Fonseca Leadership Program in Africa 2026 for Emerging African Conservation Leaders

The Fonseca Leadership Program in Africa 2026 is now accepting nominations for emerging African conservation leaders seeking support to pursue a Master’s or PhD degree. The programme is administered by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Graduate Scholarship Program (GSP), with support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

The programme is designed to identify and support practical, impact-driven conservation professionals whose work is rooted in real-world, on-the-ground conservation across Africa. It aims to strengthen leadership capacity and advance conservation outcomes by investing in individuals positioned to influence policy, institutions, and communities.

Who is Eligible

Only nominated applicants will be considered. Unsolicited applications will not be reviewed.

All candidates must:

• Be nominated by an approved and eligible nominator, such as:
  • Government officials
  • Senior officials from intergovernmental agencies
  • Academic professors
  • Senior conservation professionals within WCS, WWF, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Conservation International (CI), or select national NGOs
• Be a citizen of a GEF-recipient country in Africa
• Be a practical conservationist, with career goals focused on applied conservation rather than purely academic research

Applicants do not need to have secured admission into a graduate programme at the time of application, but must plan to begin their studies no later than October of the year following the award.

Nomination Procedure

The nomination process for the 2026 Fonseca Leadership Program takes place in two stages:

Stage 1:
Submission of a short-form application
Deadline: February 6, 2026

Stage 2:
Applicants shortlisted from Stage 1 will be invited to submit a long-form application
Deadline: March 30, 2026

Final Selection:
Scholarship award decisions are expected by June 2026

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European Parliament Sakharov Fellowships 2026 for Human Rights Defenders (Fully Funded to Belgium)

How Nomination Works

• Only nominated applicants are eligible
• Each nominator may submit one nomination only
• To obtain nominator approval, interested applicants must email the following to Kate Mastro (kmastro@wcs.org):
  • A summary of the proposed nominator, including name, job title, organisation, and role
  • An abridged CV of the proposed nominator (maximum four pages)

Once approved, nomination forms will be shared with both the nominee and the nominator.

Required Nomination Documents

• Short-answer questions
  • Five questions completed by the nominator
  • Three questions completed by the nominee
• An abridged CV of the nominee (maximum four pages)
• Three letters of recommendation, which may be provided by academic advisors, supervisors, or professionals familiar with the applicant’s work

Application Deadline

February 6, 2026

Apply for the Fonseca Leadership Program in Africa