Scholarship in Food Insecurity

The Maple Leaf Centre for Action on Food Security is pleased to announce the creation of nine scholarships in recognition of the extraordinary contribution of David Emerson, Wallace McCain, and Purdy Crawford as past Chairs of the Maple Leaf Foods’ Board of Directors. Three scholarships will be distributed each year for three years, beginning in the 2020/2021 academic year.

The Maple Leaf Centre for Action on Food Security works collaboratively to achieve its goal of reducing food insecurity in Canada by 50% by 2030. This includes supporting research that advances a better understanding of food insecurity in Canada. These scholarships will support master’s or PhD students who propose to pursue research that contributes to the body of knowledge on food insecurity in Canada, including determinants, risk factors, impacts, and the efficacy of potential interventions such as programs, policies, and market instruments.

Scholarship process:

• Three $15,000 scholarships available for research spanning up to two years commencing in the 2020/21 academic year.
• A call for proposals will be issued in November for the following academic year, with proposals due by February 14th, 2020. Interviews will be conducted in April and the first three scholarships awarded in May 2020.
• The Research Sub-Committee of the Centre’s Board will review applications, conduct interviews and make recommendations to the Centre’s Board for approval.

Eligibility:
For applicants to be considered, they must meet the following eligibility requirements:

• A master’s or PhD student of any discipline, enrolled at a Canadian university;
• In good academic standing with their academic institution;
• Entering their second or third year of post-graduate study and/or are prepared to commence their thesis research in the 2020/2021 academic year;
• Conducting thesis research focused on the determinants, risk factors, impacts, and efficacy of proposed interventions on food insecurity in Canada.

Proposal requirements:

• A curriculum vitae (CV)
• A letter of reference from a research supervisor
• An overview of the research purpose, research question and objectives; a brief background and rationale; proposed methodology; explanation of how the research fills knowledge gaps about food insecurity in Canada; and how the research aligns with the Centre’s goal. This section should be no longer than 6 single-spaced pages, excluding references.

Candidates will be selected based on their academic preparedness, match of research to the Centre’s goal, and quality of the submission, including feasibility, methodological rigor, and potential contribution of the findings to the body of knowledge on food insecurity in Canada (such as determinants, risk factors, impacts, and interventions).

Scholarship requirements:

• A final research report that shares findings once the work is completed
• A summary of how the funds were spent and how they enabled the student to amplify their work
• Students may be invited to present their research to the Centre partners and/or Board.

Proposal submission instructions:

Full proposals with all requirements are to be emailed to info@feedopportunity.com with the subject line “Scholarship in Food Insecurity” no later than 11:59 PM [EST] on February 14th, 2020.