Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Program is a fellowship from NOAA's National Sea Grant College Program that funds graduate students and recent alumni to spend one year working within federal legislative or executive branch agencies in Washington, D. C.

, gaining hands-on experience in marine and coastal policy. Fellows receive stipends and allowances ranging from $42,000 to $98,000. The fellowship is open to U.S. citizens currently enrolled in a graduate program or upper-division undergraduate program, or recent alumni who graduated within 12 months of applying.

For the 2027 fellowship, the California Sea Grant application deadline is June 3, 2026 at 5:00 PM Pacific Time. NSF anticipates funding not less than 35 fellows per cycle.

2027 John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship | California Sea Grant 2027 John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Environmental Literacy and Workforce Development APPLY TO BE A 2027 Knauss FEllow!

Length & Location of Assignment How to Submit an Application Review & Selection Process All times listed in Pacific Time (PT) Applications Open: March 12, 2026 2027 Knauss Informational Webinar/Alumni & Current Fellows Q&A: April 15, 2026 11:00 - 12:30 PM PT [ Visit this link to register ] CASG Office Hours: May 18 - 22, 2026 Applications Due: June 3, 2026 5:00PM PT Application Review: June 8 - 18, 2026 Interviews: June 22 - 25, 2026 Notification of CASG Selection: Late June, 2026 Notification of NSGO Selection: September, 2026 Fellowship Begins: February 1 - June 1, 2027 Fellowship Ends: No later than June 30, 2028 Federal Agency Name(s): Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), National Sea Grant College Program (SG) Funding Opportunity Title: Fiscal Year 2027 National Sea Grant College Program Dean John A.

Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Funding Opportunity Number : NOAA-OAR-SG-2027-32433 Deadline(s): The deadline for application to California Sea Grant (CASG) is June 3, 2026 5:00 PM PacificTime .

Funding Opportunity Description: The National Sea Grant College Program was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1966 (amended in 2020, Public Law 116-221) to support leveraged federal and state partnerships that harness the intellectual capacity of the nation’s universities and research institutions to solve problems and generate opportunities in coastal communities.

This notice announces that applications may be submitted for the 2027 National Sea Grant College Program Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship (Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship Program). Pending the availability of federal funding, the National Sea Grant College Program (Sea Grant) anticipates funding not less than 35 applications.

Interested applicants should carefully review the eligibility, information, and available resources for the 2027 Knauss Fellowship and are encouraged to reach out to California Sea Grant (sgproposal@ucsd. edu ) one to two months before the state application deadline ( June 3, 2026 5:00PM PT) to receive application support and provide notification of intent to apply.

Following student application submission, the student should allow sufficient time to hear back from California Sea Grant for next steps in the review process.

THE NATIONAL SEA GRANT OFFICE (NSGO) RESOURCES Student Resources: Prospective Fellows 2027 Timeline (subject to change) 2027 Knauss Applicant Guide 2027 General Student Guide Knauss Fellowship Overview Notification of Intent to Apply: one to two months before the state application deadline (June 3, 2026 5:00PM PT) Interested applicants are encouraged to reach out to California Sea Grant at sgproposal@ucsd.

edu to receive application support, get connected with Knauss alumni, and provide notification of intent to apply. 2027 Knauss Informational Session/Alumni & Current Fellows Q&A: April 15, 2026 11:00AM - 12:30PM PT 2027_knauss_fellowship_informational_session_slides.

pptx Office Hours: May 18 - 22, 2026 If you still have questions after attending the Informational Webinar, or were unable to attend, California Sea Grant will be hosting office hours to answer any questions you may have. To schedule a time to chat, visit the booking page: [ Booking Link ].

length & location of assignment The anticipated start date for the 2027 Knauss Fellowship is between February 1 and June 1, 2027 , with the fellowship concluding no later than June 30, 2028 . The fellowship assignment lasts twelve (12) months and takes place in person in Washington, D. C.

Relocation is required, and travel and moving expenses will be budgeted to support the fellow’s move to the Washington, D. C. area for the duration of the fellowship, in accordance with University of California, San Diego (UCSD) relocation policies.

California Sea Grant receives and administers the overall cooperative agreement of up to $97,200 per each fellow selected from our program. This includes base funding for each award at $79,700, of which $74,700 is to be used by the eligible Sea Grant program to cover the fellow’s salary/stipend and personnel expenses for the twelve months of the fellowship and $5,000 can be used to cover allowable expenses.

Allowable expenses could include, but are not limited to, academic tuition, journal publication fees, academic- and fellowship-related travel, conference fees, in person and online training, and workshops that support the successful completion of the fellowship and future career development of the fellow.

Award packages will include travel costs totaling $17,500, of which $15,000 will be budgeted for optional host- related travel and training, and $2,500 will be budgeted for optional placement week expenses, which would be provided at the discretion of the National Sea Grant Office.

While health care is not required per the the NOAA-OAR-SG-2027-32433 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) , selected fellows are expected to follow all federal laws for health insurance per the Affordable Care Act Individual Mandate Rules . There is no guarantee that funds will be available to make awards or that any application will be selected for funding.

If an applicant incurs any costs before receiving an award agreement signed by an authorized National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) official, they do so at their own risk of not being selected or of these costs not being included in a subsequent award. NOAA and Department of Commerce (DOC) will not be responsible for any incurred project costs if this program fails to receive full funding.

The anticipated start date is between February 1 and June 1, 2027 for the 12-month fellowship. The fellowship is to be completed by June 30, 2028 . These awards cannot be renewed or deferred.

Pre-award spending may be authorized 120 days prior to the start date of the award. Fellows must submit both a mid-year and a final performance report (a summary of accomplishments and activities) to California Sea Grant. The mid-year report is due no later than six months after the start of the fellowship, and the final report must be submitted within two weeks of the fellowship’s end date.

A student is eligible to submit an application to California Sea Grant if: (1) The student is a U.S. Citizen (born or naturalized), a U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident (Green Card holder), or a dual national with at least one citizenship as the U.S.; (2) The student is enrolled towards a degree in a graduate program at any point between the onset of the 2025 Fall Term (quarter, trimester, semester, etc.) and June 3, 2026; (3) The graduate degree will be awarded through an accredited institution of higher education in the United States or U.S. Territories, and; (4) The student has an interest in ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources.

Student application submission is through an application to the Sea Grant program in the state in which the student is earning their degree. If there is no Sea Grant program in a student’s state, a Sea Grant program will be assigned.

A written statement from the National Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship Program Manager referring the student to the most appropriate eligible Sea Grant program will be provided to the student and must be submitted to the State Sea Grant program through which they are applying.

Applicants whose state does not have a Sea Grant program should contact the Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship Program Manager, National Sea Grant College Program; Tel: (240) 507-4825; E-mail: oar. sg. fellows@noaa.

gov The one-year fellowship will take place in the National Capital Region. Student applicants must be prepared to relocate to the Washington, D. C.

area. Student applicants who are dual citizens, please note: while this fellowship is open to dual citizens, a significant number of participating federal host offices are unable to accept dual citizens as fellows. This may reduce the number of placement opportunities available to dual citizens.

Note: Dual citizens are eligible for both the Executive and Legislative cohorts. Student applicants must be able to pass a federal background security check. Prior contact/arrangements made with possible host offices before the start of the placement week will be cause for immediate disqualification from the process.

Student applicants who have been accepted as national finalists and/or become fellows are not eligible to apply again without the written permission of the NSGO Fellowships Manager, which will only be granted in response to exceptional life events. A national finalist is defined as a student applicant who goes through the review process and is selected at the national level for the fellowship program.

If alternates are selected, they are eligible for re-application if they withdraw prior to accepting a finalist position or are not offered a finalist position and would otherwise still be eligible to apply. Student applicants are considered finalists until they are paired with a host office during the placement process.

how to submit an application The electronic files comprising your application must be submitted as PDFs using eSeaGrant, California Sea Grant’s online submission portal: https://eseagrant2. ucsd. edu/ .

To start an application in eSeaGrant or to revisit/edit an existing application, click on “Current Tasks” in your eSeaGrant dashboard. To start a new application, click on “Add Fellowship Application” under “Fellowship Applications: 2027 Knauss Fellowship”. If you have already started an application and wish to edit it, click on the hyperlink for that application instead.

FORMATTING: Ensure electronic files are no larger than 6 MB. Only PDFs are accepted. Include your last name in the file names for each section of the proposal (e.g., Smith_statement.

pdf or Smith_cv. pdf). When naming the document do not use apostrophes, slashes or ampersands.

Once submitted through the website, PDFs may not be edited. To change a PDF, it must be deleted and resubmitted. IMPORTANT: To maintain confidentiality, letters of recommendation are submitted directly from the referee to California Sea Grant through eSeaGrant and must be submitted by the application deadline to be considered.

Please address letters to Dr. Shauna Oh, Director, California Sea Grant. Late submissions may lead to the rejection of incomplete applications. Candidates are encouraged to work with referees to meet the deadline.

For technical issues with submitting your application through eSeaGrant please contact Delanie Medina at sgproposal@ucsd. edu . with the subject line “ 2027 Knauss Fellowship” .

Submitted fellowship applications will be screened for appropriate application requirements including academic background, employment history, career and education goals, community and extracurricular activities, interest in the fellowship, and for professional skills such as initiative, leadership, adaptability, communication and analytical skills. Applications missing any requirements will not be considered.

Application Deadline: June 3, 2026 5:00PM PT NOTE: THE ESEAGRANT PROPOSAL PORTAL WILL CLOSE AT THE DATE AND TIME STATED ABOVE, AND LATE APPLICATIONS (EVEN 1 MINUTE LATE) CANNOT BE ACCEPTED. IT IS THE APPLICANT'S RESPONSIBILITY TO GET ALL REQUIRED MATERIALS SUBMITTED BEFORE THE DEADLINE.

WE ADVISE TO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION; WHEN ESEAGRANT EXPERIENCES HIGH USER TRAFFIC, YOU MAY EXPERIENCE PAGE LOADING DELAYS. As a federally funded entity, California Sea Grant is adapting to the evolving landscape, understanding potential implications, and ensuring compliance with active executive orders (EOs) .

Therefore, when preparing your personal education and career development statement, we recommend ensuring your response aligns with any current and relevant executive orders and policies issued by the Administration (i.e., active executive orders).

Please note that any content in your application package exceeding the listed page or text limits will be redacted prior to application review – this includes letters of recommendation as well. A complete application will include: Academic Information/Graduate Transcripts Personal Education and Career Development Response Relevant Coursework and Future Year Plans Two Letters of Recommendation 1.

ACADEMIC INFORMATION/GRADUATE TRANSCRIPTS The name of your graduate school university] (e.g., University of California, San Diego). Degree type (e.g., PhD, MS, J. D.

, MAS, MESM, etc.). Degree title (e.g., Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, Political Science, Biology, etc.). The month and year you will be graduating (includes finishing your dissertation, thesis, and defense) (e.g., May 2026).

Copies of all graduate student transcripts (Unofficial copies will be accepted). California Sea Grant will only use transcripts for proof of graduate program enrollment and will not be evaluated by reviewers in the written review nor included in selected finalists application packages to the National Sea Grant Office. Ensure that PDF copies of transcripts are not password-protected.

2. CURRICULUM VITAE (not to exceed two pages) The student should not include personal contact information or web links to external resources (e.g., LinkedIn, articles, blogs, etc.). If included, it will be redacted.

3. PERSONAL EDUCATION AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT RESPONSE (1,500 WORDS TOTAL) The student should emphasize their abilities and expectations of the fellowship experience in terms of their career development. Each section and subsequent subsection should be answered separately using the section headers below.

The entire personal education and career development section should not exceed 1,500 words total. Suggested word counts will be included with each subsection below. Section headers will not count as part of the overall word count.

The student should not include personal contact information or web links to external resources (e.g., LinkedIn, articles, blogs, etc.). If included, it will be redacted. Section One: Career Path and Objectives.

(The suggested word count is 750 words for this section.) (Prompt A) (Suggest 250 words) The student should discuss any experience(s) (research or otherwise) that supports or relates to the mission of the National Sea Grant College Program or the state Sea Grant program (the student does not have to have had a direct connection to Sea Grant).

The student should emphasize (if relevant) any experience with extending and distilling science for non-scientific audiences. (Prompt B) (Suggest 250 words) The student should discuss their interest in the Knauss Fellowship with a specific focus on how the Knauss Fellowship supports the student’s career pathway. The student should focus on how the Knauss Program would further support their development as a professional.

(Prompt C) (Suggest 250 words) The student should discuss the transferable skills (skills that can be applied across a variety of disciplines) that they would bring to the Knauss Fellowship. In this response, students should highlight experiences from their personal, professional and academic background. Section Two: Career Path Experience.

(The suggested word count is 750 words for this section.) (Prompt A) (Suggested 250 words) During the fellowship, fellows may serve in a range of capacities, including developing and delivering public programs or services, informing policy-making, and providing evidence-based advice to leaders. The student should discuss how they have and/or will embrace the concept of public service.

NOAA NOFO Page 9 of 20 (Prompt B) (Suggested 250 words) The student should discuss a situation in which they have managed or supported a project or activity that included collaborators, community members and/or interested partners with the intent to achieve a common goal. The student is encouraged to use examples.

(Prompt C) (Suggested 250 Words) The student should discuss a situation in which they overcame a challenge (e.g., within a community or institution, personally, professionally, etc.) specifically as it relates to how they took a leadership role. The student should also consider including a reflection on what they learned from this experience. 4.

RELEVANT COURSEWORK AND FUTURE YEAR PLANS (not to exceed one page single-spaced). The student should discuss any relevant coursework and their future year activities. Relevant Coursework: The student may discuss any completed or in-progress classes that they deem relevant to their success in the Knauss Fellowship Program.

Future year activities: The student should include a listing of classes and/or plans for spring 2026, summer 2026, and fall 2026. 5. TWO LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION (Each letter should not exceed two pages, single-spaced, and should clearly indicate the letter writer’s name and position.)

Two letters of recommendation from individuals who have worked with the student, including at least one from a faculty member associated with the student’s current enrollment who has knowledge of the student’s academic and research (when applicable) performance.

Discuss the following attributes of the student: self-motivation, response to setbacks, skills and involvement in teamwork, collaborative leadership skills, willingness to learn a new skill or topic, academic performance and potential; and Speak to anything else the review panel should know about the strengths that the student will bring to the fellowship.

The letters should not include personal contact information or web links to external resources (e.g., LinkedIn, articles, blogs, etc.). If included, it will be redacted. Any letters beyond the two letters of recommendation will be disregarded by California Sea Grant.

Letters of endorsement from members of Congress, friends, or relatives will not be accepted. Eligible student applicants must submit application materials by 5:00 PM local time on June 3, 2026, to California Sea Grant. Students enrolled towards a degree in a graduate or professional program in a state or territory served by a Sea Grant Program must submit to that program.

Other students must submit their applications to the Sea Grant program to which they were referred to by the Knauss Fellowship Program Manager. Evaluation Criteria used by the National Sea Grant Office may be found in the NOAA-OAR-SG-2027-32433 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) (pages 12 - 14).

Curriculum Vitae, Personal Education and Career Development Response Relevant Coursework and Future Year Plans Two Letters of Recommendation Overall Application Cohesion Directors Letter (Submitted by California Sea Grant **The Knauss Fellowship is a learning opportunity. All applicants will be provided with BLINDED review comments. This will include reviews of the Letters of Recommendation.

Applicants will not receive a copy of the letters. ** At the state level, applications will be reviewed out of 100 points , since the directors letter will not be included in the state level review. At the national level, applications will be reviewed out of 110 points .

The value of each section and subsequent subsection is outlined above. Additionally, a point scale is provided for each section. At the national review, evaluation criteria are identical to those at the eligible Sea Grant program level, except that the directors letter from the eligible Sea Grant program will also be considered.

For detailed information on the Application Review Information, please visit the NOAA NOFO Pages 12-14 . Review & SELECTION PROCESS State level/individual Sea Grant Program Review: An initial administrative review is conducted to determine compliance with requirements and completeness of the student application.

After submission to the California Sea Grant, and if the application meets the minimum requirements, the student application will go through a written review by California Sea Grant. Each application will receive a minimum of three separate written reviews based on the evaluation criteria listed above. Based on the scores provided by reviewers, California Sea Grant will select a subset of applicants for interview.

Based on the scores provided by reviewers from the written review and interviews, California Sea Grant may select and forward to the National Sea Grant Office up to six student applications based on the evaluation criteria. An initial administrative review is conducted to determine compliance with requirements and completeness of the application.

For applications that meet minimum requirements, the application will be individually ranked based on the evaluation criteria listed above by individual reviewers. The selecting official shall award in the rank order unless the application is justified to be selected out of rank order based upon any of the selection factors provided below.

The selecting official shall make final recommendations for award to the grants officer, who is authorized to obligate the funds and execute the award.

The program manager, NEPA staff lead, or grants specialist may contact the applicants to discuss questions about the merit or administrative correctness of the application and may delay approval of the application or impose conditions on the award, preventing funding or execution of certain activities, until all questions are satisfactorily answered.

The Selecting Official shall recommend awarding in the rank order unless the proposal is justified to be selected out of rank order based on one or more of the following factors: Balance/distribution of funds: Student applicant score as submitted as part of the LOI. Duplication of other projects funded or considered for funding by NOAA/Federal agencies. Program priorities and policy factors.

Applicant’s prior award performance Adequacy of information necessary for NOAA staff to make a NEPA determination and draft necessary documentation before recommendations for funding are made to the Grants Officer. Consequently, awards may not necessarily be made to the highest-scored applications.

Investigators may be asked to answer questions and/or modify objectives, work plans, and/or budgets (including overall funding level) to address the issues raised by the reviewers, the competition manager, the Selecting Official, or the Grants Officer before an award is made. Subsequent administrative processing will be in accordance with current NOAA grants procedures.

Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates: It is anticipated that successful applicants will be notified in September 2026 that the Selecting Official is recommending them for funding to the NOAA Grants Officer. Subject to the availability of funds, projects are expected to start no earlier than February 1, 2027 .

The anticipated start date for awards made under this competition will be dependent on funding availability, acceptable completion of all NOAA/applicant negotiations, including NEPA and environmental compliance analysis and permit requirements, and the provision of other supporting documentation as requested.

It is anticipated that unsuccessful applicants will be notified in September 2026 that their application is not recommended for funding. Unsuccessful applications submitted to this competition will be retained for three years and then destroyed. After final selection and announcement of Knauss Finalists, the Selecting Official will place student applicants into either the legislative or executive cohort.

Selection of executive and legislative cohorts will be informed by selected student applicants’ (finalists’) stated preference (solicited after the announcement of the selected student applications), recommendations from the eligible Sea Grant program director and independent reviewers, as well as the selection factors.

All times listed in Pacific Time (PT) Applications Open: March 12, 2026 2027 Knauss Informational Webinar: April 15, 2026 11:00 - 12:30 PM PT [ Visit this link to register ] CASG Office Hours: May 18 - 22, 2026 Applications Due: June 3, 2026 5:00PM PT Application Review: June 8 - 18, 2026 Interviews: June 22 - 25, 2026 Notification of CASG Selection: Late June, 2026 Notification of NSGO Selection: September, 2026 Fellowship Begins: February 1 - June 1, 2027 Fellowship Ends: No later than June 30, 2028 For questions, please contact: Delanie Medina, Fellowship Program Coordinator If contacting, please put in email subject line: “2027 Knauss Fellowship" Funding, fellowship, and job announcements Russian River Salmon & Steelhead Program Delta Stewardship Council Funding/Fellowships