Want to get paid to organize for Food Justice?! Want to make sure the money you and other students pay for food is helping create a healthy food system rather than lining the pockets of corporations?
As a Fellow in this hybrid role, you will work closely with our National Organizing to strengthen your knowledge of campus food systems and build the skills needed to lead a sustainable and ethical food purchasing campaign on your campus!
Please note: applications submitted on Handshake will not be considered. You must fill out our application in order for us to connect with you for an interview.
DESCRIPTION
Job Description
Colleges and universities spend millions of dollars on food every year, and students have the power to influence where that money goes. Through this fellowship, you’ll work to shift campus food purchasing toward systems that are more just, sustainable, and accountable, while building the skills to organize for change.
As a Real Food Organizing Fellow, you will lead a student-driven campaign to move your university toward a Real Food Campus Commitment, advancing food that reflects values of: environmental sustainability, local and community-based economies, animal welfare, valued workforce, and community health and nutrition.
This is a hands-on organizing leadership role. You’ll recruit and mobilize students, build coalitions across campus, and engage directly with decision-makers to push for institutional change. You’ll also develop experience in campaign strategy, public speaking, and leadership that extends well beyond this role. You will be expected to overcome obstacles, maintain personal and group focus, be visible and vocal in pursuit of your goals and the RFC mission.
Background
Real Food Challenge (RFC) – Over the past decade, Real Food Challenge has developed a robust theory of change aimed at revolutionizing university procurement practices. By harnessing the collective power of student activism, providing technical guidance to decision-makers, and advocating for real food standards nationally, our movement seeks to redirect university spending toward local, ethical, and sustainable sources, particularly uplifting BIPOC producers. We believe in the pivotal role of students in holding administrators accountable and strengthening procurement efforts through campus organizing and campaigning.
Chicago is ripe for Real Food. With Cook County’s Good Food Purchasing Initiative, and the Good Food Purchasing Task Force Bill (HJR27), there is a lot of momentum supporting values-based food purchasing in Chicago. The documented impacts of adopting values-based standards support local economies and ecosystems, under-served producers, and the health and nutrition of consumers. With over a dozen Higher Education Institutions in Chicago spending roughly $300 million per year collectively, the influence of this purchasing power is impossible to ignore.
College students have a unique and significant potential to support the greater Good Food Purchasing efforts. Real Food Challenge has worked with college students to shift campus food towards what we call Real Food, a food standard that directly aligns with the Good Food standards through the Anchors in Action (AiA) Framework. In over 15 years, we have successfully supported campaigns to win policy and procurement shifts.
Working with the Chicago Food Policy Action Council (CFPAC) and other regional partners, we plan to build a cross campus college student coalition that will engage campus stakeholders to win commitments to values-based procurement. The first step in this effort will be the Chicago College Student Food Convergence, where college students will learn about the work being done across sectors, the importance of values-based procurement, and get organizing training.
Real Food Campus Commitments are a set of actions a campus President or Chancellor commit to including annual Real Food Calculating, publication of Real Food results, the creation of a Food Systems Working Group who creates and holds a campus to a Real Food Policy, and the establishment of a Real Food Implementation Roadmap. These are all actions that entrench transparency, accountability, and stakeholder input into campus food procurement – an area often mired by hidden contracts, opaque communication, and mixed priorities. Campaigning for and winning a commitment supports regional producers, workers, and others who are often harmed by corporate food systems.
The need for leaders and student organizing has never been more clear. With the US government wreaking havoc across the country, reducing protections and oversight for workers, pushing pesticide production, cutting of research and liberatory program budgets, and generally working with corporations to consolidate control and profit, we have to build mechanisms of protection into our institutions and communities. The Real Food Standards are so important because they tie campus food not just to sustainability but to animal and worker rights, to the environment and communities of a food shed, and they embed transparency and input for students and other stakeholders. We hear from farmers, community organizers, faculty, and others that they need student voices to push conversations, secure contracts and accountability, and that’s what RFC is hiring for! We are looking for student leaders who want to get paid to organize for Food Justice!
What You’ll Do
- Lead a campus-wide campaign for a Real Food Commitment
- Recruit, train, and coordinate a student organizing team
- Build a coalition of student orgs, faculty, staff, and community allies
- Conduct outreach (classroom presentations, tabling, events)
- Plan and host events such as teach-ins, panels, and campaign actions
- Meet with campus stakeholders (Dining, Sustainability, Administration)
- Use powermapping and strategy tools to guide campaign direction
- Develop messaging, storytelling, and social media content
- Maintain active communication with RFC staff and student community
What You’ll Gain
- Campaign and community organizing experience
- Coalition-building and partnership development skills
- Public speaking and facilitation practice
- Experience engaging institutions and advocating for change
- Leadership development
- Connection to wider food justice and organizing opportunities
Preferred Qualifications
Required:
- Passion for food justice, sustainability, or social change/activism
- Willingness to engage peers, build relationships, and speak publicly
- Availability for weekly meetings and regular outreach
Preferred:
- Experience with student organizing, advocacy, or leadership
- Experience with event planning or outreach
- Familiarity with Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Drive)
POSITION DETAILS
Job Description
- Position Type: Fellowship (part-time)
- Hours: 10 hours per week
- Duration: July 2026 – June 2027
- Location: Hybrid (on-campus organizing + remote support)
- Compensation: $2,000 (4 installments throughout fellowship)
- Job Role Groups:
- Community & Social Services
- Event Planning & Coordination
- Advocacy & Organizing
- Skills:
- Community Organizing
- Public Speaking
- Leadership
- Strategy
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Majors (Suggested):
- Environmental Studies
- Political Science
- Sociology
- Food Systems / Agriculture
- Public Policy
- School Years: Freshman – Graduate
- GPA Requirement: None
APPLICATION PROCESS
- Submit application through our RFC form
- Applications reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled
- Selected applicants will be invited to interview with an aim to hire as soon as qualified applicants are found.
