The following questions and answers are intended to tell you everything you need to know about the redesigned 2023 Seeding Power Fellowship pilot. If you still have questions, please contact Adam Liebowitz at adam@northstarfund.org.
Why should I apply to be a Seeding Power fellow?
Because you’ve spent years working for an equitable food system that honors the dignity of all people, animals, and land involved in it. You know that having some time and space to learn and strategize with other leaders can help advance your work and/or that of your organization, and help form relationships to build the movement we need. And because you are excited to lean into courageous conversations about race, class, and power, and how these forces are showing up in our food movement work.
When will the fellows be announced?
The cohort will be selected by the end of July 2023; an announcement will follow soon after.
How many fellows will be in the cohort?
Seeding Power will have twelve fellows: at least nine from the larger food movement and no more than three from the philanthropic sector.
Who is eligible to apply?
Your work must be primarily located in New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut, and focused on improving some aspect of the food system. You also must have significant experience and influence. This work can be done as part of a nonprofit organization or philanthropic institution, but that is not a requirement. Other positions such as unaffiliated organizers, private sector actors such as farmers, and government employees are also among those eligible. The ideal fellow has many years of experience, and can articulate their goals for this fellowship in terms of its impact on themselves and possibly their organization and/or community.
What defines an “experienced leader” that you’re looking for?
All organizations and networks have different structures and cultures, and so there is no hard and fast rule here. Seeding Power is not designed for early career or entry-level participants. Fellows should be able to think strategically about themselves and their organizations or communities, and be in a position to implement any changes necessary.
Is it okay if my work is not only in the Seeding Power region?
Yes. The issues faced by our communities are not confined by political boundaries, and we don’t expect that all of your work is either. The person applying should spend a significant portion of their time however working in New York, New Jersey, and/or Connecticut.
What do you consider “food system” work?
Food touches everything, so this is a very broad category. Seeding Power is looking for leaders whose work focuses heavily on some aspect of the food system: whether that is part of the food chain (growing, processing, transporting, selling, consuming, or disposing), or the set of policies, structures, and other forces that impact the food chain. This work does not have to be the sole focus of the organization, but it should be a significant part of the applicant’s work.
Do I have to work for a nonprofit to apply?
No. We have broadened our criteria from when we formed the inaugural cohort. You can work for a nonprofit, for profit, government entity, philanthropic institution, or none of the above. You simply must have significant experience working on food system change, and the desire to participate in a pilot experience like the one we are offering.
What if I work for more than one organization?
The goal of this cohort is to connect folks who work primarily in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. So long as this region is where you do most of your work, you are eligible. Our application does have a space to give information about your organization, if you are affiliated with one. If you are affiliated with more than one organization, pick the one where you spend most of your time, and you can let us know about the others in the questions that ask you two write about your organization and your role.
What does a Seeding Power fellow receive?
Each movement fellow will receive a $10,000 stipend, split into two payments at the beginning and end of the fellowship. The philanthropic fellows will be asked to make a financial contribution. More importantly, a fellow gets nine months to learn and strategize about their own growth, the growth of their organization or community, and the growth of the larger food movement. Towards this end, there will be three in-person retreats, 13 virtual sessions, three hours minimum of individualized coaching, and a collaboration team of other fellows to dream and ideate with.
What can a fellow spend the $10,000 on?
All selected fellows that are not from philanthropy will receive a $10,000 stipend, paid as individual income, and will be issued a 1099 at the end of the year. This money is unrestricted and can be used towards anything. The stipend is intended to compensate for the time each fellow will spend as part of the fellowship.
Will my organization get any funding?
The short answer is, no. The Seeding Power Fellowship will uplift the work of the individuals and organizations involved, and funders in the Community Food Funders network will certainly receive updates and highlights about what is happening in the fellowship, but there is no guarantee that this exposure will lead to any grants to your organization. If your primary motivation for applying to Seeding Power is to receive more grant funding, you probably should not apply.
Why are funders included in the fellowship cohort?
The inaugural Seeding Power cohort did not include funders, and upon reflection and evaluation we realized this was a missed opportunity, especially as CFF is a philanthropic-serving organization. We are including funders now in acknowledgement of the influence funders exert in the food movement, and to allow for more meaningful examination and dialog for the potential of this influence. We see the improvement of communication, relationships, and power dynamics between funders and grantees as a critical ingredient for movement building and systems change. This was a decision made after careful deliberation, and the program designers are prepared for the many challenges and opportunities that this inclusion presents.
What is the time commitment required of each fellow?
This 9-month fellowship requires four to six hours of work per month, which includes program time and any outside prep-work. These hours go up in the months where there is an in-person retreat, but there will be no other work during those months outside of the retreat.
Can you tell me more about the collaboration teams each participant will participate in?
The cohort will be split up into three to four groups or teams, decided on by the program facilitators. These teams will work together over the second part of the fellowship to design some type of collaboration or project that incorporates each of the team members’ interests and utilizes some of the skills and lessons developed during the fellowship. The project may be fully executed and completed during the fellowship, or it may be a design for future work to be initiated later, or just a concept never intended to be fully realized. Accordingly, a fellow is not expected to start the fellowship with a project in mind. Each collaboration team will have a facilitator guide to support agenda creation, project management, communication, technical support, and scheduling.
Are the in-person retreats mandatory?
Yes, attendance at the in-person retreats are a mandatory and conditional part of the fellowship experience. They are key to the relationship- and culture-building component of Seeding Power. If you will not be able to attend any one of them, then you should wait until future years when it will be possible for you.
What are the specific dates and locations of the retreats and other commitments?
The virtual sessions will be scheduled with the participation of all fellows at the start of the fellowship. The in-person retreat dates are being scheduled now and this page will be updated when that process is complete.
- September 20: All fellows will be invited to attend the CFF Annual Gathering in NYC the evening before the first retreat.
- September 21-23, 2023 @ Stony Point Center
- March 13-16 or 20-23, 2024
- May 15-16 or 23-24, 2024
Can I help spread the word?
Absolutely! Seeding Power is active on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter, and we have some sample posts and images you can use on those platforms or in your newsletter. You can also download a handout to circulate. We appreciate the help!
Who is funding the Seeding Power Fellowship?
Funds for the Seeding Power Fellowship have come from the Community Food Funders Steering Committee, in the form of grants made to North Star Fund. Additionally, the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation supports the Seeding Power Fellowship but does not participate on the CFF steering committee.
Who is on the selection committee?
The selection committee consists of nine individuals: two CFF steering committee members, three alumni from the inaugural Seeding Power cohort, and four partners/experts from the leadership development and movement building fields.
Why is this being called a “pilot” program?
It’s true that this is our second time running the Seeding Power Fellowship. However, so much time has passed since the inaugural cohort, and so many changes have been made to the program, that this design is still in an experimental “pilot” phase. Fellows who participate with us will do so knowingly, and be willing to grapple with some of the tensions of having a hybrid in-person and virtual format, or including philanthropic fellows (to name two such elements, for example).
How is this design different from the inaugural Seeding Power Fellowship?
While the overarching goals and purpose of Seeding Power remains the same, this iteration has been wholly redesigned and reimagined with a new curriculum by our new program designers from Emerging Equity. You can read about the original design on an archived page on our website. The changes are too numerous and detailed to fully outline here, but some of the key ones include:
- Shortening the duration from 18 months to 9 months
- Including funders as part of the cohort
- Shifting to a hybrid format with online sessions as well as in-person retreats
- Removing all expectations and requirements outside of the fellowship meeting times
- Broadening the geographic scope to include all of NY, NJ, and CT
- Accepting applications from all self-identified leaders (including government and private sector); not just those in the nonprofit sector
- Increasing the stipend to $10,000
Who were the fellows in the inaugural cohort?
You can read about them here.
