If you’re passionate about tropical forests and want to sharpen your expertise, there’s a global opportunity you’ll want to know about.

The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) is offering fellowships to help professionals in member countries grow their skills in forestry and related areas — and it’s all thanks to the Freezailah Fellowship Fund.

What the Fellowship Program Aims to Do

This fellowship isn’t just about personal development — it’s about creating ripple effects.

The program is designed to build up skilled individuals who can contribute to the sustainable management of tropical forests, improve the way tropical timber is used and processed, and enhance access to solid economic data on timber trade.

In short, it’s about combining education and impact.

Who Can Apply for the ITTO Fellowship?

There are a few key eligibility rules:

You must be a national of one of the ITTO member countries.
Fellowships are awarded to individuals, not organizations.
If you’ve received an ITTO fellowship before, you’ll need to wait two years from the completion and reporting of your previous fellowship before you can reapply.

How Applications Are Evaluated

Applications will be judged on a well-rounded set of criteria — and no one factor is more important than the others.

Here’s what matters:

How well your proposed activity fits the program’s main goal and priority areas.
Whether you have the right qualifications to carry out your proposed plan.
The potential for your learning or research to have broader benefits — both in your country and internationally.
Whether your budget is reasonable based on what you plan to do.

In addition to the main criteria, the selection committee will also keep an eye on:

Making sure there’s geographic and gender diversity among awardees.
A balance in the types of topics and disciplines funded.
Whether you’re proficient in the language of instruction or communication, especially if you’re applying for training, tours, or conferences.

What the Fellowship Covers

The fellowship can fund up to US$10,000, and that amount can go toward things like:

Tuition or training fees
Travel costs
Daily living expenses
Books and other educational materials

If you’re pursuing post-graduate studies, keep in mind that the fellowship only covers a portion of tuition or may act as a small research grant.

Also, once approved, the fellowship funds can’t be switched to other programs or institutions.

Ready to Apply?

If this sounds like the perfect opportunity for you or someone you know, now’s the time to take the next step.

Applications are open, and the process starts online.