Are you a young creative person with a passion for protecting oceans, rivers, or the climate? Do you believe art, music, writing, theater, or film can spark meaningful environmental action in your community? If so, the Bow Seat True Blue Fellowship 2025 may be perfect for you. This program offers up to $2,500 USD in funding, expert mentorship, and a supportive peer network to help turn your creative vision into real-world environmental impact.
In this post, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about the True Blue Fellowship—from what it is and who can apply to how it works and why it matters. By the end, you’ll be ready to craft an application that speaks to your creativity, your cause, and your drive to protect our planet.
What Is the Bow Seat True Blue Fellowship?
The True Blue Fellowship, formerly the Fellowship Grant Program, is run by Bow Seat, a U.S.-based nonprofit that uses the creative arts to promote environmental stewardship. This unique fellowship empowers youth aged 13 to 24, from anywhere in the world, to launch or expand arts-based projects that raise awareness, inspire action, and protect oceans, waterways, and the climate.
From street art and short films to poetry, music, virtual galleries, and more—you get to use your artistic talents to uplift your community and safeguard our shared natural heritage.
The Mission Behind the Program
The True Blue Fellowship grew out of the work of the Future Blue Youth Council, a group of young Bow Seat alumni. They envisioned a program that puts youth empowerment and creativity at the heart of environmental advocacy, grounded in community involvement, collaboration, and tangible outcomes.
This isn’t art for art’s sake. The goal is clear: use creative expression not only to raise awareness but to motivate real environmental action in real places.
Fellowship Benefits
Participants selected for the 2025 cohort receive:
- A $2,500 USD grant to support project development and implementation
- Access to a global community of past and present Fellows
- Online training sessions covering topics like environmental communication, project design, and evaluation
- Ongoing mentorship from Bow Seat staff and alumni, including advice on project planning, storytelling, and outreach
These resources help you shape your ideas into well-supported, community-centered projects.
What Fellow Projects Look Like
True Blue Fellowships are as diverse as the creative talents behind them, but all share these core features:
- Art-Centered Strategy
Your creative skill is the main vehicle for environmental communication or action—whether you’re painting murals, composing music, telling stories, or producing video content. - Community Collaboration
Projects are designed and implemented with local partners—schools, nonprofits, youth groups, community centers, cultural organizations, or environmental advocacy groups. - Meaningful Impact
Every initiative should produce a clear local benefit—more public knowledge, community engagement, behavior change, or policy action. - Flexible Timeline
The fellowship supports both new projects and those up to two years old, giving you flexibility in planning and execution.
Who Should Apply?
To be eligible for the Bow Seat True Blue Fellowship, applicants should meet the following criteria:
- Age: Between 13 and 24 years old
- Language: Able to submit your application in English
- Project Timeline: The project must be ongoing or planned—no older than two years
- Creative Focus: Must use creative arts as the primary tool for action
- Environmental Focus: Clearly connected to ocean, waterways, or climate protection
- Individual or Team: Applications accepted from individuals or groups of any size, with one lead contact per project
- No Duplicate Submissions: Only one submission per young person is allowed
Proof of age, identity, or eligibility may be requested after submission.
Selection Criteria
Submissions are evaluated based on:
- Alignment with Fellowship Goals
Projects must reflect the program’s mission to use art to protect the environment and build community engagement. - Understanding of the Issue
Demonstrating awareness and insight into the specific environmental challenge you’re addressing - Well-designed Approach
Your project plan should be clear, engaging, creative, and methodically organized - Feasibility
Realistic goals, a reasoned timeline, and a budget explaining how grant funds will be used effectively
Example Fellowship Projects
From past cohorts, here are a few inspiring samples of what True Blue Fellowship projects have looked like:
- A mural initiative driven by young leaders, illustrating life beneath the ocean’s surface and created in collaboration with local students to promote awareness and encourage care for the environment.
- A short documentary filmed by teens harvesting invasive plants to highlight ecological balance.
- A traveling interactive art exhibit teaching about plastic pollution and its effects on marine species.
- A community music performance that doubled as a beach clean-up campaign, using songs to connect emotion with action.
- A poetry anthology written and published collaboratively to raise awareness about climate anxiety and youth resilience.
How to Apply
Deadline: September 1, 2025, by 11:59 PM (local time)
Make sure your final submission includes:
- Submit a project overview either a written narrative of up to 750 words or a video lasting no more than five minutes.
- Your motivation for applying
- Community partners or collaborators you intend to work with
- A project budget outline (up to $2,500 USD)
- Your role and qualifications (or your team’s)
Double-check everything before submitting. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.
Tips for Crafting a Strong Application
Want your proposal to stand out? Here are some tips:
- Tell a compelling story. Explain what matters to you, what sparked your passion, and how art connects you to environmental protection.
- Show community impact. Provide details on who benefits, how they’ll be involved, and why it matters locally.
- Be specific and realistic. Clearly describe what will happen, how long it will take, who’s helping, and how the money will be used.
- Highlight creativity. Show how your artistic style or approach makes your project unique and engaging.
- Collaborate with partners. Projects co-developed with a local group or organization tend to be more inclusive, well-informed, and successful.
- Plan for evaluation. Explain how you’ll measure outcomes—like engagement numbers, behavioral shifts, or follow-up activities.
Timeline Overview
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| Now | Applications open |
| September 1, 2025 | Application deadline at 11:59 PM |
| September – October | Application review and adjudication period |
| October – November | Notification of selected Fellows |
| November 2025 – Spring 2026 | Fellows implement projects and participate in training events |
| 2026 | Follow-up reporting, sharing of project outcomes |
Final Thoughts
The Bow Seat True Blue Fellowship offers more than just a grant—it provides creative youth like you with the opportunity, tools, and network to make a measurable difference in your community. Whether you’re planning a powerful mural, a digital campaign, a performance, or a multimedia project, True Blue provides the structure and support to help you succeed.
If you’re a young artist or advocate ready to lead environmental change, this fellowship is your chance to be heard, to act, and to inspire. Submit your application before September 1, 2025, and join a growing movement of young creators who are using their talents to shape a healthier planet.
