Switzer Foundation resources for difficult times

Dear Switzer colleagues and friends,

The purpose of the Switzer Network is to create an engaged and supportive community where fellows feel welcomed and inspired by their peers and increase their impact through leadership development and collaboration. In times like these, we want the network to be a place of respite, resources, and unconditional support for your professional and personal selves. We are writing to highlight the many ways in which the foundation’s programs can support fellows facing uncertainty, marginalization, and opposition in their environmental work.

Funding: Professional Development Fund grants of up to $2,000 are available on a rolling basis to provide support for fellows seeking new skills and networking opportunities. For example, fellows navigating workplace challenges could use a PDF grant to engage a professional coach or career counselor. Leadership Grants are designed to support career transitions and can be applied by fellows to create a new program or position in collaboration with an organization. Although funding for Leadership Grants has been expended for the current fiscal year (through June 2025), we expect to invite more proposals in early fall, so now is a good time to begin planning ahead. Please contact Maya or Sarah for more information about funding opportunities. 

Gathering: We look forward to being in community with many of you in Puerto Rico in a few weeks for the Fellowship to Friendship gathering! Please reach out if you would like to organize an in-person or virtual gathering to convene Switzer Fellows for networking or mutual support by location, sector, or topic. We can offer stipends to support your time planning an event and funding is available for costs associated with hosting a gathering. Likewise, if there is a training or workshop that you think would be supportive to multiple Switzer Fellows at this time, please contact Cora to recommend that we sponsor the training for the Switzer Network.

Resources: Please continue to share job and funding opportunities and offer professional connections via the listserv, and we will amplify those opportunities in Switzer Network News. Please also continue contributing to the shared resource list that Maya launched last week, letting us know if there are additional resources that would be helpful to share at this time.

Community: Please reach out to us if you are looking for thought partnership or would like to connect with individual fellows or fellows working in specific disciplines, sectors, or locations. Any staff member is available to connect by email, zoom, or phone call. Please continue using the listserv and the network’s private LinkedIn group to share information and offer support to one another (and please keep in mind our advocacy policy). The foundation can create Google or Signal groups for fellows seeking to connect around specific affinities or topics. Contact Cora if you are interested in creating or joining a group.

Many members of our community will face difficult weeks and months ahead. Please ask for help when you need it, and please offer help when you can. This is what the Switzer Network is for.

In community,
Sarah, Cora, Laine, and Maya