Global Food Fellowships

The Yale Sustainable Food Program’s Global Food Fellowship supports the extracurricular study of food systems. These opportunities are designed to offer experiences outside of Yale’s campus, allowing for place-based practice and participant observation on multiple levels of the food system.

Application Information:

All Fellowships should be grounded in a guiding question, which seeks to explore ideas that could overturn the ecological, social and economic deficiencies of today’s predominant food systems. Inquiries should; engage critically with approach and methodology; reflect upon the student’s positioning in the research; acknowledge the context-dependency of the place and topic; and prioritize principles over prescriptions for food systems solutions. Recipients are required to submit a piece to our Voices blog and present their work as a part of the YSFP’s knead 2 know student series. Graduating seniors who cannot return to campus will prepare a 10-slide photo essay, or other agreed upon deliverable in lieu of a presentation. All fellowships come with mentorship and support from YSFP staff and our extended community of friends and alumni.

There are two types of awards:

• Independent Award - varied Interested students should propose a plan of study, research or internship project which is based in place and in service to existing food-related efforts. Students are responsible for creating and maintaining partnerships with their host organization(s) and should be prepared to work independently. Award amounts and lengths of stay will vary based on the students projected budget. Applicants are encouraged to seek alternative funding sources to support their expenses. Open to all currently enrolled Yale students; multiple awardees.

• New Haven/MFUNd Award - $4,000 Students will work directly with a community partner, gaining field experience and allowing for proximity to mission-based work in a local context. Placements last 11 weeks and include weekly synthesis and reader discussions. Students are encouraged to participate in New Haven Food Policy Council-related work and discussions. Open to Yale undergraduate students.

Students must indicate which award they are applying for in their cover letter.

Fellowship applications for Independent Awards are welcomed from all Yale undergraduate and graduate students, including graduating seniors.The New Haven Awards is open to Yale undergraduates, including graduating seniors.

Priority will be given to projects which:

• engage with a non-Yale community partner, and works with them to ensure the project meets an identified need
• allow opportunity for hands-on, embodied practice
• could support a long-term sustainable food career goal
• connect with a curricular interest at Yale
• are place-based, contextualized, and applied in a way that is conscientious of one’s own position