmental justice. Through this placement you will gain the skills, networks, and opportunities you need to advance climate solutions, including professional development, campaign organizing, and policy-making.

The internship will be from 1 October 2025 – January 31st 2026 and will be 2 days a week at the organization. The exact dates will be decided with your placement organization.
You will need to be able to attend a mandatory Academy at a Manhattan location on Oct 7th, 8th and 9th, 2025 from 5-8 PM each day.
CUNY graduate students will be selected and each receive a $9,000 fellowship award for their participation (in two installments of $4,500, pending satisfactory completion of internship requirements).
To be eligible to receive the fellowship award, students must be enrolled at CUNY for the Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 semesters. Please check with your campus’ Financial Aid Office about your eligibility to receive funds through your CUNY First account PRIOR to applying.

Core expectations

Attend a mandatory intensive kick-off Academy at a Manhattan location on Oct 7th, 8th and 9th, 2025 from 5-8 PM each day.
Work two days a week for organization in-person. This will be decided with your selected organization.
Join an online peer network on Slack where you share opportunities and updates with each other and where we can share information, events, and actions we want you to participate in.
Attend monthly 1 hour Zoom calls with their cohort providing updates on their progress.
Update project progress to the Hub team through an online platform
Attend monthly in-person experiential learning opportunities throughout the year.
Attend one in-person full day workshop in the Fall semester to share your work and further peer learning and/or training
Complete a semester report and evaluation survey.

Who should apply?

All CUNY graduate students: community college, senior college, master’s, and doctoral students.
Students who identify as Black, Indigenous, People of Color, gender nonconforming, immigrant, disabled, and first-generation are particularly encouraged to apply.
If you have access-related concerns or if English is not your first language, please contact us so we can plan for accommodation.
Students who have and can demonstrate some experience of organizing in their community or on campuses.
Ideal applicants will be active in their campus communities.
We encourage students to apply who are from any discipline and any professional interest.
If you have strong written and verbal communication skills.

If you are unsure about how your immigration status might affect your eligibility, please contact us at [email protected]. Any conversation we have about your status will be confidential.

How to apply

Fill out this application form below by Sunday, Aug 17, 2025 at 11:59 (EST). Late applications will not be considered.
Shortlisted candidates will be contacted by August 26 to schedule an interview.
Acceptances will be announced by September 10.
For your application, you will be expected to answer short essay questions, upload a resume and provide two references (1 academic reference, 1 community-based).
Please note application forms that have used AI to formulate answers will not be considered. We want to hear about your personal experiences, passion and why you want to be involved!
Email [email protected] if you have any questions.

Meet our 2024-2025 Climate Justice Fellows, and view photos of the first ever student-centered, community-led, CUNY-wide Environmental and Climate Justice Summit!