King’s Commonwealth Fellowship Programme Climate Resilience Fellowships.
Supporting professionals in Commonwealth Small Island Developing States working in climate adaptation in a bid to catalyse near-immediate practical action.
Commonwealth Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are among the most vulnerable countries in the world, facing numerous economic, social and environmental development challenges, all exacerbated by climate change.
Building resilience to the trends and events associated with climate change is critical to addressing these vulnerabilities and requires adaptation. Effective adaptation action is informed by a knowledge of climate change, its impacts and effective solutions, in addition to harnessing collective leadership and capacities for action among various sectors and stakeholders.
The King’s Commonwealth Fellowship Programme Climate Resilience Fellowships, inspired by His Majesty King Charles III, will provide professionals working on the frontline of climate adaptation from across the public sector, civil society, and private sector in Commonwealth SIDS with an accredited one-year professional development programme focused on climate adaptation practice.
This fellowship will support the long-term resilience of Commonwealth SIDS to climate change through:
- Strengthening the capacity of mid-career professionals in Commonwealth-based SIDS to practically address the current and future climate adaptation challenges in their home country
- Providing a collaborative platform for the testing and implementation of climate adaptation solutions for SIDS
- Developing a cross-sectoral and international network of climate adaptation professionals, working together to face challenges and embrace opportunities
- Enabling and ensuring ongoing efforts for inclusive climate adaptation through centring gender, equality, and inclusion and local and indigenous communities.
To do this, the Fellowship will involve participation in a solutions-focused, practical one-year professional development programme in climate adaptation practice that is grounded in the participants’ real-world experiences.
What does the fellowship include?
A fully funded one-year blended training programme, guided by expert facilitators and mentors, including the following core elements:
- An 18-week online training course (February-July 2026), involving live workshops, self-study, assignments and the following modules:
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- Climate literacy
- Inter-sectoral collaboration
- Influencing policy
- Climate finance
- One five-day in person residential in Jamaica (June 2026)
- A five-month workplace-based applied learning project (August-December 2026)
- The opportunity to acquire the practical tools needed to respond to and build long-term resilience against the current climate crisis with near immediate effect
- Access to a virtual Community of Practice for shared-problem solving and information exchange
- Candidates will undertake the course while continuing their employment. We are actively progressing towards formal accreditation, with the goal of offering a Postgraduate Certificate that reflects the rigour and value of the programme.
Who can apply?
- Mid-career professionals (across any sector) working in a climate adaptation practice-related role.
- Mid-career is defined as 5-15 years of direct or related experience to climate adaptation practice (or equivalent) – not job title.
- Applicants must have a planned commitment to 10-20 years of increasingly responsible roles within this field.
- Applicants must be employed at an organisation registered in an eligible country with a contract up to at least February 2027.
- Applicants must be citizens of or have refugee status in an eligible country.
- Applicants’ permanent home must be in an eligible country.
- The following countries are eligible:
Africa
Mauritius, Seychelles
Asia
The Maldives
Caribbean and Americas
Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago
Pacific
Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea PNG, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu
View details of ACU – King’s Commonwealth Fellowship Programme Climate Resilience Fellowships
