Bow Seat and the Future Blue Youth Council Announce the 2024 Fellowship Grant Program Cohort!

February 16, 2024

In 2021, Bow Seat collaborated with our Future Blue Youth Council (FBYC) to launch the Fellowship Grant Program. Established by youth, for youth, the Fellowship provides mentorship and funding to peers around the world who are addressing environmental challenges in their local communities. Fellowship projects educate and engage the public around critical issues, and integrate the creative arts and conservation.

We are thrilled to introduce the 10 new Grantees representing nine projects for the 2024 Fellowship Grant Program! These Grantees represent 5 countries – Canada, Kenya, Nigeria, Philippines, and the United States. Their projects address a wide range of environmental and social problems including biodiversity loss, climate change, waste, pollution from gold mines, invasive species, youth mental health, and more.

Unique to this Program is that each of the Grantees are addressing their problem through a creative arts lens. Grantees were awarded up to $2,500 and were paired with FBYC members who will provide ongoing mentorship and support with project management, communications and outreach, partnership development, fundraising, and more. Read about our Fellowship Grantees’ awesome projects!

“Working on the project made me empathetic and compassionate as I was able to feel the pains of people affected by the climate crisis and offer tailored solutions. I was empowered with the funding and training to make my project a success. We were able to empower over 5,000 people thanks to the Bow Seat Fellowship Grant and the Bow Seat Fellowship Team.” -Grace Obiorah (2023 Fellowship Grantee)

In addition to funding and mentorship, this year, Bow Seat is incorporating community and capacity building programming for the Fellowship Grantees. In January, Bow Seat hosted the 2024 Fellowship Grantees for an orientation to the program. Grantees shared their projects with each other, and Director of Partnerships and Youth Engagement, Jeremy Pivor, discussed expectations for the upcoming Fellowship year. This year, Grantees will hear from a variety of speakers, participate in skill building workshops, and learn from one another.

Since 2021, Bow Seat has committed more than $44,000 through the Fellowship Grant Program to support inspiring young leaders around the world who are committed to and passionate about taking action to protect our blue planet.

“The Fellowship project made us feel like we were not alone. All the support we got made us realize that we cannot have a bigger impact through our project if we only look to work by ourselves. Having people that supported us and were looking out for us made us more confident and empowered to do our project.” -Ashlee Yin (2023 Fellowship Grantee)

We look forward to providing updates on the 2024 Fellowship Grantees’ projects throughout the year! Make sure to follow Bow Seat on Instagram and sign up for our newsletter to know when applications open for the 2025 Fellowship Grant Program cohort.