The GreenMatter Fellowship Programme was established in 2012 as one of the key initiatives in supporting the implementation of the Biodiversity Human Capital Development Strategy (BHCDS, 2010 – 2030) in attracting, enabling access, development and retention of new entrants into the sector. Now, 10 years on, GreenMatter and its partners are seeking to determine the impact of the programme both on the programme beneficiaries as well as in the broader environmental sector through the activities of the alumni.

The mid-term review of the Biodiversity Human Capital Development Strategy reflects a focus in the first 10 years of implementation largely on building the skills and capacities of new entrants into the sector with a significant amount of activity and inputs.  It also highlights the absence of cohesive and structured monitoring and evaluation to better understand the outcomes and impact of these initiatives. 

To provide a more cohesive picture of the contribution of the GreenMatter Fellowship Programme to the BHCDS, a more focused evaluation is being undertaken, using a value creation framework to understand the value of the programme for the individual, receiving organisations and the sector.  The first phase of this focused evaluation uses the value creation framework to analyse existing data and develop a set of indicators that would guide the further evaluation of the programme in a second phase, to determine value created for individuals, organisations and the sector. 

Since its inception, there have been various reports produced on the GreenMatter Fellowship which suggest positive outcomes of increasing access to and supporting skills development for the sector.  A 2020 programme evaluation similarly suggests key outcomes of the programme and largely positive experiences of fellows participating in the programme.  These positive outcomes are similarly reported in testimonials written by fellows over the 10 years of its offering.