THE JUST LEADER FELLOWSHIP
We are excited to announce the launch of the Just Leader Fellowship.
The Just Leader Fellowship exists to support young and emerging QTBIPOC leaders as ecosystem builders, dream tenders, and movement alchemists. JLF holds a leadership lineage and has become a place where young QTBIPOC food and land stewards step into a community of practice rooted in liberation and dream-building. JLF exists to support leaders not at the beginning of their dreams, but at the tender and powerful moment when the seed has already cracked open and begun to grow.
📅 Applications Open: March 2, 2026
⏳ Deadline: March 31, 2026 at 11:59 PM (your time zone)
WHO ARE WE CALLING INTO THIS SPACE?
The Just Leader Fellowship is designed for individuals who identify or have background with QTBIPOC either personally or in the community and are land and food justice leaders and stewards – people between 18–30 years old who have lived experience in land stewardship, cooperative economics, food sovereignty, or movement ecosystem-building and have an emerging or nascent project ready for incubation inside of an 8-month container.
SUPPORT AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR FELLOWS
Just Leader Fellows will have fiscal and technical support in crafting a food and land justice project. Throughout the fellowship, fellows have the opportunity to earn up to $10,800, receive a full scholarship to our Build, Unlearn, Decolonize (BUD) program, connect with an extensive network of cooperative experts, and gain robust political education in the food & farm system and intentional project development education and skills.
Our ideal applicant is excited by their dreams of land and food liberation, is ready to develop their skills to reshape food and land justice in their communities, and is in a season where they can commit to monthly Zoom meetings (6 hours/month of coaching sessions, political education, and cohort connections) and a 5 day in-person gathering (BUD).
KEY DATES:
- March 2, 2026 — Applications open
- March 31, 2026 — Application submission due
- Early April — Applications reviewed by selection committee
- Mid-April — Interviews take place
- End of April — Fellows acceptance invitations sent out
- May 2026 — Fellowship begins
- December 2026 — Fellowship closeout
HOW TO APPLY
To apply for the Just Leader Fellowship, please complete the application form and submit two letters of recommendation by the March 31 deadline.
The letters should be:
- From a member of a collective/co-op/organization that you are affiliated with
- A community member that can speak on behalf of you/your work/your impact in your community. We do accept supplemental information (such as resumes, portfolios, or links), but they are not required
How to submit recommendations:
Two recommendations are required to complete your application. You are responsible for sending your recommenders the Recommendation Google Form along with your project summary to provide context about your application.
If you experience any accessibility issues with the application, please visit our FAQS page or contact jlf@cofed.org.