The ClimateCAP Fellowship will prepare Fellows to become the next generation of climate leaders and changemakers by:

1. Empowering and equipping a group of committed MBA students with the skills and resources they need to be climate changemakers--through personal and professional development, learning, and mentoring opportunities.

2. Creating a strong and supportive community of climate changemakers by delivering a cohort experience for each class of ClimateCAP Fellows and providing ongoing ambassador and alumni engagement.

3. Enabling ClimateCAP Fellows to gain experience and put their leadership skills in action by designing, testing, and implementing a climate action project during the course of the fellowship.

Fellows are expected to engage fully for the duration of the program.

Additionally, each Fellow is expected to:

• Serve as an ambassador of ClimateCAP Summit & Fellowship on your campus and beyond

• Promote ClimateCAP Summit & Fellowship in your professional and academic networks

• Engage with the expanding ClimateCAP alumni network

• Produce a public-facing deliverable about their project

• Be profiled on a page of the ClimateCAP website

Select Fellows may be invited to speak at the next ClimateCAP Summit.

The theme of climate encompasses many connected topics. Some of those topics that may be covered during the ClimateCAP Fellowship include:

• Buildings, Cities & Urban Development

• Carbon Capture, Removal, & Utilization

• Circular Economy

• Clean Energy

• Climate & Clean Tech Entrepreneurship & VC

• Climate Change in the B-School Curriculum

• Climate Communications

• Climate Finance & Carbon Markets

• Climate Justice

• Climate Policy

• Climate Resilience

• Ecosystems & Biodiversity

• ESG Risk & Valuation

• Food, Agriculture, & Land Use

• Low-Carbon Transition

• Nature-Based Solutions

• Oceans / Blue Economy / Blue Carbon

• Supply Chain / Scope 3 Emissions

Yes. Students attending a U.S. university and U.S. citizens attending universities outside of the U.S. are responsible for any tax implications. Non-U.S. citizens attending universities outside of the U.S. will automatically have tax withheld from their award at the applicable rate.

Yes! International students attending school in the US, and students attending MBA programs outside of the US are welcome to apply. A strong command of the English language is essential to successfully participating in the program and that program events will take place during US daytime hours.

Absolutely. If students are selected for the Fellowship and they already have purchased a summit ticket, then we’ll release the fellow’s reserved ticket to a student on the waitlist.

The ClimateCAP Initiative (“ClimateCAP”) confers a monetary award each year to students selected for participation in the ClimateCAP MBA Fellowship (“Fellowship”). ClimateCAP welcomes applications from both domestic (U.S.) and international students and values the diverse perspectives and expertise each Fellow contributes to the cohort.

Due to ongoing and evolving regulatory developments at the U.S. federal level and within academic institutions, ClimateCAP cannot guarantee that international students will be eligible to receive direct payment of award funds. In the event that applicable federal, state, or institutional policies prohibit the disbursement of prize money to any Fellow, ClimateCAP shall instead reimburse such Fellow for all approved Summit-related travel and expenses, as well as any authorized project-related costs, up to an amount equal to the value of the award. Fellows are advised to consider this potential limitation when deciding whether to participate in the Fellowship.

In addition to the award, Fellows receive numerous other benefits.  Our community is richer because of you, and we hope you will consider joining the ClimateCAP MBA Fellowship despite this uncertainty.

Students must be enrolled in a full-time MBA program for the duration of the program, graduating in December 2026 or later. Consideration will be given to MBA students who attend one-year MBA program or have a non-traditional academic calendar.

Dual-degree students can apply if one of their degrees will be an MBA. Dual-degree students can apply at any point during their dual-degree program, as long as they graduate in December 2026 or later.

Yes, project ideas are a required part of the application. Early in the fellowship, students will be able to refine their ideas and may choose to pursue their project individually or to modify the scope of their project and partner with other fellows. There will be periodic group check-ins and feedback sessions over the course of the year.

Projects do not have to be new, and can be something you are already working on as part of your professional, extracurricular, or academic work, but cannot be something that you are being paid to do. The expectation is that the structure of the fellowship and the fellow stipend will allow the fellow to advance their existing project over the course of the year. Please see detailed climate-action project information on the Application page for further information.

Previous project themes include: Blue Economy Investment Thesis, Solar Powered Refrigeration for Native Tribes, Circular Economy Startup, Carbon Market Access Startup, Sustainable Fashion Market Analysis, Regulated Medical Waste Project, and more!

No. All MBA students are welcome to apply for the ClimateCAP Fellowship.

Email us at climatecap@duke.edu.