Now Accepting Applications for our Summer Cohort ‘26
Extraordinary times require extraordinary action. With the accelerating climate emergency, Elected Officials to Protect America is inspiring, training, and organizing state and local elected officials across the United States to respond to the climate emergency, protect our land and water, and ensure environmental justice.
OUR STORY
Elected Officials to Protect America (EOPA) is a nonpartisan network of current and former elected officials who care deeply about protecting our lands, waters, and democracy. EOPA educates lawmakers with our Public Leadership Certificate, informs through value-based multimedia platforms, and mobilizes elected officials to inspire strong environmental policy. Lawmakers who are veterans and elected officials representing frontline communities lead our mission.
Founded and led by lawmakers who are veterans, frontline leaders, and young elected officials, we have organized hundreds of elected officials in all 50 states and internationally. Examples include the passage of the Ukraine Energy Security Marshall Plan in the UK Parliament and lawmakers who are veterans from 50 states successfully passing the U.S. Land & Water Conservation Fund with our allies. Our video production arm exposed Saudi Arabia buying up American water, which was given to the Senate Intelligence Committee, and the governor removed their leases. Locally, we achieved fossil fuel divestment in New York and secured a commitment to phase out oil and gas drilling in California.
We focus our strategy on three arenas:
- Policy and Mobilizing – Lawmakers who are veterans and frontline elected officials lead our National and State Leadership Councils and National Security Task Force. Our Leadership Council members participate in our press conferences, hearings, and earned and paid media campaigns. Our work is centered on peer-to-peer education because the best person to educate another lawmaker is a fellow lawmaker. Policies range from a Ukraine Energy Security Marshall Plan and UN climate negotiations at the international level to nature-based solutions, energy security solutions, climate finance, EV’s and clean transportation, to protecting our lands and waters, and more at the national and state levels.
- Education and Training – EOPA and the University of San Francisco jointly run a Public Leadership Certificate that expands lawmakers’ and civic leaders’ knowledge to effectively create, communicate, and implement policy through gaining a deeper understanding of emotional intelligence, leadership and management, public speaking, body language, value-based communications, legislative procedures, cyber security, and empathy-based fundraising, while connecting with elected officials who have had a significant impact on public policy. Participants implement their learning by competing for an innovative policy prize. Recently, the Ukraine Energy Security Marshall Plan and Hawaii Climate Resilience through Tier 1 Mental Health won the prize, which passed the UK Parliament and the Hawaii Legislature.
- Media and Storytelling – EOPA has an in-house film production arm to educate lawmakers, the media, and the public through visual value-based communication. We have produced national digital advertisements on clean transportation, created a short documentary on water security, and countless other videos to support our mission. Additionally, we run a newsmagazine, ProtectEarth.News where we bring together our videos, print articles, letters, policy solutions, and op-eds written by fellows and lawmakers to share ideas and combat disinformation. Our parent non-profit has published over 70 mission-driven books.
WHO SHOULD APPLY:
We encourage motivated, dedicated young professionals who are committed to supporting and leading a variety of projects and programs, including research, partnerships, fundraising, video editing and production, Op-eds writing, data and project management to apply.
WHY SHOULD YOU APPLY:
- Flexible hours: 20 to 40 hours per week, fellowship term 4 months, with a possibility of extension.
- Work is online/remote or in our office in Rockalnd Maine, or Washington, DC or internationally.
- $1,000 stipends for the fellowship period are available, commensurate with experience.
- Opportunity to attend our Public Leadership Certificate, where over 200 leaders from around the world apply, and on average, 37 are accepted.
- Contribute to strategic programs with direct international and national policy impacts.
- Work with state and local elected leaders
- Expand your network and join our talented community of current fellows and alumni
- Access to our lawmaker professional development series
- Opportunities to advance in leadership as a Senior and Executive Fellow. When hiring, we traditionally hire from our fellows and alumni.
SPECIALIZED TRAINING FOR FELLOWS:
Our training courses include value-based communications, empathy-based fundraising, and EQ leadership and management, in addition to job-specific mentorship and training.
- Emotional Intelligence and Public Leadership – The course will involve learning to increase each participant’s ability to empathize with others, to listen accurately, to communicate authentically, and create a work/campaign environment that maximizes team performance and creativity.
- Value-Based Communications – In a media environment where we receive five times more information every day than just five years ago, distinguishing oneself from the crowd to make a lasting impact is essential to an organization or campaign. This course will focus on how we communicate through framing, targeting, and implementing a media campaign that connects through stories that create emotion to create action. Through experiential learning, students will create their narrative and apply it to real-life events, including press conferences, and media campaigns we conduct.
- Empathy Based Fundraising – This course introduces students to the elements of fundraising for political campaigns and organizations, and how those techniques can also be applied to nonprofit groups. We then expand to advanced fundraising tactics to connect through values and build empathy with the funder. Students will understand what makes compelling fundraising asks and evaluate the most effective fundraising tactics.
APPLY ONLINE HERE: Solon Fellowship Application
If the form is not accessible, please email talent@eopa.org
WHAT FELLOWS SAY
“Extraordinary times call for extraordinary action. In this era of climate emergency, EOPA has proven to be a critical steward in protecting both our planet and democracy. I am truly excited for the opportunity to work alongside and learn from this incredible team, tackling climate change head-on. For anyone passionate about making a real difference, EOPA is the place to be.”
– Matthew Azure Awini, Senior National Campaign Fellow
“It got me out of my comfort zone and I learned a lot – everything from winning grants, policy brief writing, and contacting elected officials. Good for the soul. The work we’re doing really makes an impact. It was exciting to see the TV segment featuring our press conference!”
– Chris Molina, Senior National Campaign Fellow
“We are building something really big here, and it’s amazing to be right in the middle of it all – from talking to elected officials to making websites to planning a nationwide outreach campaign – you can literally see the organization taking steps to firmly set itself as a key player in the national environmental policy landscape.”
– Bert Li, National Campaign Fellow
“I joined this team because of the unique and incredible work that EOPA conducts on a daily basis. You really get to understand and build a new organization collaboratively. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a difference in our environment and collective public health.”
– Jesse Ward, National Campaign Fellow
“EOPA is truly a special organization. We empower leaders, whether elected officials or fellows, even as we massively scale our impact. The collaborative team and mission are inspiring. Everyone has a voice and is supported on their unique path and as a team. I’d highly recommend working for EOPA to anyone interested in environmental policy as well as growing to become a better leader, professional, and activist.
– Kylie Burke, Senior National Campaign Fellow
“Working for EOPA is a great way to work on all kinds of different projects and fields. The staff really encourages you to work on what you are interested in and take the lead on it. If you want to be a part of an organization that is trying to change things for the best, EOPA is the place to be.”
– Capucine Marzet, National Campaign Fellow