2027 COHORT APPLICATION TIMELINE

October 1, 2026: Applications Open

October 26, 2026: Applications Close

Note: Some candidates may be invited for a brief virtual conversation in late November.

Early December 2026: Fellows Notified

Fellows are requested to accept or reject their appointment within 24-48 hours of notification.

Optional Open Q/A Sessions

Interested students are invited to attend an optional info session to ask their Fellowship questions in real time. Dates will be posted in September of 2026.

Can’t attend these but have questions? Check out the FAQs and then email us with any outstanding questions!

PROCESS

The application process for the ClimateCAP Fellowship is done entirely online. There is no application fee or cost to participate in the program.

APPLICATION ELEMENTS

• Application form

• Acknowledgment of Fellow Expectations

• A copy of your resume

• Video Statement: What is a climate-and-business question that you do not yet know the answer to, but are eager to explore? Why does that question matter to you? (Videos should not exceed 1 minute)

• Short Response Questions (1200 character max per question, approximately 200 words)

  • What kind of work do you hope to do after graduation?

  • Beyond learning and expertise-building, what is your motivation for participating in the Fellowship? What is in it for you?

  • What unique perspectives, experiences, skills, or networks would you bring to the Fellowship community?

• A 1,500-2,200 word (max) climate-action Project Proposal on a climate-and-business issue that you want to develop and learn more about during the Fellowship, that includes:

  • The Issue & Why It Matters (300–400 words)

  • Why This Problem Persists (300–400 words)

  • Existing Efforts & What You Learned (300–400 words)

  • Proposed Fellowship Exploration (300–400 words)

  • Open Questions, Assumptions & Learning Goals (300–400 words)

  • Project Advisor Information (200 words max)

Fellows should refer to detailed project information below for additional Proposal guidance.

Shortlisted candidates may be contacted for a brief virtual conversation to be held in late November.

Detailed Instructions for Project Proposal

Detailed Instructions for Applicants

As part of your application, you are asked to identify a climate-and-business issue that you want to explore during the ClimateCAP Fellowship. The purpose of this proposal is not to present a fully developed solution. Instead, we want to understand:

• how you think about complex climate-business challenges,

• how you approach learning and uncertainty,

• your ability to critically assess existing efforts and tradeoffs,

• and whether your proposed project is appropriately scoped for the fellowship experience.

If selected, you will continue refining your project throughout the fellowship with support from peers, mentors, and ClimateCAP leadership.

Advisor Commitment

Before submitting your application, you must identify an advisor who agrees to provide guidance on your project during the fellowship year. See the Advisor Expectations Document for more information, and feel free to share with your Advisor.

Your advisor may come from:

• Academia (faculty members, researchers, lecturers, doctoral students, etc.)

• Industry (corporate sustainability leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, consultants, policymakers, nonprofit leaders, etc.)

The advisor does not need to be a climate expert specifically, but they should have relevant expertise related to your proposed project topic.

Applicants should discuss their proposed project with their advisor before submitting their application.

Proposal Requirements

Please submit a proposal of 1,500–2,200 words total responding to the sections below.

Use clear headings and concise, evidence-based responses. We encourage applicants to write in their own voice and draw on real-world observations, conversations, and experiences wherever possible.

1. The Issue & Why It Matters (300–400 words)

Describe the climate-and-business issue you want to explore during the Fellowship.

Your response should address:

The issue itself

• What specific challenge, opportunity, or tension are you interested in?

• What aspect of climate and business does this issue relate to?

Stakeholders & impact

• Who is most affected by this issue?

• Who benefits from the current system?

• Who bears the risks or costs?

• Why does this issue matter economically, socially, environmentally, or strategically?

Systems context

• What broader trends or forces are shaping this issue?

• Why is this challenge particularly important right now?

2. Why This Problem Persists (300–400 words)

Analyze the underlying forces that make this issue difficult to address.

Your response should address:

Structural barriers

• What economic, political, technological, regulatory, cultural, or behavioral factors keep this issue in place?

• What incentives or tradeoffs make progress difficult?

Stakeholder tensions

• Where do stakeholder priorities conflict?

• What competing objectives or constraints exist?

Existing limitations

• Why have existing approaches struggled to fully solve the problem?

• What unintended consequences, blind spots, or implementation barriers exist?

3. Existing Efforts & What You Learned (300–400 words)

Describe what is currently being done to address this issue and reflect on your own learning process.

Your response should address:

Existing approaches

• What are businesses, governments, nonprofits, investors, startups, or other actors currently doing?

• What approaches seem promising and which appear less effective or insufficient?

External engagement

Describe at least one conversation, event, report, or external source you engaged with while researching this issue.

Please explain:

• Who or what did you engage with?

• What assumptions or perspectives changed as a result?

• What nuances or complexities did you better understand afterward?

4. Proposed Fellowship Exploration (300–400 words)

Describe what you hope to explore, create, test, or better understand during the Fellowship.

Your proposal should be realistic and appropriately scoped for a self-directed MBA Fellowship project.

Your response should address:

Proposed direction

• What specifically do you hope to investigate or work on during the Fellowship?

• What form might your project take? (Examples: research paper, case study, startup validation, educational initiative, podcast, market analysis, campus initiative, toolkit, etc.)

Scope & feasibility

• What is the smallest meaningful version of this project?

• What could realistically be completed during one academic year?

• What would success look like by the end of the Fellowship?

• What is intentionally out of scope?

Fellowship fit

• How will this project help deepen your understanding of climate and business?

Strong projects are focused, achievable, and designed as learning experiences rather than large-scale ventures.

5. Open Questions, Assumptions & Learning Goals (300–400 words)

Reflect on what you still do not know.

Your response should address:

Uncertainties & assumptions

• What aspects of this issue do you still not fully understand?

• What assumptions are you making that may prove incorrect?

Personal motivation

• Why are you personally drawn to this issue?

• How does this connect to your background, values, or future career aspirations as a business leader?

6.Project Advisor Information (200 words max)

• Advisor Name

• Title

• Organization

• Email Address

• Brief explanation of what value you hope they will bring to your project & how you expect to engage with them during the Fellowship

Adapted from Systems-led Leadership, by Daniela Papi-Thornton.