The Maple Leaf Centre for Action on Food Security provides scholarships that recognize the contribution of David Emerson, Wallace McCain and Purdy Crawford as past Chairs of the Maple Leaf Foods’ Board of Directors. Three scholarships are distributed each year for three years to support Master or PhD students who propose to advance a better understanding of food insecurity in Canada.
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? What is the experience of food insecurity for these groups?
- What factors play a mediating or moderating role?
- Impacts and efficacy of potential interventions
- How can we alleviate food insecurity in Canada, and at what levels?
- What programs, policies and/or market instruments should be used?
- Who needs to be involved?
Eligibility Criteria
- 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 2022/2023 academic year
- Conducting thesis research that seeks to fill gaps in knowledge on food insecurity
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)
- 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, and plans for sharing research findings
- Other sources of funding for the research
- An explanation of how the research aligns with the Centre’s goal
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 requirementsUpon completion of the research, the following will be required of scholarship recipients:
- 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.
