FFAR Fellows program

About this program

The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) funds the FFAR Fellows program, a three-year professional development fellowship for doctoral students in food and agricultural research; the application portal for the 2026–2029 cohort is closed and the next cycle (2027–2030) opens November 1, 2026. Two sponsorship categories are offered: Stipend + Professional Development (three‑year matched sponsorship of US$97,500) and Professional Development only (US$15,000), with FFAR equally matching non‑federal funds and all fellows receiving the same professional development training. Eligible applicants are graduate students at any U.S. or Canadian university and must have committed, non‑federal match sponsor(s) to submit a full application; in‑kind support and federal funds (e.g., USDA, NIH, NSF) are not allowable. For the Stipend + Professional Development category at least 50% of the match must be pledged by a non‑academic entity (companies, commodity organizations, foundations, state agencies), and applications invoiced directly by sponsors are prioritized.