IFT’s Feeding Tomorrow Fund has announced that applications are now open for more than 40 undergraduate scholarships and 25 graduate scholarships. IFT’s Feeding Tomorrow Fund encourages, promotes, and rewards the excellence of students pursuing careers in the science of food through various efforts including a variety of academic tuition scholarships. Since 1985, the Institute of Food Technologists through the Feeding Tomorrow Fund has awarded more than 2,700 scholarships totaling over $3 million.

In addition to graduate and undergraduate scholarships, IFT’s Feeding Tomorrow Fund also offers scholarship awards for students with specific criteria such as greatest financial need, those transferring from a community college, and first-generational college enrollment. The Gateway Program scholarship awards will also continue this year, which removes the restriction that students must attend IFT Higher Education Review Board (HERB) approved programs.

Submissions for the Elwood F. Caldwell Graduate Fellowship are also now open. The fellowship, which is designed for students currently enrolled in a master’s or doctoral program in the science of food, provides a generous stipend to students pursuing research focused on addressing the current and future needs and demands of the global food system. It was created as the result of a more than $1 million endowment from long-time member and IFT Fellow Elwood Caldwell, PhD. 

“The world needs the next generation of creative and innovative minds engaged in the science of food to meet the critical challenges ahead of us, and we are proud to motivate young minds and support students through our extensive educational resources and scholarship opportunities,” said Steve Hartley, IFT director of fund development. 

Applicants for all scholarships must demonstrate a commitment to the science of food profession, which can include, but is not limited to, membership in IFT. Student members receive access to a variety of tools that will help them on their science of food journeys, including being able to participate in the Institute of Food Technologists Student Association (IFTSA) and its competitions, widely considered to be among the most prestigious food science competitions for college-level students in the world. 

The 2023 IFTSA Competition winners and finalists were honored at IFT FIRST last July. IFT’s Feeding Tomorrow Fund will be awarding travel scholarships to attend IFT FIRST 2024, which is being held July 15–17 at McCormick Place in Chicago. Registration opens March 1.

The application deadline for all scholarships is February 26, 2024. 

To learn more, visit ift.org/community/students/scholarships. Interested students may also email International Scholarship and Tuition Services at ContactUs@applyists.com or IFT at feedingtomorrow@ift.org to learn more about the application process.