A large portion of every donation to Root & Restore is building the fund for scholarships for students from low-income households in the US, and from least developed or low-income countries, who want to study nutrition. If you are committed to bringing nutrition care back to your community, we want to help you get there.
๐ Applications are not open yet. Root & Restore is a young nonprofit still building the scholarship fund. Applications will open once funding is secured. The eligibility criteria and required documents below are final, so you can prepare your materials now and be ready to apply the day we open. Want to be notified? Email hello@rootnrestore.org.
Nutrition education is unaffordable for many low-income households in the United States and for most students in low-income countries, yet these are exactly the communities most affected by preventable chronic disease. This scholarship exists to remove that barrier.
We fund two groups: (1) students from low-income households in the US, and (2) students from least developed or low-income countries. Both face the largest education-access gap.
Recipients are encouraged to return to their home community, whether abroad or in the US, and bring nutrition care to populations who otherwise cannot access it.
Each scholarship is worth up to $10,000 per student, per year, paid directly to the educational institution. Funding continues for the full duration of the program, semester by semester, as long as the pass criterion is met each term. Most programs run 1 to 3 years, so a 3-year program, for example, can be worth up to $30,000 in total.
We will never start a student we cannot see through to graduation. Awards open only when the money for the whole program is already in the fund, so a scholarship once granted is not at risk of running dry.
Applications are reviewed by the R&R Scholarship Committee, which is independent: no member of the committee is a director, officer, employee or contractor of Root & Restore. Awards are made on an objective and non-discriminatory basis: every applicant must meet all nine published qualifications, and review, shortlisting and interview follow the published application process below.
No award may go to a director, officer, employee or contractor of Root & Restore, nor to a member of their family. Any committee member with a personal, family, financial or professional connection to an applicant must declare it and take no part in reviewing or voting on that application. The declaration and the recusal are recorded in the committee's minutes.
Every applicant must meet all nine of the following criteria. Incomplete applications cannot be reviewed.
Applicants must qualify under one of these tracks:
Funding is granted one semester at a time. The applicant must successfully pass each semester (per the institution's official pass criteria) to remain eligible for the next semester's funding. A copy of the grade transcript is required at the end of every term.
All scholarship payments are made directly to the educational institution, never to the applicant. The institution must accept wire transfer or international payment.
All applicants must demonstrate inability to fund the program independently:
Official letter of acceptance or matriculation from the nutrition program where the applicant intends to enroll. The letter must include the program name, start date, expected duration and total tuition cost.
Institutional accreditation is required:
At least two reference letters, one professional (former employer, supervisor, teacher) and one personal (community leader, mentor or non-family member who knows the applicant well). Letters must be on letterhead where possible and include the reference's contact information.
Documentation of a confirmed place to live in the city where the course will take place. This can be a lease agreement, a letter from a host family, university housing confirmation or similar.
A 1- to 2-page cover letter (in English or with English translation) explaining: (a) why you are interested in studying nutrition, (b) your background and qualifications, (c) your goals after graduation and (d) your future plans for using this education to serve your home community, whether that is abroad or in the United States.
Send all the required documents (Qualifications 4 to 9) in a single email to hello@rootnrestore.org with the subject line "Scholarship Application, Nutrition". Acceptable file formats: PDF, JPG, PNG and DOCX, combined into a single ZIP if possible.
The R&R Scholarship Committee verifies that all nine qualifications are met. Incomplete applications are returned with a request for the missing items. Complete applications move on to substantive review.
Shortlisted candidates are invited to a video interview. We also verify the educational institution and contact at least one reference. This step typically adds 2 weeks.
Approved scholarships are paid directly to the educational institution by wire transfer. The student receives a confirmation letter and the institution receives the payment plus an enrollment confirmation request.
Before each subsequent semester, the student submits an updated grade transcript. As long as the semester pass criterion is met, the next semester's funding is automatically released to the institution.
Yes. The US Low-Income Track is open to US citizens, permanent residents and eligible noncitizens from documented low-income households. We use the 200% federal poverty level as our threshold, but participation in any means-tested federal benefit (SNAP, WIC, Medicaid, TANF, SSI, Section 8, free/reduced-price school lunch, Pell Grant, LIHEAP) automatically meets the financial-need test. The nutrition program you enroll in must be at a higher education institution accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the US Department of Education or CHEA (ACEND-accredited dietetics programs and regionally accredited colleges and universities both qualify). See Qualifications 5 and 6 for the full document list.
We follow the United Nations classification of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and the World Bank's low-income category. The current LDC list is published at un.org. If you are unsure whether your country qualifies, email us before applying.
Tuition costs paid directly to the educational institution. Living expenses, books, travel and accommodation are not covered; applicants are expected to fund those separately or via other scholarships.
For the full duration of the accredited nutrition program, semester by semester, as long as the pass criterion is met every term. Most programs are 1 to 3 years.
Yes, the program can be located anywhere as long as the institution is accredited (US applicants: USDE- or CHEA-recognized; International applicants: government-approved by the relevant Ministry of Education or equivalent). We strongly encourage applicants to consider local or regional programs first, since costs are lower and accommodation is easier to arrange.
Yes, accredited fully online nutrition programs are eligible, provided the host institution itself is accredited by a USDE/CHEA-recognized agency (US) or a government-approved national accrediting body (international). For online programs, the "proof of accommodation" requirement is interpreted as a stable living situation that supports your studies (your home, in most cases). A short statement confirming this is sufficient.
You will receive a written explanation of which criteria were not met. You are welcome to address those gaps and reapply in a future cycle. There is no limit on the number of times you can reapply.
A large portion of every donation to Root & Restore goes into the scholarship fund. Visit the Donate page to help fund the first scholarships.
All required documents in one email. Subject line: "Scholarship Application, Nutrition". Once applications open, the R&R Scholarship Committee responds within 4 weeks.