Seed + Grants

Food First works to support those who are working to address root causes by focusing on changing systems, building alternatives and eradicating the root causes of food injustice and food apartheid. An idea born out of two micro grants we gave to the Beekeeping Awareness Project in Oakland, CA and the Change Today, Change Tomorrow Project in Louisville, KY in 2022, the Food First Seed + Grant Program has now been strategically designed as a “phase 2” component of the Food First Fellows program.

The Food First Seed + Grants Program is a mechanism for channeling small grants through a participatory grantmaking process to organizations and groups that don’t have access to traditional sources of wealth in selected regions. We believe by “anchoring” this program in the locations where we have established Fellows relationships we will be able to indirectly support each of the grantees through established local systems and networks. Our objective is twofold: (i) engage and support emergent, small, and grassroots organizations that are creatively making a meaningful impact in their communities (ii) surface and collect learnings, potential adaptations, and success strategies for case study use that can be shared and potentially applied in other communities throughout the US and potentially in the Global South.

Below are cross cutting issue areas that can receive funding through our Seed + Grants general fund. We support groups and organizations whose work intersects clearly with building food justice and food sovereignty and who can articulate how.

Priority cross cutting issue areas:

• ● Agroecology
• ● Solidarity Economies and Farm/Food Cooperatives
• ● Rematriation and Land Ownership for BIPOC
• ● Racial Justice
•  ● Workers Rights and Labor Justice

Given the role these factors play on impacting food justice and food sovereignty we will also consider:

• ● Education and Arts for Organizing
• ● Economic Justice & Building Restorative Economies
• ● Gender Equity
• ● Health Equity
• ● Climate Change & Environmental Justice
• We currently do not have any funding opportunities open.