Scholarship in Food Insecurity

Our scholarship application period will reopen on January 5th, 2026 and close on March 5th, 2026. Please check this webpage in January for the application form.

The Centre provides scholarships that recognize the contribution of David Emerson, Wallace McCain, Purdy Crawford, and W. Geoffrey Beattie as past Chairs of the Maple Leaf Foods’ Board of Directors. Four scholarships are distributed annually to support Master or PhD students who propose research to advance a better understanding of food insecurity in Canada.

Research focus

We encourage any scholarship applications that look to fill knowledge gaps on food insecurity in Canada, with particular (but not exclusive) interest in the following key areas:

• Predictors and risk factors
  • Who is most at risk for food insecurity in Canada and what is the experience of food insecurity for these groups?
  • What are the determinants of food insecurity and are there any mediating or moderating factors?
• Impacts and efficacy of potential interventions
  • How can we alleviate food insecurity in Canada, particularly for groups most impacted – including Black and Indigenous families, single adults (18-64), and people with disabilities?
  • What programs, policies and/or market instruments should be used including food prescription and/or food benefit policies and programs?
  • Who needs to be involved?

Scholarship process

Four $15,000 scholarships will be awarded in the summer of 2026 for research spanning up to two years in length. A Research Sub-Committee of the Centre’s Board reviews all applications and makes recommendations to the Centre’s Board Chair 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 are prepared to commence their thesis research in the 2026/2027 academic year
• Conducting thesis research that seeks to fill gaps in knowledge on food insecurity
• Cannot have received the scholarship in the past for the same degree (for example, if you have received a scholarship for your master’s, you cannot reapply unless you are now applying while a PhD student).

Proposal requirements

• A curriculum vitae (CV)
• A letter of reference from a research supervisor (this letter can be sent by your supervisor directly to the Centre at info@feedopportunity.com, if preferred. The title of the email should include the name of the applicant)
• An overview of the following (this section should be no longer than 6 single-spaced pages, excluding references)
  • The research purpose, research question, target population, and objectives
  • A brief background and rationale
  • Proposed methodology
  • How the research fills knowledge gaps about food insecurity in Canada
  • Knowledge translation plans
  • Other sources of funding for the research
  • An explanation of how the research aligns with the Centre’s goal and the research focus areas

Candidates will be selected based on their academic preparedness, match of research to the Centre’s goal and the research focus areas, 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.

Proposal submission instructions

Full proposals are submitted using a fillable form. For research supervisors who are emailing a reference letter directly to us, please include the full name of the candidate in the title of the letter and send to info@feedopportunity.com.

Scholarship requirements

Upon completion of the research, the following will be required of scholarship recipients:

• Status reports submitted twice per year
• A final report sharing research 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.