As part of the EA Forum’s Marginal Funding Week, we’re sharing New Roots Institute’s needs for additional funding, what we would do with it, and how this unlocks long-run, institution-level impact.
Summary
The movement to end factory farming needs a stronger pipeline that reliably attracts, supports, and sustains high-potential young leaders. New Roots Institute addresses this by recruiting promising students into rigorous fellowships, resourcing them to run ambitious campaigns, and building community so they stay engaged for the long haul, ultimately setting them up for lifelong, high-impact advocacy across the institutions that shape the food system.
Over the past five years, our fellowships have reliably produced highly skilled, highly motivated alumni. Our near-term constraints are twofold:
- Insufficient resources to recruit, train, and position top students who have compelling paid alternatives, and
- Lack of an in-person capstone that forges durable networks and accelerates collaboration.
Marginal funding removes these bottlenecks. With an additional $995,000 we can expand our capacity to recruit top student talent, provide them with the resources needed to run time-intensive campaigns, and deliver a youth summit that deepens commitment, builds collaboration, and accelerates advocacy skills.
Alumni and fellows have already:
- shifted campus norms around animal-based meals
- influenced millions of people through campaigns and media
- secured government, lobbying, and NGO policy roles that influence farmed animal welfare
- founded an EA-funded organization
Our focus over the next 12–18 months:
- Strengthen the early pipeline by recruiting and retaining the most promising students using competitive grants and campus-based community-building
- Deliver a five-day, in-person Youth Summit that cements skills, relationships, and momentum
Why give to New Roots
New Roots Institute cultivates a generation of well-trained and well-connected leaders to advance just and sustainable food systems. Our high school and college fellowship programs are the backbone: we recruit promising students, train them in leadership and advocacy, and connect them to networks and resources that multiply their impact.
Across the movement to end factory farming, there is a strong emphasis on short-term, measurable wins—outcomes that can be counted, quantified, and reported quickly. Those achievements matter, but they can eclipse the long-term work of building a pipeline of leaders who can shape the institutions, policies, and cultural norms that ultimately determine whether factory farming continues.
Our fellows deliver impact on both timelines. In the short term, they run dining, legislative, and educational campaigns that change behavior and reduce demand for animal products. To date, our programs have graduated 600+ alumni across 300+ schools in 26 countries. In just the last two years, fellows and alumni have influenced more than 250,000 individuals through dining and education initiatives, reducing demand for roughly 3.5 million animal-based meals.
Notable wins from fellows illustrate the tangible impact of our programs. Parker Do and Joseph Serafino helped secure a 50% plant-based commitment in the dining halls at UCLA. Livia Aschheim added daily plant-based meals at all schools in the Fremont Union High School District. Marielle Williamson won a lawsuit against the LA Unified School District to promote nondairy milk, with coverage in The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times.
Independent evaluators recognize the strength of this approach. Animal Charity Evaluators wrote in their most recent Theory of Change evaluation, “We are strongly convinced that New Roots Institute’s programs are likely to create positive change for animals.” Faunalytics found statistically significant increases in alumni identifying as animal (+28%), environmental (+17%), and social justice (+30%) advocates from pre- to post-fellowship. In our latest alumni survey, 77% reported the fellowship helped prepare them for their current career. All-time post-fellowship data show that 23% of alumni have obtained an anti–factory farming position, and 38% are working to end factory farming while still in school. Alumni are already advancing high-leverage initiatives, from Kiely Smith, who co-founded an EA Animal Welfare Fund-backed insect welfare organization, Jessica Cohen, who co-founded a student-led effort spanning 70+ students across 40+ campuses to implement cost-effective plant-based transitions, to Noa Dalzell, who lobbies state policymakers on solutions to the global protein gap.
We pair these outcomes with a rigorous evaluation mindset: every program starts with testable hypotheses and clear success metrics, backed by baseline and follow-up data that feed into shared dashboards. We audit alumni trajectories quarterly and track indicators like role seniority and network density to understand how early training converts into long-run influence. Where feasible, we use comparison groups or experimental designs, publish learnings, and reallocate resources each quarter based on what the evidence shows.
Short-term wins matter—but lasting progress requires developing leaders who will shape the next several decades of food-system change. That’s what New Roots is built for.
To learn more about our impact, view our 2025 Annual Report.
What marginal funding will do next year
Recruitment
- Increase fellow grants to $5,000 (from $2,500) to recruit and retain top talent and unlock more ambitious, time-intensive campaigns
- Add a Student Groups & Community Manager to coach campus groups that build resilient networks, drive engagement, and support recruitment
- Add a Digital Marketing Manager to run data-driven candidate acquisition and funnel optimization
Campaigns
- Add an additional Campaigns Specialist to provide individualized coaching and support to fellows and partners, ensuring fellows can successfully plan, launch, and execute their campaigns.
Youth Summit
- Deliver a five-day, in-person Leadership Summit as a capstone to the Leadership Academy that solidifies relationships, builds collaborations, and accelerates advocacy skills with employer roundtables, structured practice interviews, live portfolio reviews, sector breakouts, and a movement fair, where fellows will meet organizations, learn about active campaigns, and explore volunteer and entry-level opportunities. Includes travel support for fellows with need and modest participation support for priority partners.
Funding needed
- Grant increase (variable): plus $2,500 per academic-year fellow
- 60 fellows → plus 150,000
- 100 fellows → plus $250,000
- 150 fellows → plus $375,000
- Roles subtotal (fixed): approximately $290,000
- Student Groups & Community Manager
- Digital Marketing Manager
- Campaigns Specialist, Coaching
- Events Specialist (to plan and deliver the Youth Summit and year-round convenings)
- Youth Summit (program delivery): 330,000 dollars
Support this workFurther Details
1. Recruitment
Increase fellow grants to $5,000 (from $2,500)
Variable need: plus $2,500 per academic-year fellow
Why this is needed
- It helps to address time poverty as the binding constraint. Our fellows currently juggle 10–20 hours per week of campaign work in addition to their normal school and work responsibilities. By providing $2,500 in financial support we reduce, but do not remove, that barrier. The additional $2,500 lessens their need for a part-time job and frees up time for further mission-aligned work.
- It strengthens our position in competition for top talent. Top potential fellows have other paid options and, according to our experience, choose them nearly 60% of the time. New Roots Institute’s fellowship grant covers both our summer Leadership Academy and the Academic-Year Fellowship. That is significantly more work over a longer period than most alternative opportunities, which are typically 7–12 weeks. Even so, many of these pay at or above the $4,500–8,000 range for a single summer. Raising grants to $5,000 makes the fellowship more competitive against alternative EA-adjacent and policy-tech opportunities, improves yield among our strongest candidates, and increases cohort quality. Critically, this also helps keep strong advocates within the movement and broader EA-related space. Without increased funding and support, many talented individuals are likely to pursue careers outside animal advocacy and EA-aligned work, limiting the long-term multiplier of their impact.
- It builds ambitious, résumé-building campaigns. Higher grants enable time-intensive work such as dining defaults, policy engagement, and coalition-building that strengthen portfolios and improve post-graduate placement odds.
What this funding enables
- Roughly 240–300 additional hours per fellow for advocacy and career preparation (8–10 hours per week over 30 weeks)
- Covering hard costs that block ambitious work such as travel to hearings, stakeholder convenings, research materials, and small surveys
- A clearer recruitment message: you can choose advocacy over a part-time job
Expected impact in 12–18 months
- Over 50% higher acceptance among top admits
- Over 50% more campaigns completed
Budget scenarios
- 60 fellows → plus $150,000
- 100 fellows → plus $250,000
- 150 fellows → plus $375,000
Digital Marketing Manager for recruitment (new)
Included within the $290,000 roles subtotal
Why this is needed
- Predictable, data-driven top-of-funnel. We need repeatable channels that produce more qualified applicants from target majors and schools.
- Creative and channel testing. Without a dedicated owner, we under-invest in iterative testing of messages, landing pages, and ambassador kits that lower cost per qualified applicant.
- Presence where top students already are. We must meet candidates on the platforms and in the communities they trust.
What this funding enables
- An end-to-end candidate acquisition engine: audience targeting, content pipeline, email and SMS drips, referrer toolkits, and analytics
- Ambassador and partner toolkits for faculty and student leaders
- Clear funnel instrumentation from impressions to accepts
Expected impact in 12–18 months
- 200% growth in qualified applicants with a 10 percentage-point improvement in interview-to-offer conversion
- Over 50% of admits from schools, at a lower cost per qualified applicant
- 30% shorter time-to-fill for each cohort and higher selectivity overall
Included within the $290,000 roles subtotal
Why this is needed
- Community drives persistence. Weekly touchpoints, peer accountability, and local identity are strong predictors of follow-through.
- Recruitment clusters. Well-run campus groups act as warm-lead engines and a proving ground for future fellows.
- Continuity across cycles. A dedicated owner maintains momentum between application rounds and relationships with student affairs, dining, and policy stakeholders.
What this funding enables
- Coaching 12–15 priority campus groups with clear cadence, leadership roles, and a campaign roadmap
- Bridge programs: info sessions, fellow shadowing, and mini-projects that convert interest into qualified applications
- Mentor pods linking current fellows, alumni, and prospects on the same campus
Expected impact in 12–18 months
- Over 35% of new fellows sourced via campus groups
- Over 20% increase in campaign success at campuses with supported student groups
2. Campaigns
Campaigns Specialist, Coaching (new)
Included within the $290,000 roles subtotal
Why this is needed
- Coaching caseloads have exceeded capacity: our current specialist maintains a caseload of ~50 fellows, which is already at the upper limit for effective 1:1 support. With larger cohorts, we need additional capacity to maintain quality and responsiveness.
- Quality control: adding a second specialist ensures campaigns remain mission-aligned, strategically sound, and free from reputational or operational risk. It also strengthens our ability to ensure campaigns are effective, well-executed, and capable of achieving meaningful policy or institutional change.
- Continuity and institutional knowledge: a second specialist strengthens our ability to track performance trends, replicate successful tactics, and support coaches and teaching fellows across cycles.
What this funding enables
- Personalized coaching for up to 50 additional fellows, delivered through regular 1:1 check-ins and weekly coaching groups
- Campaign partner support, including onboarding, coordination, and regular 1:1 check-ins about fellow progress
- Ongoing performance monitoring, impact documentation, and improved showcases that highlight fellows’ achievements
- Refined campaign curriculum and resources
Expected impact in 12–18 months
- 25–30% increase in campaign completion and measurable outcomes
- Higher quality and consistency in campaigns across the cohort, supported by better tools, clearer milestones, and more responsive coaching.
- A stronger pipeline of success stories that reinforce program credibility and support Advancement efforts.
3. Youth Summit
Program delivery: $330,000
Why this is needed
- In-person accelerates leadership growth and coordination in ways virtual cannot. Concentrating top fellows, alumni mentors, and priority partners compresses months of relationship-building into days of skills practice and collaboration.
- Networks, not solo effort, drive durable impact. The summit forges high-trust, relationally dense networks that sustain advocacy, mentorship, and cross-campus collaboration.
What this funding enables
- A five-day, in-person convening integrated into the fellowship year: skill-building workshops, structured practice interviews, live portfolio reviews, sector breakouts, and a movement fair, where fellows will meet organizations, learn about active campaigns, and explore volunteer and entry-level opportunities
- Travel support for fellows with need and modest participation support for priority partners to maximize engagement
- Professional production, measurement, and follow-up systems that convert connections into ongoing collaboration
Expected impact in 12–18 months
- Fellow and alumni collaborations increased by over 25%
- 80% of fellows and alumni strongly believe the summit increased their investment in and ability to advocate to end factory farming
Events Specialist for the Youth Summit and convenings (new)
Included within the $290,000 roles subtotal
Why this is needed
- In-person collaboration accelerates impact. A well-designed summit makes relationships stick and aligns norms.
- Ecosystem coordination. Convening fellows, alumni, and collaborator organizations builds shared priorities and keeps pipelines warm.
What this funding enables
- End-to-end planning and delivery of the Youth Summit
- Year-round micro-convenings, virtual and regional, that sustain momentum
Expected impact in 12–18 months
- Summit net promoter score of at least 80
- Deeper alumni cohesion that sustains cross-institution efforts
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