The Boundless Fellowship
Breakthrough Leadership for Nature
Our Mission
Boundless is a two-year program for small, diverse cohorts brought together by a commitment to protecting the most vital ecosystems in the Americas.
Group travel experiences, called Encounters, are the beating heart of the Boundless Fellowship. Twice during each year of the fellowship — four times in total — Boundless Fellows embark on a 10-day trip to a site of critical conservation importance. These fully funded travel opportunities offer fellows the chance to learn from innovators doing cutting-edge work, engage with peers from across the hemisphere, and cultivate space for reflection in nature.
NOTE: The following itinerary is provisional and may change, but illustrates of the types of experiences a Boundless cohort may share.
October 2024
Peru
While visiting remote biological research stations in the Peruvian Amazon, fellows will reflect on their values and inspirations, and build connections with mentor figures who will guide their journey through the Boundless Fellowship.
Values & Leadership
In the second year of the fellowship, all fellows will develop their own personally chosen project — called the Breakthrough Initiative. Drawing on the in-person encounters and online seminars from the first year of the fellowship, each Breakthrough Initiative will be designed with a “seeing the whole” approach that addresses an important and complex challenge in each fellow's home ecosystem. Each stage of development of the Breakthrough Initiative — from ideation to outlining to full strategic planning and research methods — will be supported by the input of our expert mentors, peers, and staff.
Fellows may apply for substantial seed funding to support their Breakthrough Initiative. The project will culminate in a final gathering in Washington DC.
“The climate and biodiversity crises demand urgent and bold action to achieve the change needed to accelerate system-wide progress. Boundless is designed to cultivate leaders with vision and courage, who can stand up for the land-, water- and seascapes we deeply care about.”
“To solve the challenges facing nature today, we must find shared values that come from different perspectives and traditions. Boundless offers fellows a chance to broaden their horizons and grow, with support from mentors with many backgrounds and areas of expertise.”
“Leaders must seize opportunities to make a difference, but they can never do it alone. What Boundless offers is a network of peers and mentors who are committed to supporting the most exciting emerging leaders working to protect nature.”
“Conservation has gone through all kinds of intellectual phases and fads, and it is still in constant change, but the future is promising if the next generation of conservation leaders can collaborate, innovate, and inspire. That is what we aim to achieve with Boundless.”
“It's important to think about the whole place, not just the people, the animals, the plants, but the magic cord that runs through all of it. This program is designed to spur the next generation of leaders to see the whole and take action.”
Our fellows are...
Our fellows are invested in the future of the most important ecosystems in the Americas and their work demonstrates a profound commitment to protecting those places. We’re seeking people who have experienced deep connection with a place and want to shape its future.
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What we expect from fellows
Fellows are required to attend all four encounters over the course of their two year fellowship. They are expected to actively participate in online programming and to engage with the Breakthrough Initiative with creativity and energy.
In short, Boundless Fellows should plan to join a dynamic, vibrant community — a community they contribute to and engage with throughout the fellowship.
There is a scarcity of rising leaders who can act as bridge-builders and problem solvers in defense of nature.
We are committed to locating and supporting a particular type of conservation leader: the multi-disciplinary generalist who can bridge worlds, absorb the entirety of the challenges facing an ecosystem, and craft solutions with a holistic mindset.
We believe that to successfully protect an ecosystem, leaders must learn to “see the whole” of a place and engage the kaleidoscope of local and global forces that affect its future.
Our fellows will learn to develop holistic strategies for protecting nature — strategies that take into account local communities, politics, and ways of knowing — while also engaging with food production systems, protected areas, global supply chains, geopolitics, international treaties, and more.
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