Call for Proposals: Scholarship in Food Insecurity (Canada)

Research Focus

• They 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 they alleviate food insecurity in Canada, particularly for groups most impacted – including Black and Indigenous families, female lone-parents, single adults (18-64), families with children, and people with disabilities?
    • What programs, policies and/or market instruments should be used?
    • Who needs to be involved?

Funding Information

• Four $15,000 scholarships will be awarded in the summer of 2025 for research spanning up to two years in length.

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.

Eligibility Criteria

• 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 2025/2026 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.
• 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.

For more information, visit Maple Leaf Centre for Action on Food Security.