The Plant Powered Youth Fellowship is a program of the Plant Powered School Meals Coalition, led byChilis on WheelsandFriends of the Earth.

Founded in 2022, the Plant Powered Youth Fellowship (formerly known as the Plant Powered Youth Steering Committee | YSC) selects 14 students from across the country each year to advocate for plant-based options in K12 schools through movement building, policy advocacy, and leadership development.

Our fellows will help advance federal policies that shift K-12 lunch menus toward more plant-based, climate-friendly foods and work on local school food campaigns to expand plant-based options in their own school cafeterias.

Fellows will be responsible for:

• Regularly attending two Zoom meetings per week, including one on Wednesdays at 7 PM ET
• Attending an in-person advocacy event in Washington D.C. on July 18 – 22
• For high school students: With the support of a project advisor, launching a campaign in your school district to add, expand, improve, or promote plant-based meal options.
• For high school graduates: With support from an organization in the Plant Powered School Meals Coalition, supporting a state-level policy campaign to promote plant-forward K-12 menus.
• Organizing other youth-led actions in support of plant-based school food, such as:
• Social media and traditional media campaigns
• Peer outreach and education
• Writing blogs
  • Other actions that YOU decide!

Timeline:

• Application Opens:January 7, 2026
• Deadline: March 1, 2026.
• Interviews:February 7, 2026 April 16, 2026
• Notification of Acceptance:April 17, 2026

Program Dates:

• For students who have already graduated from high school or will graduate by June 2026:April 29, 2026 August 14, 2026
  • Minimum of4 hours per weekdedicated to the Plant Powered Youth Fellowship.
• For high school students:April 29, 2026 – May 1, 2027:
  • From April 29, 2026 – August 14, 2026:Students will spend a minimum of4 hours per weekdedicated to the Plant-Powered Youth Fellowship.
  • From September 2026 – May 1, 2027:Students will spend a minimum of8 hours a monthon their local school food campaigns, including monthly meetings with their cohort of peers and project advisor.
  • Additional compensation will be provided to high school students in grades 9-11 who continue the program for the full year.

Eligibility:

Applicants must:

• Be between the ages of 14 and 22 as of August 14, 2026. For students who will be under 18 as of May 1, 2026, parental consent will be required.
• For high school graduates or college students only,you must have attended a K-12 school or currently attend college in California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, or Washington. We are limiting high school graduate/college student eligibility to those in these states due to our ongoing policy advocacy campaigns. Current high school students may be from anywhere in the continental United States.
• Currently attend or have previously attended a school participating in the National School Lunch Program (nearly all public schools participate in this program, and many charter/private schools do).
• Be passionate about improving school lunch, in particular by expanding, improving, or marketing plant-based (vegan) options.
• Be available for our in-person advocacy trip to Washington D.C. July 18 – 22.
• Live in the continental United States. (Due to budget constraints, we cannot support travel for students outside the continental U.S.)

You do not need to be vegan, plant-based, or vegetarian to participate.