November 14, 2024, 11 a.m. CT: Informational webinar for prospective hosts. Registration.
December 19, 2024, 5 p.m. CT: Host applications are due via eSeaGrant.
Early January 2025: Hosts are notified of selection decisions.
May 2025: Host and fellow matching workshop.
July 1, 2025: Fellowships begin. 
June 30, 2026: Fellowships conclude

Minnesota Sea Grant (MNSG) invites state, municipal, and county agencies, legislative committees, tribal agencies, and nonprofit organizations within Minnesota to apply to become hosts for the new MNSG Science and Policy Fellowship Program. This program places current and recent graduate students with hosts for full-time, one-year paid fellowships. MNSG anticipates placing at least four fellows in the 2025-2026 cohort.   

The MNSG Science and Policy Fellowship Program aims to bridge the gap between scientific research and policy development and implementation by placing fellows in host organizations where they can use their expertise to help hosts tackle water resource issues critical to Minnesotans. This program seeks to help meet Minnesota’s science-policy workforce needs, support a pipeline of professionals ready to address complex environmental challenges, and contribute to the maintenance and enhancement of the state’s water resources. 

Prospective hosts should submit an application describing the proposed fellowship position, plans for mentorship, professional development, and dissemination of outputs. Hosts will work with MNSG to be matched with a MNSG Science and Policy Fellow through a structured matching process that includes an initial review of fellow applications, interviews with fellows, and a fellow finalist-host matching workshop.

Once hosts and fellows are matched, fellows will work under the supervision of a mentor assigned by their host organization for one year. At the six month mark and at the conclusion of the fellowship, fellows and host mentors will submit a report to MNSG on the fellow’s progress, experiences, and impact of the fellow’s work on Minnesota’s natural resources. 

Minnesota Sea Grant expects that host organizations will benefit from the technical expertise and fresh perspectives of Minnesota Sea Grant Science and Policy Fellows, who will support the advancement of their host organization's water resource science and policy priorities. 

Why Host a Minnesota Sea Grant Science and Policy Fellow? 

1. Expertise: Host organizations will benefit from the technical skills and innovative ideas of a MNSG Science and Policy Fellow who is a current or recent graduate student. 
2. Capacity: Host organizations will gain additional capacity to advance water resource science-policy priorities by hosting a MNSG Science and Policy Fellow. 
3. Workforce Development: Host organizations can play a key role in the career development of emerging science-policy professionals by hosting a MNSG Science and Policy Fellow.

What Could a Fellow Do For Your Organization? 

Possible responsibilities for fellows include, but are not limited to: 

1. Policy Analysis and Development: Review policies, recommend improvements, and assist in drafting new policies or legislation. 
2. Engagement: Collaborate with communities, governments, industry, NGOs, and others to facilitate policy education, review, development, and/or implementation. 
3. Research and Data Synthesis: Collect and synthesize scientific data to inform decision-making. 
4. Monitoring and Evaluation: Assess the effectiveness of policy measures and projects. 
5. Project and Program Management: Oversee projects related to water resource policy development and/or implementation. 
6. Legislative Support: Draft memos, prepare hearing materials, and assist with bill writing.  

Host Organization Role

Position Development: Develop a one-year water resource science-policy fellowship position description with clear goals. 

Supervision and Mentorship: Serve as the primary supervisor and professional mentor for a MNSG Science and Policy Fellow. 

Professional Development: Facilitate the MNSG Science and Policy Fellow’s professional development by encouraging and supporting participation in relevant training and networking activities. 

Financial Support: For the 2025-2026 cohort, there is no minimum financial commitment required to host a fellow because we have seed funding, but we suggest hosts commit to fully funding one fellow at $65,250. Host organizations may also partially support a fellow. 

Reporting: Collaborate with the MNSG Science and Policy Fellow on a mid-cycle and final report (submitted to eSeaGrant) that highlights the Fellow’s impact on Minnesota’s water resources. 

Public Engagement: Assist in disseminating project outputs toward, helping ensure the fellowship outputs are shared with key audiences.

Minnesota Sea Grant's Role

Program Administration: Oversee the fellowship program, including the competitive selection of hosts and fellows, distribution of fellow stipends and fellow-directed professional development funds, and formal reporting to program funders.  

MNSG-Financial Support: Secured initial funding for this program through the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund. This funding will support up to four fellows in the 2025-2026 cohort. 

Recruitment and Matching: Recruit fellows and host organizations and coordinate the process by which fellows are matched with suitable host organizations based on skills, interests, and organizational needs. 

MNSG-led Professional Development: Work with host organizations and independently coordinate and facilitate professional development opportunities for fellows and mentors. 

Monitoring and Evaluation: Track the progress of fellows, collect feedback from host organizations and fellows, and regularly evaluate and update the program to ensure effectiveness and positive impact on Minnesota water resource science policy. 

Dissemination: Coordinate the dissemination of fellowship outputs through reports, public webinars, and other communications, ensuring broad visibility of the program’s outcomes. MNSG will also ensure that the host organizations are appropriately acknowledged in promotion and reporting materials. 

Budget Management: Manage the fellowship budget and ensure payment of fellow stipends and fellow-directed professional development funds to fellows.

State, municipal, and country agencies, legislative committees, tribal agencies, and nonprofit organizations in Minnesota are eligible to apply to host a Minnesota Sea Grant Science and Policy Fellow. 

MNSG is committed to building inclusive research, extension, communication, and education programs that serve people with unique backgrounds, circumstances, needs, perspectives, and ways of thinking. MNSG encourages applicants of all ages, races, ethnicities, national origins, gender identities, sexual orientations, disabilities, cultures, religions, citizenship, job classifications, veteran status, and socioeconomic status to apply for this opportunity.

Host-Contributed Funding 

The long-term sustainability of the program depends on Minnesota Sea Grant Science and Policy Fellows receiving full or partial support from hosts. Thus, hosts are asked to consider fully or partially financially supporting fellows. 

Seed funding for the 2025-2026 cohort provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund can fully support four fellows. This funding enables MNSG to require no minimum financial commitment to host a fellow for the inaugural year of this program. 

However, the program’s long-term sustainability depends on hosts providing full ($65,250) or partial financial support for their fellows. 

Hosts who commit financially may be more likely to be selected, as the selection committee will be tasked with maximizing the number of high quality fellowship opportunities. Host financial contributions may enable the program to support more than four fellows in the 2025-2026 cohort. 

Fellowship Cost 

The total cost for each fellow is $65,250, which includes the fellowship stipend, fellow-directed professional development funds, and program administrative costs. 

• Stipend: $55,000 
• Fellow Professional Development: $2,500 
• Program Administration: $7,750 

Funding for four fellows in the 2025-2026 cohort is provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund. This funding enables MNSG to require no minimum financial commitment to host a fellow for the inaugural year of this program.

Submission: All host applications must be submitted through Minnesota Sea Grant’sNSG proposal and reporting portal, eSeaGrant. See the eSeaGrant proposal submission instructions for more information or contact Alex Frie (afrie@umn.edu) with questions. 

Application Components: Host applications must include the following components. 

1. Cover Page (1-page) 
   1. Title of the fellowship project 
   2. Name of host organization, office and/or department 
   3. Host organization location 
   4. Name, title, and contact information for the fellowship mentor(s) 
   5. Name and contact information for the host organization’s fiscal point of contact 
   6. Proposed financial contribution. Suggested $65,250. 
2. Position Description (<3 pages; if selected as a host, the description will be made publicly available) 
   1. Title of the fellowship project 
   2. Names and titles of the host organization mentors and any other key staff 
   3. Position Overview: Detail the scope of work of the fellow and describe how this work would protect, conserve, preserve, or enhance Minnesota’s water resources. Include anticipated goals and possible deliverables for the fellowship. 
   4. Mentorship Plan: Detail how the fellow will be supervised and mentored. This should include the anticipated supervision structure and major professional development opportunities. 
   5. Organizational Support: Describe your organization’s capacity to host a fellow, including any resources available to support the fellow and any relevant experience in participating in similar programs or projects. 
   6. Preliminary Dissemination Plan. Describe initial plans to disseminate any outputs likely to be produced by the fellowship. After matching, fellows will work with their hosts to finalize dissemination plans to match the needs of the fellow, their host organization, and target audiences. 
3. Letter of Intent and Proposed Financial Contribution 
   1. Submit a letter from your organization confirming your intent to host a fellow and indicating any proposed financial contribution. 
      1. For the 2025-2026 cohort, there is no minimum financial commitment required to host a fellow, but we suggest $65,250 to fully support one fellow.

Application Review 

Host applications will be reviewed by a host selection committee composed of MNSG staff and/or members from non-MNSG organizations. The committee will rate host applications on a scale from “does not meet expectations (1/10)” to “adequately meets expectations (5/10)” to “exceeds expectations (10/10)” for each of the following review criteria. 

Review Criteria 

1. Position (60%): How well does the scope of work align with the Minnesota Sea Grant Science and Policy Fellowship program’s objectives of advancing water resource science and policy? Are the anticipated goals, outcomes and deliverables clear and appropriate for the fellowship? 
2. Mentorship Plan (10%): Is there a well-defined plan for the fellow’s supervision and mentorship? Does the plan include clear goals, feedback mechanisms, and professional development opportunities? 
3. Organizational Support (10%): Does the applicant have the resources and infrastructure to support the fellow effectively? Does the host organization have prior experience with similar programs or projects? 
4. Dissemination Plan (10%): Does the applicant communicate a clear initial plan to disseminate any outputs from the fellowship? 
5. Overall Application Cohesion (10%) Considering all aspects of the application, does the application describe a high quality fellowship opportunity? 
6. Financial Contribution: For the 2025-2026 cohort, there is no minimum financial commitment to host a fellow. The cost to fully fund one fellow is $62,250. 

Hosts who commit financially may be more likely to be selected, as the selection committee will be tasked with maximizing the number of high quality fellowship opportunities. Host financial contributions may enable the program to support more than four fellows in the 2025-2026 cohort. 

Host Selection 

The host selection committee team will recommend hosts to Minnesota Sea Grant. Prospective hosts who score <50% will not be eligible to host a fellow. The selection committee will weigh both the quality of a host organization's MNSG Science and Policy Fellowship position description and the host organization's financial support in making their recommendations. MNSG will make the final selection accounting for all reviews, the availability of funding, prior award performance of applicants, the diversity of fellowship opportunities, balance across topics, and programmatic needs, objectives, and priorities.

Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR). The Trust Fund is a permanent fund constitutionally established by the citizens of Minnesota to assist in the protection, conservation, preservation, and enhancement of the state’s air, water, land, fish, wildlife, and other natural resources.