8-Month Program
How to apply for class 26
Class 26 will start in August 2026 and end in April 2027. If selected as a NRLI Class 26 Fellow, it is required that you attend all eight sessions listed on the schedule. All applicants will be notified of Class 26 decisions by June 5, 2026.
Application
To apply for Class 26, you must send a completed application form and a résumé/CV as attachments to an email to jpeskin@ufl.edu no later than April 15, 2026.
Fees
Program fees for Class 25 are $5,500 per Fellow. This fee covers:
- All meals (Wed lunch and dinner; Thurs breakfast, lunch, and dinner; Friday breakfast and lunch), snacks, coffee, and non-alcoholic beverages
- Wed and Thurs nights’ logding (with a roommate)
- Field trips
- All instructional materials associated with the program
- Graduation banquet
8-month class application timeline
- Fall 2025 – project team & alumni begin to plan session ideas for Class 26
- December 2025 – schedule finalized
- January 2026 – applications open
- April 15, 2026 – application deadline
- June 5, 2026 – applicants notified regarding acceptance status of application
- July 10, 2026 – registration deadline and fees due
- August 19-21, 2026 – Session 1 for Class 26
Scholarships
We are pleased to offer some partial scholarships (covering 1/2 of registration fee costs) for 8-month class Fellows as funds allow. You can apply for scholarships within the application document (pgs 6-8) – no other forms or documentation required.
Typical partial scholarships available:
| Scholarship | Who is eligible |
| Bruce Delaney Scholarship | Individuals from disadvantaged communities or organizations that would not otherwise be able to financially support their participation in NRLI |
| Farm Credit of Florida Agricultural and Natural Resources Scholarship | Young farmers 35 years old or younger |
| General Joe Joyce Natural Resources Leadership Scholarship | General/unspecified |
| Local Government Scholarship | Individuals and elected officials from local governement |
| Rosezetta Bobo Scholarship | African Americans working in the field of conservation or natural resources |
About the 8-Month Program
Our 8-month program creates a robust alumni network comprised of trained individuals who are prepared to effectively address natural resource challenges through conflict management and collaborative leadership. The program is an intensive and high-level professional development program for natural resource professionals from across Florida sectors, regions, and populations.
Over the course of the 8-month program, Fellows participate in eight three-day sessions, each in a different part of the state. Sessions focus on important, timely, and often contentious natural resource issues. Training includes:
- immersion in the issue/topic through first-hand experiences (field visits);
- engagement with relevant parties from diverse institutions and organizations with emphasis on exposure to a range of perspectives on the issue being studied; and
- creative, experiential, and practical instruction in skills, concepts, tools, and strategies related to collaborative decision making, conflict management, communication, and negotiation.
To assure that the skills learned in NRLI go beyond the individual sessions, a practicum is built into the program. Fellows develop projects that allow them to apply skills and concepts learned in NRLI to actual conflict, decision making, or leadership situations in their organizations or communities.
Class 25 (2025-2026)
