Malcolm McDonald Fellowship

The McDonald Fellowship is named in honor of former YAANW president and longtime board member Malcolm McDonald '58. For 50 years, Malcolm served as the Alumni Schools Committee chair for St. Paul, greater MN, and western WI. In this role, he welcomed hundreds of future Yalies at events for admitted students. In 2019, Yale Admissions honored Malcolm with the ASC Ambassador Award. Malcolm graduated from Yale magna cum laude and received an MBA from Harvard before returning to his hometown, St. Paul. He was involved in numerous Minnesota community organizations throughout his life and was passionate about expanding educational opportunities to all.

What: A $2,500 fellowship awarded to two current Yale students to support or supplement a region-focused project or qualifying opportunity that enriches the student’s education. (The YAANW region consists of Minnesota, eastern North Dakota, eastern South Dakota, and western Wisconsin, and regional focus can also mean the student is from the region.) 

Purpose: The goal of the Malcolm McDonald Fellowship is to enrich a Yale student’s learning while exploring our region’s rich civic, cultural, corporate, natural, or political dynamics. This grant aims to retain or attract Yale talent to the region, to foster a positive, shared learning experience among the awardees, and build a sense of community among the larger Minnesota, eastern Dakotas and western Wisconsin Yale alumni networks. 

Eligibility: Any current Yale student is eligible for this award (up to $2,500 per student) if the project proposed is region-focused and/or is being enacted by a Yale student from the region. The grant funds can be used for anything related to the project such as stipends for interviewees, subscription to an archive vault, airfare ticket for an international internship, living stipend while conducting research, etc. The Fellowship Committee of the YAANW Board will administer the award and select the recipients.

Application Requirements: 

Rubric for Selection: 

  • Project is region-focused and/or the student is from the region. Preference will be given to projects focused on the region.

  • Project will highlight or deepen an aspect of the region that can lead to greater understanding. In addition to the student’s individual enrichment, there is a community benefit.

  • Attention to diversity, inclusion, and equity. 

Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until May 31, 2023 with preference given to applications received by March 15, 2023.

Questions: fellowship@yaanw.org