American Culinary Federation Nutrition-Focused Scholarships

Name: American Culinary Federation (ACF) Nutrition-Focused Scholarships

Award Amount: $1,500–$2,500 (depending on the scholarship category)

Information and Eligibility:
The American Culinary Federation (ACF), through the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation (ACFEF), offers nutrition-focused scholarships to support students who are pursuing education at the intersection of culinary arts, nutrition, food science, and wellness. These awards are ideal for aspiring culinary-nutrition professionals, dietetic-culinology students, and individuals who want to blend cooking expertise with evidence-based nutrition.
The scholarships help prepare students for roles in dietetics, foodservice nutrition, culinary medicine, healthy recipe development, community nutrition programs, and wellness-focused culinary operations. Applicants should demonstrate strong academic performance, a commitment to nutrition-forward culinary practice, and professional goals that align with health-supportive cooking.
Eligibility criteria include:

• Academic Level: High-school seniors, current college students or adult learners enrolled or accepted into a culinary arts, culinary-nutrition, dietetics, food science or hospitality program.
• Field of Study: Programs related to culinary nutrition, food science, dietetics, health-supportive culinary arts, wellness cooking or foodservice management with a nutrition component.
• Enrollment Status: Full-time or part-time study at an accredited institution or ACFEF-recognized culinary program.

Application Requirements:

• Completed ACFEF scholarship application form.
• Official or unofficial transcript verifying academic standing and enrollment in a nutrition-related culinary or food science program.
• Résumé outlining culinary experience, nutrition coursework, wellness-based culinary programs, volunteering or industry involvement.
• Personal essay describing nutrition-focused career goals and how the scholarship will support academic and professional development.
• Letters of recommendation from culinary instructors, nutrition faculty, employers or industry mentors.

Selection Criteria:

• Academic achievement and demonstrated interest in integrating culinary arts with nutrition.
• Experience or involvement in culinary-nutrition initiatives such as wellness cooking, community nutrition programs, dietary-focused recipe development or health-supportive kitchens.
• Leadership potential, professional promise and alignment with ACF’s standards of culinary and nutritional excellence.
• Quality, clarity and completeness of application materials.

Additional Details:

• These scholarships support students pursuing roles such as culinary dietitians, culinary-nutrition specialists, foodservice nutrition managers and wellness chefs.
• Awards may be used for tuition, textbooks, culinary-nutrition tools, uniforms, professional exams or approved education-related expenses.
• Recipients gain connections to ACF’s national network, opening doors to mentorship, professional development and culinary-nutrition competitions.

Deadline:

• April

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