Our programs
Green Corps offers two training programs. The Organizer Program is a one-year, paid training program that prepares participants for a career in environmental organizing. The Campaigner Program is a four-month crash course that combines classroom training with work on an environmental campaign and serves as an introduction to environmental advocacy and organizing.
Organizer Program
Determined to make a positive impact on issues like climate change and clean water but don’t know where to start? Green Corps offers a yearlong, paid training program that arms you with the knowledge and skills you need to kickstart your organizing career. Through a combination of classroom instruction and field experience you’ll learn how to recruit and train volunteers, develop strategic campaigns, build strong coalitions, organize events and gain media coverage. Upon graduating, you will have the foundation you need to launch a career in environmental organizing.
Here’s how it works:
Learn skills from environmental leaders
To make an impact, you need training. Our staff provides top-notch, unparalleled organizing and advocacy training on important topics including volunteer recruitment, campaign planning, public speaking and more. You’ll learn how to run campaigns that both inspire and build support. You will also receive ongoing mentorship from Green Corps staff and alumni and Public Interest Network staff throughout your year to assist with your campaign work and professional development.
Hands-on experience on real campaigns
Green Corps packs extensive experience into just one year. You will:
work on at least three issue campaigns in three different locations,
organize diverse communities, and
run a canvass office that educates, fundraises and excites environmental supporters.
You’ll also work on the most pressing environmental issues of the day—from saving our last wild places, to protecting our oceans, to reducing plastic pollution. Click here for field notes from the current class of Green Corps organizers.
Launch your organizing career
Upon graduating, you will have the skills needed to launch your own campaign or run your own organization. We connect graduates with organizing jobs in the environmental movement, and most Green Corps graduates find professional positions immediately.
Green Corps Organizer program year calendar
There are two components of the Green Corps year:
Training: Green Corps organizers attend eight weeks of classroom training to learn the theory and skills of environmental organizing
Campaigns: Green Corps organizers run three to five campaigns throughout the year to put their skills to work on pressing environmental issues
Here is an example of a year in the life of a Green Corps organizer:
| AUGUST: | SEPTEMBER: | OCTOBER: |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
| NOVEMBER: | DECEMBER: | JANUARY: |
|
|
|
| FEBURARY: | MARCH: | APRIL: |
|
|
|
| MAY: | JUNE/JULY: | AUGUST: |
|
|
|
Green Corps is an equal opportunity employer. Green Corps will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring.
Campaigner Program
The Campaigner Program is a four-month crash course that combines classroom training and work on an environmental campaign and introduces you to environmental advocacy and organizing. This program will give you the skills and experience to tackle a problem in your own community or be an asset to any environmental organization. We consider top Campaigner Program graduates for additional training both within the Green Corps Organizer Program or for recommendation to the broader environmental and social change movement.
Here’s how it works:
Get top-notch training and make an impact right away
To make an impact, you need training. The Campaigner Program begins with one week of intensive classroom training led by experienced trainers and covers topics including volunteer recruitment, campaign planning, public speaking, media outreach and more. Next, you will apply these skills as you work on a campaign that addresses one of the most pressing environmental issues of the day.
For example, recently, a team of campaigners worked on a campaign with Environment America and MASSPIRG to protect our oceans. They helped mobilize more than 10,000 New Englanders to advocate for a new Marine Protected Area in the Gulf of Maine. It’s called Cashes Ledge, and it’s a critical habitat for the North Atlantic’s cod, whales and more. Campaigners recruited students, faculty, small businesses, scientists and everyday people to call on the Biden administration to permanently protect this threatened ecosystem. Click here to read updates from the current class of Green Corps campaigners.
Green Corps Campaigner program year calendar
Campaigns will last approximately four-months and there will be multiple start dates each year. After campaigns, we will help top candidates pursue opportunities for advancement within Green Corps and the broader social change movement.
Here is an example of a campaign timeline:
| AUGUST: | SEPTEMBER: |
|---|---|
|
|
| OCTOBER: | NOVEMBER: |
|
|
Green Corps is an equal opportunity employer. Green Corps will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring.
FAQs
Is this a paid program?
Yes, Green Corps offers a paid training program that will prepare you for a career in environmental organizing and the broader social change movement.
What does the year look like? How often do organizers travel and to where?
For the organizer program, there are eight weeks total of in-classroom training which occur throughout the year. Green Corps will cover the cost of travel to and from each training location. Organizers will work on a total of three to five campaigns throughout the year, for which you will move around the country.
For the campaigner program, Green Corps will cover the cost of travel from training to the new campaign location as well as additional trainings or campaign trips that are deemed appropriate during the campaign.
How does housing work while at training and while working on campaigns?
Green Corps will provide transportation to and from trainings after the introductory training, as well as free housing during all classroom trainings. During training, organizers will either be staying with their own friends or family if they live nearby or will stay with a Green Corps staff member, alumnus or friend of Green Corps in the area.
While working on campaigns, organizers are responsible for arranging their own housing, although Green Corps will help provide temporary housing through its network for organizers’ first week on the ground.
What type of oversight do organizers receive during the year?
Each organizer has a Green Corps staff director who will make sure they have the resources, support and tools they need to be successful. Additionally, each campaign has a campaign partner who will be involved in developing the campaign plan and providing regular updates to organizers. Green Corps organizers also have access to the 40+ Green Corps alumni and experienced staff from the Public Interest Network who participate in trainings throughout the year and are an invaluable resource to new staff.
Can I choose my campaign or location?
Green Corps organizers and campaigners go where the environment needs them and wherever they can make the biggest impact. They could work on campaigns almost anywhere in the country, and while location preferences are considered for placements, we require all organizers to be geographically flexible.
How is Green Corps funded?
Green Corps is supported by grassroots donations, grants and campaign partners.
How can I support Green Corps?
The best way to support Green Corps is to make a tax-deductible donation here!
Do you have to be a graduating senior from college to apply?
No. Most of our applicants are recent college graduates because the program is for those who are ready to launch their environmental careers. However, there is no age limit to the program.
Do you need to have environmental experience in order to apply?
Not necessarily. Our applicants have a diversity of interests and experiences. We are looking for people who are serious about saving the planet, have experience working with environmental or social change issues, and have demonstrated leadership experience.
Does Green Corps hire international candidates?
Green Corps hires qualified individuals who are authorized to work in the United States. International students who have work authorization are invited to apply. Green Corps does not arrange for work permits or act as a sponsor through any governmental or private job or training program. As a nonprofit organization, Green Corps is unable to devote financial and staff resources in assisting applicants to obtain work authorization.
How competitive is the program?
Similar to other post-graduate fellowships, the Green Corps program attracts many qualified candidates — typically over 1,000 per program year. While we are unable to offer positions to all qualified candidates, we do offer a unique referral program where we recommend some of our candidates to other environmental and social change organizations that may be a better fit.
When will I know if I am accepted into Green Corps?
We will inform candidates within a week of attending a third round interview if we have a position for them or if we would like to put them on our waitlist.
What are the benefits?
For positions starting in August 2026, the target annual compensation is $39,500 (but compensation may range between $39,500 and $43,347 depending on location). Green Corps offers an excellent benefits package. Our benefits package includes medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and dependents, paid sick time (60-80 hours/year depending on location), vacation time (accruing 10 days over year 1), a commuter benefit program, and may include needs-based student loan assistance. We also offer additional short-term campaign and training opportunities, as well as opportunities for advancement. Compensation and benefits will vary for short-term campaign positions.