Maple Leaf Scholarship in Food Insecurity 2026

The Maple Leaf Centre for food security provides scholarships that recognize the contribution of 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.

Table of Content

• Summary
• Benefits
• Requirements
• Interview Process
• Application Documents
• Application Deadline
• How To Apply

Summary

• Application DeadlineMarch 5, 2026
• Value$15,000
• Study LevelMasters , PhD
• SponsorMaple Leaf Centre for Actions
• City to studyVancouver
• School to studyUniversity of British Columbia
• Eligible CountryAll Countries

Benefits

Four $15,000 scholarships will be awarded in the summer of 2026 for research spanning up to two years in length.

Requirements

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 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).

Selection Process

• 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.
• A Research Sub-Committee of the Centre’s Board reviews all applications and makes recommendations to the Centre’s Board Chair for approval.

Application Documents

• 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 [email protected], 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

Application Deadline

How To Apply

To apply, visit Maple Leaf Centre Scholarship webpage, navigate to the form at the end of the page and complete it.

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 [email protected].