Scholarships

My trip to Bolivia was an amazing experience… More than anything, it reminded me why I am committed to grassroots social change: because I want to be part of building a future where all people are treated with dignity and respect. – Alexandra Toledo, 2013 scholarship recipient 

We believe that young people, community activists and farmers have the greatest potential to transform the global food system, but they are also among the least likely to have the resources to travel. The goal of the Food Sovereignty Tours Scholarship Program is to provide educational travel opportunities to people from diverse backgrounds and income levels, allowing them to build alliances and learn new innovations and strategies from people around the world who are working to build food justice and food sovereignty.

Food Sovereignty Tours offers partial scholarships of $50–$600 (and on rare occasion full scholarships) to individuals based on need, interest and available funds. Financial assistance is limited, however, and applications are reviewed and awarded on a first come, first served basis. In making our decision, we will consider the following factors: (1) financial need, (2) the type of work you plan to do when you return from your trip, and (3) your level of community involvement and engagement in work related to food sovereignty issues.

We strongly encourage young food activists, farmers and people of color to apply. 

TO APPLY PLEASE SEND AN EMAIL TO foodsovtours@foodfirst.org WITH THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:

  • A cover letter outlining your interest in this tour and how it will contribute to your future work
  • a current resumé outlining your relevant experience
  • Full Name
  • Phone
  • Email
  • Place of Employment or School
  • Title/Responsibilities/Area of Study
  • Professional or Academic Reference
    • Full Name of Reference
    • Professional or Academic Title of Reference
    • Phone Number of Reference
    • Email of Reference
    • Your Professional Reference must be willing submit a Letter of Recommendation on your behalf. Please ask them to email their letter of recommendation to foodsovtours@foodfirst.org with “Scholarship Recommendation” in the subject line.
  • Income Information
    • Annual Income (including salary and wages)
    • Annual costs (tuition, loans, rent, childcare etc.)
    • Number of dependents and ages
    • How much can you afford to pay to participate in this delegation?

Please indicate which of the following activities/projects you might be interested in working on in exchange for a scholarship:

  • Writing a story for your local newspaper mentioning your trip with us.
  • Keeping a travel blog about your trip or guest-blogging for Food Sovereignty Tours
  • Giving presentations about your trip and publicizing the work of Food First
  • Hosting a Food First speaker in your community.
  • Volunteering in our office
  • Taking quality photos or videos of the country, the people and the trip for use in our brochures & newsletters.
  • Other skills or ideas you can offer.

 

How to DONATE to the Food Sovereignty Tours Scholarship Program

We want to make our travel opportunities accessible to as many people as possible from diverse backgrounds and income levels. We have found that the price we must charge to cover the costs of running tours responsibly and compensating our partners fairly makes them inaccessible to many young food activists, farmers and low-income communities. We believe that these people are the future of food system change and Food Sovereignty Tours needs help in supporting them.

For those who are able, we encourage you to donate to our scholarship fund to help connect young food activists, students and farmers to the global movement for food sovereignty. Click here to make a secure online donation. You can also donate by sending a check made out to Food First to the following address: Food First,  Attn. Tours, 398 60th Street, Oakland, CA 94618 (please note “FST Scholarship Fund” in the memo line).

Support from the Food Sovereignty Tours’ scholarship fund gave me the opportunity to learn about the agricultural and culinary history of Oaxaca from indigenous experts, farmers and community leaders, and spend one of my most memorable Christmases ever. As I continue my work with immigrants in New York City—many of whom are indigenous Oaxacans—the fight for food sovereignty has become mine as well. This kind of educational travel should be accessible to everyone. – Kristen Pak, 2011 scholarship recipient