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California Academy of Sciences Launches First-of-Its-Kind Program for Digital Storytellers to Build a Movement for Nature

Creators will receive $20,000 for a one-year program centering environmental justice, climate, and nature.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (January 29, 2024) — The California Academy of Sciences is excited to launch California Creators for Nature (CCN), which kicks off in March with a paid, year-long program for five Bay Area digital creators and storytellers—the first influencer network of its kind started by a natural history museum and research institute. Included as part of the Academy’s Thriving California initiative, California Creators for Nature will recruit an inaugural cohort of digital creatives to start conversations about nature, climate, environmental justice, and similar topics.

Applications for the California Creators for Nature program are open through February 19, 2024. Storytellers chosen for this program will receive $20,000 in compensation for the year-long term, and will work with Academy scientists, experts, and partners to tell stories about Bay Area nature through the lens of the creator’s own voice, perspectives, and interests. Selected creators will also help host in-person events to connect people with nature and shape the development of California Creators for Nature for future cohorts.

“The Academy’s vision is a world in which people and the greater web of life thrive together,” said Executive Director Scott Sampson, PhD. “Being able to host and support a diverse network of active, visible storytellers is an exciting next step in our work to build a movement for nature, and one we know will create meaningful new connections in both digital and physical communities.”

“Some of the most powerful storytelling happening today in the nature and environmental-justice space is being done by individual content-creators,” said Director of Digital Engagement Laurel Allen. “We wanted to create a program that would empower more of that work, and by starting with an advisory board of incredible California-based storytellers—Chloé Stowell Colón, Kristy Drutman, Isaias Hernandez, Kiana Kazemi, Aditi Mayer, and Nelson ZêPequéno—we were able to better understand the challenges faced by today’s digital creators. California Creators for Nature was truly designed by influencers, for influencers, and we hope it will give five storytellers the time, resources, and inspiration to take their work even further, helping to connect more communities to nature that belongs to everyone.”

California Creators for Nature seeks to empower creators working from personal and community-driven perspectives, and to drive Thriving California goals: increase people’s connections with the natural world, engage Californians in making and sharing observations about nature, and help build a pathway for diverse Californians to become next-generation biodiversity leaders. The Academy’s Thriving California initiative encompasses a suite of projects that aim to regenerate biodiversity, build resilience to climate change, and advance equitable access to nature in three major California ecosystems: Sierra forests, coasts, and San Francisco.

“The California Creators for Nature program is an exciting and rare opportunity for creators to engage their online communities on topics that might impact them locally, and to share resources, education, and events that may otherwise be inaccessible," says Kiana Kazemi, advisory board member and co-founder of Beaker and Intersectional Environmentalist. "As an environmental creator and data scientist fascinated by the Academy’s intersectional work in these fields, I’m stoked about this opportunity!"

Application Information:

Applications for the California Creators for Nature (CCN) program will remain open through 11:59 p.m. Monday, February 19. Top candidates will be contacted for an interview prior to the end of February. The final five-person cohort will be announced in early March, which will mark the start of the cohort’s one-year term. Applications will be anonymized prior to review.

Program Requirements:

Cohort members will be responsible for approximately six hours of hybrid work per week, which includes content creation, planning and check-in meetings, events, community activations, and more. The $20,000 compensation will be paid in four installments at the start of each quarter.

Evaluation Criteria:

A visible history engaging audiences in relevant topics: Topics include environmental justice, nature, conservation, climate advocacy, and more. We appreciate applicants involved in direct advocacy and engagement, as well as those focused on lifestyle content (e.g. sustainable fashion, gardening/plants, etc).

Diversity of identity and connections: As a collective, this cohort should be able to surface and speak to the joys, challenges, and complexities of how different communities engage with and access nature.

Collaborative and community-oriented: Applicants should have a strong interest or demonstrated experience in engaging partners and communities in their work, and a willingness to do so digitally and through in-person events.

Skilled, highly effective content creation: Cohort members will have a track record of unusually thoughtful and compelling content creation across multiple platforms, including direct engagement with followers.

Robust owned accounts: Applicants should ideally have a minimum of 20,000 followers across platforms. However, we enthusiastically encourage applications from creators with smaller audiences who bring a unique perspective and/or are from communities underrepresented in the nature space.

Age and location: Cohort members will reside in one of nine Bay Area counties (or within regular driving distance of the Academy) and be over the age of 18.

For additional information and questions, please email digital-engagement@calacademy.org.