Applications for community applications.
About Thriving Earth Exchange projects
Thriving Earth Exchange projects start with community priorities and any community can start a project with us! We encourage communities of any size and type to submit a local priority, issue, and/or project idea related to natural hazards, the environment, or climate change.
Thriving Earth Exchange currently seeks communities in the Western hemisphere to apply. Since Thriving Earth’s current language of operation is English, we welcome community applications from community leads comfortable working in English. If requested, we may be able to select bilingual fellows (e.g. Spanish/English; French/English) to support community science projects in your communities. In the near future, we hope to be able to support Spanish-speaking and/or French-speaking communities.
Check out these examples:
- Assessing Flood Risks for Community-Led Action in Gulfport, Mississippi
- Mapping Heat Vulnerability and Community Health in the Bronx, New York
- And many others!
Thriving Earth Exchange is free of charge for communities, and projects typically do not come with funding: we design projects that make an impact through creative problem-solving, in-kind support, and the resources at hand. Projects are supported by Community Science Fellows – project managers we train and match with you – and volunteer scientists and technical experts.
Thriving Earth Exchange launches projects quarterly, and applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. If you’re not ready to join our latest cohort, you can still apply now and join a future cohort. Submit an application in response to a specific initiative, or at any time with a general idea!
Learn more about being a Thriving Earth Exchange community lead here, and check out a video Q&A here.
Working with a National Parks Service employee, staff, or volunteer on a community science idea? Make sure to check out our NPS cohort page and apply through the link found there.
Am I eligible to be a Community Lead with Thriving Earth Exchange?
As a community lead with Thriving Earth Exchange:
- I am an active member of an underrepresented community who I wish to represent. From grassroots advocacy groups to local governments and communities of faith, any community can launch a community science project. Thriving Earth Exchange prioritizes support for communities who are underserved and marginalized by science, including Indigenous communities, environmental justice communities, rural communities, and more. Community leads are not expected to hold a formal leadership role or elected position.
- I tackle a community priority that can be advanced by Earth and space science. The pro bono support that Thriving Earth provides is well suited for advancing community priorities related to natural resources, natural hazards, environment health, climate change, and so on. Thriving Earth Exchange invites communities to apply with one to three initial project ideas.
- I dedicate at least 2 hours per week to the project. Community leads serve as the primary points of contact for their volunteer project managers and should have the availability to commit approximately two hours per week to the project.
Interested in being a Thriving Earth Exchange Community?
Use the form below to apply! Form not loading? Click here to open in a new window.
Applications are considered on a rolling basis for the next project cohort. Please consider the launch dates and application deadlines for Thriving Earth Exchange’s 2023 cohorts below.
2023 Project Cohort Dates and Application Deadlines:
March 2023 Cohort Launch – Apply by 19 January 2023
June 2023 Cohort Launch – Apply by early May 2023
October 2023 Cohort Launch – Apply by early September 2023
Not quite ready for the current cohort options? Submit an application now and select “other” to describe the project you want to be considered for a future cohort.
Email our program at any time at [email protected] or call us at (202) 777-7309 to talk through your idea for a project. We’re happy to hear from you!
Note: Prior to engaging with Thriving Earth Exchange, all communities are asked to read and consent to Thriving Earth Exchange’s Statement on Integrity in Community Science. Please contact [email protected] with any questions.
