Economic Policy 2024 Fellowship Position

Overview:

Friends of the Earth is a hard-hitting, progressive, environmental organization that pulls no punches and speaks sometimes uncomfortable truth to power. It’s an approach that has worked for five decades to produce important victories that help protect our planet and its people. We’re part of Friends of the Earth International, the world’s largest federation of grassroots environmental groups, working in more than 70 countries on today’s most urgent environmental and social issues.

FOE envisions a world where we live within the ability of the planet to sustain life, and in which all people live with dignity, health, and equity. We believe that both environmental crises, as well as widespread social injustice, are intertwined symptoms of flawed ideological, economic, and political systems that are violating peoples’ rights, perpetuating oppression, failing to meet the needs of people, and destroying the planet.

We believe that increasing racial diversity within environmental organizations is critical to the future success of our movement. Our Fellowship program is designed to increase the long-term effectiveness of FOE and the environmental movement by operating an inspiring and fulfilling fellowship program that builds skills and relevant job experience for people of color and members of underrepresented communities.

Arlie W. Schardt was a pioneering voice for the environment and witness to some of the most seminal events in American history as a Time magazine correspondent traveling with Martin Luther King while covering the civil rights movement. Throughout his peripatetic 50-year career, Schardt reported on and acted on behalf of social justice. Al Gore states, “Through his remarkably diverse career, Arlie Schardt lived a life of purpose and impact,” said the former Vice President. “He was a champion for civil rights and an early pioneer of the environmental movement. I valued greatly his commitment to public service and will always be grateful for the invaluable roles he played on my Presidential campaign.” Schardt joined Friends of the Earth (FOE), serving as Chairman of the Board from 2009 until June 2019 when he was named chair emeritus in honor of his service. According to Erich Pica, president of FOE, “Arlie was instrumental in tripling the size of the organization and broadening its mandate to combine his concerns for social and racial justice with environmentalism.”

Friends of the Earth is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage applications from members of underrepresented groups who will contribute to the diversity of our staff and our movement.

About the Fellowship:

Each year, we welcome a cohort of five Fellows to work with us full-time for six months. This year the Fellowship program will be in a remote position, with the possibility of an in-person retreat in the DC office. Fellows are paid $25/hour, will receive a one-time stipend of $1,000 and three (3) floating holidays.

Fellows are placed with our Economic Policy, Food & Agriculture, Oceans or Political teams. In addition to substantive work with the teams, the Fellowship program also includes networking and career development opportunities.

The fellowship begins in March 2024 and ends in September 2024.

About our Economic Policy Team and Fellowship Position:

The Economic Policy program works to create a more environmentally sustainable and socially just world by transforming financial and economic systems. Our fellow will assist our campaign to reform the climate and energy policies of international financial institutions (IFIs) such as the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) --where the US government is the largest shareholder-- and to push these institutions to stop financing and enabling fossil fuels around the world, and to support a just energy and economic transition instead. The fellow will support with policy and project research, project monitoring, writing case studies/letters/blogs/op-eds, strategy development, developing social media assets, participating in coalition meetings and meetings with decisionmakers including the US Treasury, Congressional staff, and WB and IMF staff, working with communities in impacted communities around the world to help amplify their voices, participating in the IMF/WB Spring Meetings in April, organizing rallies in DC (even if remotely), and more, depending on shifting strategic needs and the fellow’s interests and capacity.

The fellow will become an integral member of our Economic Policy Team and gain valuable skills and experience in public finance research and analysis, strategic campaign development, online and traditional media communications, coalition engagement, working with partners in the Global South, Congressional advocacy, mass mobilizing, and more. This position will expose the fellow to a wide range of stakeholders across different departments at FoE; in civil society groups around the world; in Congress; in the US administration; at IFIs; in the press; and more, providing the fellow with the opportunity to gain perspective about different career paths, and to network.

Responsibilities:

Responsibilities for each Fellowship varies, but typically Fellows:

• Perform research, analysis, writing and editing.
• Help organize people and events.
• Participate in internal and external coalition strategy meetings.
• Engage in direct advocacy with decisionmakers.

Qualifications:

No specific academic or professional experience is required, but we are looking for people who are passionate about the environment and/or social justice. An environmental background, and previous (volunteer or paid) experience in non-profit organizations, advocacy, political campaigns are pluses.

Qualified applicants must be:

• At least 18 years of age.
• Eligible to work in the U.S.
• Committed to environmental and social justice.
• Able to work well in team setting.
• Motivated, and willing to learn and take initiative.
• Able to use Microsoft Office suite products such as Excel and Word, and Google applications.

Keywords

environmentalsocial justice