The Metro Chicago Good Food Purchasing Initiative (GFPI) Community Fund aims to increase access to Good Food Purchasing Program (GFPP)- aligned produce and food products in the Metro Chicago Region.
Donor Name: Metro Chicago Good Food Purchasing Initiative
State: Illinois
County: Cook County (IL)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 11/11/2024
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
This goal is achieved through providing both financial & technical support for systemically marginalized, local farms and food businesses who are working on increasing community food access that builds local economies, sustainable practices, fair labor, animal welfare nutrition and advances the work of building equity in the Metro Chicago food system.
Intended Impact
- Accessible Adaptive & Flexible Funding:
- Alleviating common constraints experienced by systemically marginalized farmers and food entrepreneurs by offering awardees flexible funding and support during the application process (1:1 Counseling, Office Hours & Language Translation and Interpretation Services)
- Increased Community Engagement and Awareness:
- Raising public awareness about the importance of supporting local farmers and food businesses while promoting the GFPP values.
- Enhanced Availability of Healthy and Nutritious, Fair, Local, Sustainable, & Humane foods in Institutions
- Increasing the amount of locally sourced GFPP-aligned produce and food products in public meal programs, Institutions, and community food access sites including,
- Public meal programs: Schools (NSLP), community centers, senior centers, and other organizations serving meals to the public
- Community meal sites/ food access sites: Food banks, food pantries, mutual aid programs, community gardens, and other initiatives focused on improving food access and security.
- Public or Private Institutions: Libraries, hospitals, Universities, government offices.
Funding Information
Flexible grants ranging between $40,000 – $80,000 for local food businesses / organizations supporting GFPP values and progress towards selling to community meal sites and institutions in Metro Chicago.
Eligibility Criteria
- Farmers: Systemically marginalized, local farmers who adhere and/or strive towards GFPP values (racially equitable, healthy, fair, local, humane, and sustainable). This includes both rural and urban growers as well as indoor and outdoor growers. This fund is intended for small to midsize growing operations.
- Food Organizations/Businesses: Local food processors, value-add manufacturers, food service providers, prepared food providers, distributors, and aggregators that align with GFPP values (racially equitable, healthy, fair, local, humane, and sustainable) and are in need of financial support and technical assistance for capacity building to increase their access to community-food access sites and/or institutional buyers.
- Desire to supply/sell: The organization aims to begin, expand, and/or improve their current service to community meal sites, public meal programs and/or institutions.
- Public meal programs: Schools (NSLP), hospitals, community centers, senior centers, and other organizations serving meals to the public
- Community meal sites/ food access sites: Food banks, food pantries, mutual aid programs, community gardens, and other initiatives focused on improving food access and security.
- Public or Private Institutions: City of Chicago, its Sister Agencies, and Cook County Government
- Desire to Collaborate: The farm/organization has plans and aspirations for developing collaborative relationships/have demonstrated dedication to collaborative relationships (through sharing resources and/or knowledge) with other mission-aligned farms/food businesses in the Metro Chicago food system to advance the GFPP values.
- Serve Suburban Cook County / Metro Chicago: Your farm/organization serves Suburban Cook County and/or Metro Chicago.
- Locally based: Your farm/organization’s primary operations are based in the state of Illinois and/or within a 250 mile radius of Chicago (500 miles for meat, poultry, and seafood).
- Legal entity: Qualifying organizations are privately, cooperatively, or non-profit owned and operated.
- Systemically Marginalized: Refers to groups of people who experience social, economic, and/or political exclusion and/or discrimination based on characteristics such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, disability, and/or religion.
For more information, visit MCGFPI.
