Applications are now open for the Reducetarian Foundation’s newest initiative, the Reducetarian Fellowship. This program is supported in part by a grant from Open Philanthropy.

For those who aren't familiar with our organization, the Reducetarian Foundation aims to improve human health, protect the environment, and spare farm animals from cruelty by reducing societal consumption of animal products.

Overview

The Reducetarian Fellowship is designed to foster a more diverse, sustainable, and impactful movement by empowering bright, passionate, and ambitious young advocates and innovators to transform our food system.

This exciting new program is for exceptional New York City-area undergraduate students who are eager to create a more sustainable, healthy, and compassionate world. The one-year experience is designed to equip and encourage students to pursue a career focused on combating industrial animal agriculture. Each fellow receives a $7,500 stipend to support their participation in the program, and one-on-one mentorship from the Fellowship Director (me!) throughout the year.

For the inaugural cohort we will be selecting approximately 15 fellows.

Program components

The first component of the Fellowship runs from September to May. The curriculum offers students the opportunity to explore foundational ideas and cutting-edge strategies through seminars with scholars, activists, and other leaders in the field. It also allows students to develop their professional skills and network through workshops with specialized experts.

The second component of the Fellowship runs from June to August, when Fellows will put their learning to direct use in an 8-10 week summer residency at a partner organization. The residency is an immersive learning experience that will give Fellows first-hand experience with some of the most impactful work in food system reform and innovation.

Partner organizations

The fellowship partners are a diverse set of high-impact public- and private-sector entities connected to the Reducetarian Foundation’s mission of reducing societal consumption of animal products. They include nonprofits with missions related to environmental issues, animal welfare, or human health; companies focused on plant-based, fermented, and cell-cultured alternatives to conventional animal products; philanthropic institutions; and venture capital firms.

Each fellow will do their summer residency at the partner organization that best fits their skills and interests, so the participating organizations will vary each summer in accordance with the profiles of that year’s cohort.

Eligibility requirements and selection criteria

All applicants must be:

• A U.S. citizen or permanent resident
• Enrolled at a university in the New York City area (this includes some universities in New Jersey)
• Able to physically attend twice-monthly events in Manhattan
• A sophomore, junior, or senior during the Fellowship year (so students must apply during the spring semester of their freshman, sophomore, or junior year)

We are looking for students who are self-motivated and eager to make an impact, and who believe they would benefit from this program. Qualities sought include (but are not limited to):

• Robust interest in creating a more sustainable, healthy, and humane food system
• Interest in the Reducetarian philosophy and/or effective altruism
• Ability to receive constructive feedback and implement changes in response
• Growth mindset (the belief that new skills can be developed through hard work, good strategies, and high-quality input from others)
• Ambition, openness, humility, and integrity

Apply now

You can apply to be a part of the Reducetarian Foundation’s inaugural cohort here!

Questions

We have an FAQ page on our website. If your question is not listed there, please email me at sofia@reducetarian.org.

If you are a student who is unsure whether this opportunity would be the right fit for you, I strongly encourage you to reach out to me by email (sofia@reducetarian.org), or to schedule a chat. I’ll be more than happy to answer questions, share further details, and help you decide whether to submit an application.