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 $6,000 fellowship awarded to one to two current Yale students to support or supplement an opportunity that enriches the student’s education.

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 YAANW region. The YAANW region consists of Minnesota, eastern North Dakota, eastern South Dakota, and western Wisconsin.

Eligibility:  Any current Yale undergraduate student is eligible for this award (up to $6,000 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 recipient. Applicants who have applied in the past are encouraged to apply again.

Application Requirements: 

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until all grants are awarded. The committee will begin reviewing applications on April 1, 2026. Please submit your application by April 1 for priority consideration.