The Chicago Region Food System Fund is designed to support increased capacity within a transformed food system.
Donor Name: Chicago Region Food System Fund
State: Illinois
City: Chicago
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 09/08/2025
Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000
Grant Duration: 2 Years
Details:
This is a moment of huge disruption in the region’s food system. Federal funding is being cut at almost every level, impacting farmers, growers, small businesses, employers, and—most urgently—food insecure families who rely on SNAP and similar programs. As part of meeting this moment, policy improvements at the municipal, county, and state levels are particularly important.
Focus Areas
- Increasing Hard Infrastructure & Capacity Building Funding under this focus area supports food production and distribution in the Chicago region.
- Policy Change & Power-Building (Including Workers’ Rights) Funding under this area of focus invests in organizations doing policy, organizing, and/or movement building to improve or transform the Chicago region food system.
Funding Information
CRFSF anticipates awarding $3,850,000 in grants in this round. Grants will be available ranging from $25,000 to $200,000 in $25,000 increments. One-year requests can select amounts up to $150,000. Two-year requests can select the $200,000 level, which would be $100,000/year.
Eligibility Criteria
Only 501(c)(3) organizations or fiscal sponsors are eligible to apply. However, organizations that lack that status may engage in projects in two ways:
- Community associations such as block clubs or emerging projects that have not yet secured nonprofit status (or don’t plan to) may partner with established non-profits that can support the work as a program expense or through a fiscal sponsorship relationship.
- Food system businesses may execute project work through a vendor contract with a 501(c)(3) organization. The 501(c)(3) must be the applicant to the Fund.
Geographic Eligibility Clarification
The Chicago Region Food System Fund focuses on strengthening the Chicago foodshed, defined as the City of Chicago and the surrounding region within approximately a 200-mile radius. This includes both urban and rural areas that contribute to the resilience of the regional food system. Organizations are eligible to apply if they meet one or more of the following criteria:
- Located within the Chicago metropolitan area and serving people, organizations, and markets in the City of Chicago, local neighborhoods, or surrounding counties.
- Located outside of Chicago but serving Chicago communities: For example, a farm or food producer located in Wisconsin or Indiana that grows culturally relevant foods and distributes them to neighborhoods in Chicago.
- Located within Chicago but with a broader regional impact: For instance, a nonprofit based in the City of Chicago that provides technical assistance or food access services extending to nearby counties or across state lines.
- Located within a 200-mile radius of Chicago and serving their local community: For example, an organization in central Illinois or southern Michigan whose work strengthens local food systems within the regional foodshed and contributes to the overall resilience of the Chicago-area food system.
For more information, visit CRFSF.
