• The Just Leader Fellowship is designed for individuals who identify or have background with QTBIPOC either personally or in the community and who are early in their career (ages 18-30) working to close the racial wealth gap by advancing community ownership in food and land systems. Emerging QTBIPOC leaders will have fiscal and technical support in crafting a food and land justice project. This fellowship is designed to develop the political education, project management, and leadership skills at a pace of the fellows’ genius. 
• The fellowship includes an opportunity to earn up to $10,800, representing a full scholarship to our Build, Unlearn, Decolonize gathering, an extensive network of various cooperative experts, a professional development budget, and robust and intentional project development education/skills.
• In alignment with our mission at CoFED, we designed this fellowship specifically for emerging leaders in the food and land justice systems. Often people the ages of 18-30 do not have equitable access to training, education, and resources that could amplify their cooperative efforts. CoFED responds to this systemic gap with the Just Leader Fellowship.

• The Just Leader Fellowship is designed for individuals who identify or have background with QTBIPOC either personally or in the community and who are early in their career (ages 18-30) working to close the racial wealth gap by advancing community ownership in food and land systems. Emerging QTBIPOC leaders will have fiscal and technical support in crafting a food and land justice project. This fellowship is designed to develop the political education, project management, and leadership skills at a pace of the fellows’ genius. 
• The fellowship includes an opportunity to earn up to $10,800, representing a full scholarship to our Build, Unlearn, Decolonize gathering, an extensive network of various cooperative experts, a professional development budget, and robust and intentional project development education/skills.
• In alignment with our mission at CoFED, we designed this fellowship specifically for emerging leaders in the food and land justice systems. Often people the ages of 18-30 do not have equitable access to training, education, and resources that could amplify their cooperative efforts. CoFED responds to this systemic gap with the Just Leader Fellowship.

 Our fellowship eligibility is as follows:

• 18 – 30 years old
• Applicants should reside and be able to work legally in the US 
• Your work centers on the collective liberation of Queer, Trans, Black, and Indigenous People of Color
• You identify and have background & knowledge with the QTBIPOC community
• You are actively engaged in a project, initiative, or organization in the food and land justice ecosystems
• You are able to commit to fellowship expectations, if selected, including access to necessary technology to attend virtual sessions via zoom
• You are in a season where you can commit to monthly Zoom meetings (6 hours/month of coaching sessions, political education, and cohort connections), a 5 day in-person gathering (BUD) 
• You understand two recommendations are required
• You are rooted in transformative food & land systems workYou have been in the food, land, or racial justice movement for at least 1-5 years

We encourage you to apply if you are in a season where you can commit to 4 monthly Zoom meetings (two 60-min monthly individualized project check-ins and coaching sessions; two 2-hour monthly all-fellows’ co-learning, political education, and community sessions), a 5 day in-person gathering (BUD). In addition to this, fellows are expected to craft a food & land justice project and develop an impactful fellowship project, presentation, and report by December 2026.

Fellows are expected to demonstrate accountability to the cohort by treating preparation as a practice of care – completing assigned readings, reflections, and pre-work in advance of sessions.

Fellows will receive bi-weekly payroll throughout the 8-month long fellowship for work completed

Applications will be read and chosen by a selection committee, consisting of CoFED staff and network collaborators, the following selection criteria:

• Readiness & Commitment

• Project Viability & Clarity

• Accountability & Follow-Through

• Alignment with CoFED’s Values

• Professional Skills

• Connection to Food & Land Justice

• Understanding Political & Climate Landscape

• Teachability & Growth Orientation

Recommendations should be: from a member of a collective/co-op/organization that you are affiliated with, and 2) a community member that can speak on behalf of you/your work/your impact in your community.

Each recommender will be asked to submit a recommendation form provided in the application. Recommendations are part of a complete application submission and we will need to be received by the application closing date (March 31). We do accept supplemental information (such as resumes, portfolios, or links), but they are certainly not required and there is no penalty for not including them.

Through the course of the 8-months, we explore curated political education curriculum that includes but is not limited to: a decolonial history of our food system through the lens of Black and Indigenous folks, deconstructing our relationships with money and wealth building, building our containers of care for self and our collectives; and share our journeys as food system leaders through the final presentation of your projects.

We also offer 1:1 sessions during which fellows can access support with professional development, leadership development and coaching, grant writing, developing fundraising tools, technological support, learning technologies, and building blueprints for the long-term sustainability of your projects and transformative work in the food system.

• All JLF sessions will be held virtually over Zoom
• Build, Unlearn, Decolonize (BUD), to which you will receive a full scholarship to attend and are expected to facilitate at, is a 5-day immersive in-person program. Details to follow if accepted into the Fellowship

Please visit our Just Leader Fellowship webpage (About the Fellowship) and scroll down to the bottom to find projects from past Fellows for an understanding of the types of projects we support.