The Community Food Systems Fellowship is an 18-month leadership program designed to support emerging local leaders working at the intersection of food justice, equity, and community transformation.
The goal is to strengthen community leadership, elevate caregiver and family involvement, promote nutrition and racial equity, and encourage collaborative leadership that supports scalable, community-driven solutions through cross-sector partnerships.
Stipends for fellows and up to $5,000 in project innovation grants
Who Should Apply?
We encourage applications from individuals who are:
- Working to build resilient and equitable local food systems
- Committed to community leadership, especially by caregivers and families
- Focused on food justice, nutrition justice, racial equity, and systems change
- Interested in measuring local impact and success
- Ready to develop strong collaborative leadership skills
This fellowship is ideal for emerging leaders from grassroots organizations, nonprofits, community-based initiatives, or public institutions.
Finalist interviews will take place between December 8–12, 2025, and up to 10 community leaders will be selected to participate in the 2026 cohort by the end of December. Interested applicants are encouraged to review the Request for Applications and FAQ for full details. In addition, community members can help spread the word by using materials from the outreach toolkit.
How to Apply
Apply online through the application portal.
All application materials, including at least one letter of recommendation, are due by November 10, 2025, at 5:00 PM ET. Up to three letters may be submitted.
If a written application is not accessible to you, you may:
- Submit a video or audio response via the online portal, or
- Schedule an oral intake session (available until November 3, 2025)
