Past CFF Events

Below is a list of past events sponsored or co-sponsored by Community Food Funders. Many of the links lead to video recordings of the sessions.

2023

NYS Regional Food Hub Tour

Hunts Point, November 28, 2023

CFF partnered with GrowNYC to host an insider’s tour of the soon-to-open New York State Regional Food Hub. The day began with lunch at The Point CDC, where guests were given an introduction to the Hunts Point neighborhood and learned its history of environmental justice organizing and community-led solutions. From there we caught a ride on the Bronx Culture Trolley to the site of the Hub. GrowNYC staff led a tour of the 60,000-square-foot cold-storage facility. Read more…

CFF 8th Annual Gathering

New York Health Foundation, September 20, 2023

Over 50 CFF members and invited guests gathered at New York Health Foundation for the 8th CFF Annual Gathering, and the first since 2019! Local food and drink was supplied by Bascom Catering, a catering company based out of the South Bronx. The evening featured a presentation by Columbia County Sanctuary Movement, our 2023 CFF Champions Award recipient; an update on the Seeding Power Fellowship; and a keynote presentation by Savi Horne, Executive Director of the North Carolina Association of Black Lawyers’ Land Loss Prevention Project, as well as member of the Agriculture Subcommittee of the USDA Equity Commission, and 2023 recipient of the James Beard Foundation Leadership Award. Read more…

Cultivating Food Systems Change

Zoom meeting, June 27, 2023

On June 27th, CFF partnered with Food for the Spirit to host a briefing titled Cultivating Food Systems Change. As this year’s “Champions Briefing”, the event provided an opportunity to learn more about and engage with the 2022 CFF Champions Award winner, Food for the Spirit. The interactive Zoom meeting, planned and facilitated by Food for the Spirit, focused on how community-led food initiatives are addressing issues of race and racism in the food system and explored how philanthropy can partner with community to address systemic inequities. Read more…

Creating New Food Cooperatives with an Equity Focus

Zoom webinar, May 31, 2023

On May 31st CFF partnered with Sustainable Agriculture and Food System Funders to host a briefing titled Creating New Food Cooperatives with an Equity Focus. The webinar featured two justice-oriented food co-ops in the region: the Central Brooklyn Food Co-op (CBFC), a start-up food co-op working to open a store in Central Brooklyn, and Kingston Food Co-op, a co-op in Kingston, NY that will be opening soon. We also heard from Food Co-op Initiative (FCI), a nonprofit organization that provides free training, technical assistance, resources, peer learning opportunities and support to organizers starting co-ops across the country. FCI has worked with CBFC and Kingston Food Co-op. Read more…

Elevating and Mobilizing Voices from Across New York to Advocate for an Equitable 2023 Farm Bill

Zoom webinar, May 25, 2023

On May 25th CFF partnered with five other philanthropic organizations to host a funder briefing titled Elevating and Mobilizing Voices from Across New York to Advocate for an Equitable 2023 Farm Bill. The session highlighted a statewide organizing campaign that engaged over 300 New Yorkers to create a NYS Farm Bill Platform. The leaders of the campaign, Equity Advocates, Black Farmers United NYS, and Food for the Spirit, prioritized outreach to and participation of BIPOC farmers, producers, and practitioners. The resulting policy platform represents a collective voice from NYS community food leaders, farmers, gardeners, land stewards, producers, & advocates. Read more…

Seeding Power 2.0: Leadership for Our Region’s Food Movement

Zoom webinar, May 16, 2023

On May 16th, CFF partnered with Philanthropy New York to host a briefing titled, Seeding Power 2.0: Leadership for Our Region’s Food Movement. Funders gathered online to hear about the relaunch of CFF’s Seeding Power Fellowship. Speakers included Kellie Terry of North Star Fund, Lisa Cowan of Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, Adam Liebowitz of CFF, and Bianca Bockman of Riseboro who is also a Seeding Power alum. Read more…

Elevating and Preserving Black, Indigenous, and Immigrant Foodways through Arts and Humanities Funding

Zoom webinar, May 1, 2023

CFF partnered with Mellon Foundation and Philanthropy New York to host a briefing titled, Elevating and Preserving Black, Indigenous, and Immigrant Foodways through Arts and Humanities Funding.The session featured an overview from two program officers at Mellon who participate in the foundation’s internal “food cluster” group that collaborates on supporting food-related projects in the arts and humanities. They offered an explanation of what it means to fund food work from an arts and humanities perspective, and specifically with a social justice lens. Read more…

2022

2022 CFF Champions Award Presentation

Zoom webinar, July 21, 2022

Food for the Spirit of Buffalo, NY has been named the winner of the 2022 Community Food Funders Champions Award! For the first time, this year the selection committee was comprised solely of winners from previous years. Food for the Spirit was chosen in recognition of their grassroots efforts to build an equitable food system in Western NY, focused on BIPOC farmers and food system actors. Food for the Spirit builds and strengthens networks to foster collaborations and grow the food justice movement centered on equity and healing. An online award presentation was held to hear from the leaders of this wonderful organization and learn more about its work. Read more…

Philanthropy’s Role in Building a Healthy Sustainable Food System in New Jersey

Zoom webinar, March 29, 2022

The Council for New Jersey Grantmakers hosted an event for its members about how supporting regional and local food production and distribution can strengthen the local economy while providing greater access to healthy, nutrient rich foods. CFF Director Adam Liebowitz was invited to present at this funder briefing to discuss philanthropy’s role in creating a more equitable and racially just food system in the tri-state region, and to provide examples from funders in the CFF network, as well as current opportunities to support this important work. Read more (CNJG login required)…

Feeding and Funding Our City: Recovery for New York City’s Invisibilized Food Ecosystem

Zoom webinar, March 1, 2022

CFF partnered with Philanthropy New York and the NYC Workforce Funders to host a briefing titled, Feeding and Funding Our City: Recovery for New York City’s Invisibilized Food Ecosystem. The session featured a discussion with organizers from Street Vendor Project and Los Deliveristas Unidos, moderated by North Star Fund’s Executive Director Jenn Ching. Read more…

A Regional Imperative: Making The Case for Regional Food Systems

Zoom webinar, January 26, 2022

CFF partnered with Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (NESAWG) to host a webinar titled, A Regional Imperative: Making The Case for Regional Food Systems. In it, authors Kathy Ruhf and Kate Clancy present an overview and key findings from their new report of the same name, which updates and greatly expands on the authors 2010 working paper, It Takes A Region. A Regional Imperative explores the concepts, practices, challenges and promise of regional food systems. It focuses on the Northeast U.S., a laboratory of regional food systems thinking and action, but it also describes regional food systems development across the country. The report contains dozens of examples of region-scale endeavors. Read more…

2021

For Us By Us Farm-Based Education: Land, Language, and Liberation

Zoom webinar, December 1, 2021

CFF partnered with Engage New York and Neighborhood Funders Group to host an event titled, For Us, By Us Farm-Based Education: Land, Language, and Liberation. The session brought together three farm-based education programs in New York State that are all rooted in culture and community, and designed specifically to serve the population that its instructors and organization are representative of: the Akwesasne Mohawk community for Akwesasne Freedom School; low-income BIPOC communities for Farm School NYC; and the queer community for Rock Steady Farm. Read more…

 

Scaling Regenerative Agriculture in the Northeast

Zoom webinar, October 12, 2021

CFF partnered with The Martha and Hunter Grubb foundation to host a briefing on regenerative agriculture. The session started with an overview of all that the term entails, to provide a framework for the rest of the discussion. We also recognized that these principles and practices are not new at all, but come from indigenous cultures who were stewards of the land for centuries. In fact, if native people were not forcibly removed from the land, we likely wouldn’t need to have conversations like this or be in this dire predicament. After the opening framing, we heard from several practitioners in the northeast working to implement and expand regenerative agriculture in our region. Read more…

2021 CFF Champions Award Presentation

Zoom webinar, July 28, 2021

BK Rot of Brooklyn, NY was named the winner of the 2021 Community Food Funders Champions Award. BK Rot was chosen in recognition of their community-based food waste hauling and composting programs, environmental and social justice principles, and youth development. Put together they represent the triple bottom line approach to food systems change. In prior years, the winner would have presented at the CFF Annual Gathering, but that event was cancelled this year due to Covid-19. In its place, CFF hosted an online award presentation and BK ROT staff Ceci Pineda and Shaq Benn shared about the organization. Read more…

Farm and Food Business Viability for Thriving Communities

Zoom webinar, May 26, 2021

CFF partnered with the Joyce & Irving Goldman Family Foundation, and Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders, to host a funder briefing where we heard from member organizations of the Agricultural Viability Alliance who provide 1:1 business technical assistance to farm and food businesses in the northeast. We also heard from Lee Hennessy, founder and owner of Moxie Ridge Farm and Creamery, whose story of success is tied to the technical assistance he received from Alliance members. Read more…

Towards a NYC COVID-19 Food Response in 2021

Zoom webinar, May 4, 2021

CFF partnered with the New York State Health Foundation to host a funder briefing on the NY Food 20/20 project, a partnership of three leading food policy research institutions in NYC to assess the effects of Covid-19 on our food system, and make recommendations to bolster food security. The presenting organizations were Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center; the Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education, and Policy; and the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute. Read more…

2020

How Covid-19 Spurred a Collective Philanthropic Effort in Food Justice

Zoom webinar, October 28, 2020

Earlier in 2020, CFF announced the sixteen organizations chosen to receive a grant from the CFF 2020 Food Movement Support Fund. The Fund invited applications from organizations in NY, NJ, and CT that are led by people most impacted by food injustice and working towards systemic change. The selection committee was blown away by the amazing work represented in the 148 applications we received. On October 28, CFF hosted a webinar to discuss how and why the Fund was created, and to introduce the 16 grantees. Read more…

2020 CFF Champions Award Presentation

Zoom webinar, July 9, 2020

Hattie Carthan Community Food Projects of Brooklyn, NY was named the winner of the 2020 Community Food Funders Champions Award. Hattie Carthan was chosen in recognition of their community-based principles, food production and food access programs, spiritual guidance and healing, and local leadership. In prior years, the winner would have presented at the CFF Annual Gathering, but that event was cancelled this year due to Covid-19. In its place, CFF hosted an online award presentation and Hattie Carthan Director Yonnette Fleming shared about the organization. Read more…

Funding a Racially Just Regenerative Regional Food System

Zoom webinar, July 2, 2020

CFF partnered with Surdna Foundation and Philanthropy New York to host a webinar that answered the question, “How can we support an ecosystem of businesses and services that will create the conditions for Black farmers and non-Black farmers of color to thrive in our region?” We heard from two emerging organizations, the Northeast Farmers of Color (NEFOC) Land Trust and the Black Farmer Fund (BFF) about their work. NEFOC Land Trust is working to create land access for BIPOC farmers, earth workers, and land stewards through a community land trust model that will acquire land by reparations, rematriation, land return, land donation, tax lien sale, and purchase. Black Farmer Fund is a charitable community investment fund that seeks to make blended capital investments to black farmers and food system entrepreneurs in New York State to create a more equitable food system. Read more…

Centering Racial Equity in your Organization or Foundation

Zoom webinar, June 24, 2020

CFF partnered with Groundswell Center for Local Food and Farming to host this year’s Champions Briefing, an event wholly designed by the 2019 CFF Champions Award winner. Groundswell Center shared their process of centering racial equity and anti-racist principles into their agricultural organization, and discussed how to bring this work into any organization or foundation. As a non-profit with predominantly white leadership, Groundswell talked about their journey toward centering racial equity, including staff/board development, relationship building, organizational policymaking, and systems for accountability. Read more…

Weekly Funder Calls on Covid-19 Response

Zoom meetings, March – June, 2020

Starting on March 18 with an emergency funder briefing and strategy call, CFF began hosting weekly funder-only calls to discuss the philanthropic response to food system needs resulting from the Covid-19 crisis. The calls began with a focus on New York City, but expanded to include funders and issues from across New York State. In total 11 calls were held, some incorporating guest speakers from the government and nonprofit sectors to highlight issues and programs emerging during an unprecedented time. These calls typically had around 25 funders in attendance, with some as large as 50 or more. Read more…

Covid-19 Food Access in NYC Briefing

Zoom webinar, March 18, 2020

CFF organized a quick-response video meeting so that funders could listen to nonprofits and local government officials discuss how the emerging crisis was affecting food distribution and access in NYC. Read more…

A Conversation About the Good Food Purchasing Program

NYS Health Foundation, January 27, 2020

In August 2019, New York City announced plans to adopt the Good Food Purchasing Program (GFPP), a procurement model that gives public institutions the tools and support to implement better food-purchasing policies. Through this program, public school systems, city governments, and other large institutions are transforming the way they purchase food and helping create a more transparent and equitable food system. GFPP is currently being implemented in 15 cities and jurisdictions nationwide. On January 27th, CFF partnered with steering committee member NYSHealth Foundation to host a discussion with national and local leaders in the GFPP. Read more…

2019

A Decade of Transformation

Central Brooklyn, August 28, 2019

CFF hosted an afternoon site visit to Hattie Carthan Community Food Project in Central Brooklyn. Designed to provide an experiential “dip” (as opposed to “deep dive”) into the transformative work that takes place at Hattie to promote growth at the individual, community, and ecological systems levels, the three hour visit included: grounding in basic principles of food justice and equity; a guided tour of the sites; an opportunity to engage in dialogue about the process of systems change; experiencing of some of the healing modalities employed in collaboration with Mother Nature; and shared labor to benefit the farm, garden, or market.

CFF 7th Annual Gathering

Project Farmhouse, June 12, 2019

Over 50 CFF members gathered at Project Farmhouse for the 7th CFF Annual Gathering. Local food and drink was supplied by Community Chef Kitchen, a new catering company cooperatively owned by women of color from Brooklyn. The evening featured a presentation by Groundswell Center, our 2019 CFF Champions Award recipient; an update on the Seeding Power Fellowship and introduction of our 12 inaugural fellows; and a keynote presentation by Dr. Monica White, author of the new book Freedom Farmers: Agricultural Resistance and the Black Freedom MovementRead more…

What’s Law Got to do With It?

NYS Health Foundation, May 29, 2019

CFF partnered with the NYS Health Foundation to host a discussion on how to advance a more just and sustainable food system through legal services and how the Food and Beverage Law Clinic at Pace University is working with clients on legal challenges and opportunities in this area. The Food Law Initiative, a partnership between the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University (Pace Law) and the Natural Resources Defense Council, helps farmers, entrepreneurs, and other activists in New York State navigate a complicated legal landscape governing everything from food labeling to structuring a legal entity. It also trains a larger community of lawyers to understand food and agriculture issues. The Food Law Initiative runs the Food and Beverage Law Clinic. Established in 2017, this first-of-its-kind clinic provides pro-bono legal services to farmers, food entrepreneurs, food justice organizations, and other key stakeholders. Watch a recording.

Growing Leaders

North Star Fund, April 18, 2019

CFF partnered with East New York Farms! (ENYF) to host the CFF Champions Award briefing for this year. At this event, ENYF staff discussed their own leadership journeys from youth participants in a food justice program to staff at one of the preeminent youth food justice organizations in New York City. The panelists also detailed the many practices and policies ENYF has implemented to make this transition possible. Read more…

Grassroots-Led Narratives

North Star Fund, March 20, 2019

CFF partnered with WhyHunger to host an event with grassroots leaders who are finding inspiring and effective new ways to “change the narrative” and build power through two separate initiatives. Food First’s intensive WriteShop method brings together frontline leaders from the food, farm and climate justice movements to produce a compelling book and generate shared strategies for community action. The Closing the Hunger Gap Network – a coordinated space for food banks and pantries moving beyond food distribution towards strategies that address the root causes of hunger – is undergoing a national story-based narrative change process to challenge the dominate narrative of hunger in U.S. and redefine the role of food emergency organizations in building a more just food system. Read more…

2018

Seeding Power: Leadership for Justice-Based Movements in Food and Farming

Surdna Foundation, December 4, 2018

CFF partnered with Philanthropy New York, Sustainable Agriculture and Food System Funders, and Surdna Foundation to host a briefing on three new leadership development programs in the food and farming sector. Navina Khanna, Director of the HEAL Food Alliance, spoke about their School of Political Leadership that supports 10 food and farm justice leaders with the tools, knowledge, and skills they need to run for office, work on campaigns, and drive political change. Next, Farzana Serang, Executive Director of the Castanea Fellowship, described how Castanea will provide a diverse cohort of leaders with the time, space, and resources they need to connect and innovate on long-term solutions that can foster vibrant communities and the creation of a more equitable, sustainable, and healthy food system. Lastly, Adam Liebowitz, Director of Community Food Funders, outlined the new Seeding Power Fellowship for experienced food justice leaders working across sectors to build equitable food systems in New York City, the Hudson Valley, and Long Island. Read more…

Food Certification Programs for Farmworker Justice

North Star Fund, November 1, 2018

CFF partnered with The Marcus Foundation and SAFSF to host a briefing about the living and working conditions faced by most farmworkers in the US, and food certification programs that are trying to address and ameliorate these issues. Jessica Culley described the work of the Farmworkers Support Committee (CATA), a grassroots member-led organization. CATA was also a founding member of the Agricultural Justice Project that issues the “Food Justice Certified” label. Peter O’Driscoll talked about the Equitable Food Initiative and all it has accomplished in the past five years with its “Responsibly Grown, Farmworker Assured” label that comes only as the result of multi-stakeholder engagement and agreements across the supply chain. And Michael Rozyne talked about his years in the farming and food distribution business with Red Tomato, what it will take to maintain farms in our region, and a pilot project he is engaging in with EFI in Connecticut to explore the model on smaller farms. Read more…

Pesticides in Parade: How Hawaiian Communities Took on the Chemical Industry and Won

North Star Fund, July 12, 2018

CFF partnered with food justice advocate, author, and funder Anna Lappé, to host a briefing about how Hawaiʻi is leading the way in both resisting the agrochemical industry and envisioning a food future rooted in indigenous wisdom and aloha ʻāina (love for the land), including the country’s first statewide ban on the pesticide chlorpyrifos. Dr. Virginia Rauh presented her research on chlorpyrifos and its public health impacts, and community activist Malia Chun spoke about her community’s personal history with the pesticide industry, and how that narrative fits in to the larger history of Hawaii post-contact with Western colonialists. Anna Frederick, Executive Director of Hawaiʻi Alliance for Progressive Action (HAPA), then detailed the community organizing and statewide campaign that resulted in the chlorpyrifos ban. Read more…

Unpacking Nutrition Education: Why it Matters for NYC Students

Philanthropy New York, June 25, 2018

CFF partnered with Philanthropy New York to host a briefing on the myriad ways nutrition education is addressed and offered in NYC schools, and significant value that these bring to a student’s physical, academic, and future well-being. Pamela Koch of the Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education & Policy presented findings from recently concluded reports, and was joined on the panel by Kelly Giordano of Newman’s Own Foundation and Tony Hillery of Harlem Grown. The panel was moderated by Bronwyn Starr of the New York State Health Foundation. Read more…

CFF 6th Annual Gathering

Project Farmhouse, June 7, 2018

Over 50 CFF members gathered at Project Farmhouse for the 6th CFF Annual Gathering. Delicious Puerto Rican food was supplied by Liberation Cuisine, with drinks sponsored by Port Morris Distillery and Bronx Beer Hall. The evening featured a presentation by East New York Farms, our 2018 CFF Champions Award recipient, and a keynote panel on food system issues in Puerto Rico with frontline activists from the island. Read more…

Funding A Racially Just Food System

North Star Fund, May 16, 2018

CFF partnered with Soul Fire Farm and Philanthropy New York’s Committee for Equitable and Inclusive Philanthropy to host a workshop on funding with a historical racial justice lens. Leah Penniman, Co-Director of Soul Fire Farm, and Amani Olugbala, Assistant Director of Programs, guided over 30 funders through a history of racism and resistance in the food system followed by a workshop to help identify concrete next steps. This event was the 2017 CFF Champions Award briefing, designed and created by our 2017 Award recipient, Soul Fire Farm. The US agricultural system and therefore the entire national economy was established on a foundation of stolen labor working stolen lands. And the impacts, oppression, and inequitable outcomes derived from that starting point are still felt, and in many cases still perpetuated, even today. Read more…

Northeast Food Movement Organizing

North Star Fund, February 1, 2018

CFF partnered with Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF) to host an event about about new initiatives and opportunities to engage the leaders of state agriculture departments and help build a regional coalition of non-profits at the same time. Virginia Clarke of SAFSF explained her organization’s history of such engagements and why she launched this national effort five years ago, and Tracy Lerman of the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (NESAWG) detailed the benefits she sees for our region and why NESAWG has stepped up to lead the charge. Read more…

2017

Big Hunger

New York State Health Foundation, October 4, 2017

CFF partnered with WhyHunger and the New York State Health Foundation to host a briefing about Andy Fisher’s new book.  Big Hunger The Unholy Alliance Between Corporate America And Anti-Hunger Groups. Following a presentation about his research and findings, Andy was joined on a panel by Liz Schalet of Bed Stuy Campaign Against Hunger and filmmaker Lori Silverbush. The panel was moderated by Alison Cohen of WhyHunger. Read more…

Food Distribution and Infrastructure in the South Bronx

South Bronx, September 13, 2017

CFF and Philanthropy New York hosted a day-long Food Distribution and Infrastructure Tour to learn about some of the current and future food distribution systems utilized in NYC, as well as other infrastructure projects and small-scale supply chain models. Thirty-five funders attended the bus tour that included five stops and seven organizations working in the Hunts Point and Bronx River sections of the South Bronx. Read more…

CFF 5th Annual Gathering

Project Farmhouse, June 1, 2017

Over 60 CFF members got together with some of our partners in the field and the public sector at Project Farmhouse for the 5th CFF Annual Gathering. Delicious drinks and appetizers were supplied by Cleaver Co. while people mingled and discussed their work.  The evening featured a presentation by Leah Penniman of Soul Fire Farm, our inaugural CFF Champions Award recipient, and a keynote by Frances Moore Lappé. Read more…

Partners in Health: Community Food Programs and Hospital Partnerships in NY

New York Academy of Medicine, May 15, 2017

CFF partnered with The New York Academy of Medicine  to host a full-day forum.  Hospitals and health systems, along with community-based organizations that are working to address food as a determinant of health across the state, were brought together to share information, network, and explore new partnerships. A call was made for institutional actors like community-based organizations, hospitals, government, and philanthropy to work together to create lasting impact on community health and promote health equity. Read more…

2016

Food as a Community-Building Tool

Philanthropy New York, December 8, 2016

CFF partnered with Philanthropy New York to host a briefing on food as a community-building tool. Rick Luftglass (Executive Director, Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund) moderated a panel comprised of Ben Thomases (Executive Director, Queens Community House), Robin Burger (Interim Executive Director, Just Food), and Nicholas Freudenberg (Director, CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute), followed by a robust discussion. Read more…

Urban Agriculture & Social Justice Activism

North Star Fund, October 5th, 2016

CFF hosted a wine and cheese reception to celebrate the launch of a new book, Beyond the Kale: Urban Agriculture and Social Justice Activism in New York City by Kristin Reynolds and Nevin Cohen. Funders and urban ag practitioners mingled over local NY wine and then the authors presented the book’s key findings to the audience, followed by a Q&A including remarks from some of the book’s interviewees. Read more…

Growing the Farm to Institution Movement: From Farm to Plate

NYS Health Foundation, September 29, 2016

CFF partnered with the New York State Health Foundation and Philanthropy New York to host a briefing about the local farm to institution movement. The Farm To Institution New York State (FINYS) network opened with a presentation about the benefits and obstacles of bringing local food to institutions, and then the executive chef from Lenox Hill Neighborhood House presented about her work transforming the settlement house’s meals to be more local and in season. Lenox Hill now offers a technical assistance program free to other meal providers to help them make a similar transition with their menus. Read more…

GreenWave & Restorative Ocean Farming

North Star Fund, September 22, 2016

CFF partnered with the Hunter Grubb Foundation to host a briefing on an emerging new organization called GreenWave.  GreenWave’s mission is to support and train new and beginning restorative ocean farmers, and provide infrastructure to support the emerging blue-green economy. Beginning farmers learn the basics of 3D ocean farming, a innovative new model designed to restore ocean ecosystems, mitigate climate change, and create blue-green jobs for unemployed fishers — all while providing healthy, local food for communities. Read more…

Communities in Action: A South Bronx Learning Tour

South Bronx, August 4, 2016

CFF and Philanthropy New York hosted a day-long tour of the South Bronx to highlight people and organizations using food as a vehicle to bring people together and catalyze change in their neighborhoods.Twenty-five funders participated in the bus tour that included six stops and nine organizations across the South Bronx. Working on issues such as restorative justice, female empowerment, youth development, economic development, health and nutrition, and more, these groups were growing food, cooking meals, working with bodegas, running farmers’ markets, and creating buying clubs to achieve their goals. Read more…

CFF 4th Annual Gathering

COLORS Restaurant, June 15, 2016

Over 50 CFF members and some of our partners in the field and the public sector got together at COLORS Restaurant for the 4th CFF Annual Gathering. Delicious drinks and appetizers were supplied by COLORS staff while people mingled and discussed their work. The evening featured a conversation with Danny Meyer, CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group, about the origins of his no tipping “hospitality included” policy, and how it has played out in his restaurants. Read more…

Food+Enterprise 2016

Pfizer Building, April 8-9, 2016

CFF was proud to once again co-sponsor the annual Food+Enterprise Summit presented by Slow Money NYC, connecting investors and entrepreneurs with the goal of financing a better food system. This year’s theme was  Finding Food Value: Balancing Purpose + Profit, a fundamental challenge faced by responsible businesses and impact investors alike. Like-minded entrepreneurs, investors, farmers, consultants, and others came together to build a community dedicated to a business approach and investment philosophy respecting profitability alongside people, place, and planet. Read more…

A Conversation with NYC’s Food Policy Director

Philanthropy New York, March 24, 2016

CFF partnered with Philanthropy New York to host Barbara Turk, NYC Director of Food Policy, for a conversation about food policy in New York City and the Administration’s current efforts.  Topics included the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact and NYC’s role in its development, the inclusion of food in the OneNYC Plan, and the 2015 NYC Food Metrics Report. There was also a robust hour-long Q&A with the audience.  Read more…

2015

Analyzing Our Food Funding Landscape

Foundation Center, December 7, 2015

CFF partnered with Foundation Center to host an in-person meeting and attended by over 20 funders.  Focusing primarily on Foundation Maps, Foundation Center staff led a demo of different platforms and resources available to find out who is funding what and where as it relates to our regional food landscape.  Read more…

New Jersey Food & Environment Funders Gathering

Victoria Foundation, November 10, 2015

CFF partnered with the Environmental Affinity Group of the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers to host a gathering of NJ-based funders interested in food and the environment. 20 funders participated in the meeting in which we heard from Kendrya Close of the Foodshed Alliance, Elizabeth Reynoso who was the former food policy director of the city of Newark, and Hugh Hogan, Executive Director of North Star Fund and co-founder of Community Food Funders. Read more…

Food Impact Investing for Philanthropy

Surdna Foundation, October 5, 2015

The Finance & Investment Working Group of CFF partnered with Slow Money NYC to host a meeting on impact investing in the food space.  Starting with the basic question of what is impact investing, and from there looking at food investing and how philanthropy can get involved, participants were given the nuts and bolts of mission investing from people who know it best.  The presentation included case studies from two CFF members who recently completed Program Related Investments in food. Read more…

Routes to Roots: A Food System Tour

NY Foodshed, September 27, 2015

CFF partnered with the Environmental Grantmakers Assocation to lead a food system tour of the NY region that retraced the food system, from consumer to distributor to producer. The tour started at the Red Hook Initiative in Brooklyn, where we heard about local clean-up efforts after Hurricane Sandy and how a community space was turned into a kitchen to feed neighbors without power, as well as about Rockaway Wildfire and their post-Sandy redevelopment work. From there we vistited Greenmarket Co’s current food warehouse in the Bronx, and drove through the nation’s largest food distribution center before stopping at the site of a proposed new regional food hub facility. Our final stop brought us up the Hudson River Valley, an area  heavily impacted by Hurricane Irene in 2011, to learn about the Chester Agricultural Center and hear from  local farming innovators in the “black dirt” region.  Read more…

Newark Urban Agriculture Tour

Newark NJ, July 30, 2015

The Urban Agriculture Working Group of CFF partnered with the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers to host a day-long tour of urban agriculture sites in Newark, NJ.  25 funders participated in the bus tour visiting the gardens and farms of Greater Newark Conservancy and Ironbound Community Corporation, and hearing from AeroFarms who is building their global corporate headquarters and the world’s largest indoor vertical farm in Newark.  A lunch time presentation by a Newark-based master gardener discussed the work of the many other urban ag sites in the area, and was followed by a presentation by Dr. Hanaa Hamdi, Director of the Newark’s Department of Health and Wellness.  Read more…

Creating A Regional Food Hub in NYC

Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, July 22, 2015

GrowNYC shared their proposal for a regional food hub that would be located in the food distribution center in the Hunts Point section of the South Bronx.  This large-scale facility would provide a home for Greenmarket Co., a non-profit entity created by GrowNYC that aggregates and distributes wholesale quantities of locally-grown food and delivers it around the city.  In addition, this facility would have space for an expanded wholesale farmers market, a light food processing center to prepare local produce for wholesale, and other infrastructure to support local food businesses. Read more…

Food System Resiliency in the Face of Climate Change

North Star Fund, June 8, 2015

Two years after our original breakfast series on risk and resiliency in the food system after Hurricanes Irene and Sandy, CFF reconvened our panelists from that series along with other experts.  This group assembled in the morning to compile the lessons learned from that original series, hear updates on work that has taken place in the interim, and together decide what it would mean to seriously address the issues that were raised.  In the afternoon, they reported their findings as part of a funder briefing.  Read more…

Connecticut Food Funders Convening

Hartford College, May 28, 2015

CFF continued to convene funders active in food philanthropy in Connecticut by using the structure of the Connecticut Food Systems Alliance (CFSA) gatherings. Every CFSA gathering leaves space for ‘sub-network’ breakout conversations, and so funders have agreed to convene during that time to share information and resources.  Read more…

CFF 3rd Annual Gathering

COLORS Restaurant, May 6, 2015

CFF’s Annual Gathering featured a keynote presentation by Ricardo Salvador, a former funder at the Kellogg Foundation and currently the Director of the Food and Environment Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Ricardo focused his talk on the underlying systemic issues of racism and oppression that are at the core of the problems we must address plaguing our food system. His talk was followed by breakout conversations organized by the five working groups of CFF.  Read more…

Approaches to Farmland Preservation in the Northeast

Woodcock Foundation, April 29, 2015

CFF member Woodcock Foundation organized this briefing as the next offering from the Farmland Access and Preservation Working Group of CFF, as a follow-up to its kickoff meeting in November.  Steve Rosenberg provided context for the issue in our region as he explained his work with as Executive Director of the Scenic Hudson Land Trust.  Bob Bernstein and his team at Northeast Farm Access then discussed their efforts with the Chester Agricultural Center which is preserving 200 acres of black dirt farmland, and Jim Oldham presented his work at Equity Trust, specifically the Hudson Valley Farm Affordability Fund.  Read more…

NY Funders Alliance Webinar

Online, April 20, 2015

CFF presented about its work to a group of twenty funders from around New York as part ofthe NY Funders Alliance monthly webinars.  The presentation included an overview of CFF and regional food funder organizing, as well as a discussion on the current state of food philanthropy.  Read more…

NYCHA Goes Green: Urban Ag & Workforce Development

City Hall, April 15, 2015

Organized by the Urban Agriculture Working Group of CFF and sponsored by NYCHA and the Mayor’s Office for Strategic Partnerships, this funder briefing detailed a previously unannounced urban farming initiative as part of the larger Building Healthy Communities Initiative.  Modeled after the successful pilot program at Red Hook Houses in Brooklyn, five new farms will be built on NYCHA property in the next three years.  Read more…

What’s On The Plate Of NYC’s Food Workers?

Philanthropy New York, March 23, 2015

The Food Chain Workers Working Group of CFF co-sponsored this panel discussion examining internal mobility and career patterns in the restaurant industry.  Panelists included Saru Jayaraman (ROC United), Maureen Conway (The Aspen Institute), and Jessamyn Rodriguez (Hot Bread Kitchen), and was moderated by Laine Romero-Alston (Ford Foundation).  The conversation centered around a “raising the floor and building ladders” approach to workforce development, and highlighted a recent report from the mayor’s Jobs For New Yorkers Task Force.

Food Systems & Movements: What’s race got to do with it?

Philanthropy New York, March 16, 2015

CFF invited Eric Holt-Giménez, Executive Director of Food First, to host a presentation and discussion on the global food system, food movements, and the role that race plays in each. Eric presented to a room of 26 funders and partners about the magnitude of the work ahead in reshaping our globalized corporate food system. He then led everyone through an analysis of the food justice and food sovereignty movements, and challenged those present to consider the role that racism plays in weakening alliances and thwarting the growth of a larger more powerful movement.  Read more…

Food And Philanthropy Panel

Teachers College, March 15, 2015

CFF steering committee members hosted a panel discussion as part of the 2015 Just Food Conference. The panel included Bob Dandrew (Local Economies Project of the New World Foundation), Barbara Greenberg (Levitt Foundation), and Rick Luftglass (Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund) and was moderated by CFF coordinator Adam Liebowitz (North Star Fund). Panelists answered questions about their grantmaking strategies and vision, and offered opinions about their view of the food movement in our region.

Food+Enterprise 2015

Industry City, February 27 – March 1, 2015

Having grown into a 3-day summit this year, Food+Enterprise was once again sponsored by the Food Hubs, Finance, and Investment Working Group of CFF. Countless connections (both business and personal) were forged; a community among like-minded entrepreneurs, investors, farmers, consultants, and others was created; and, thoughtfulness and inspiration was fostered among this new community of “shareholders.” 618 tickets were sold with an average attendance of around 300 on each day!

Connecticut Food Funders Convening

University of St. Joseph, February 17, 2015

CFF, together with the CT Council for Philanthropy, convened fourteen funders active in food philanthropy in Connecticut to come together as part of a larger Connecticut Food Systems Alliance (CFSA) meeting. Participants learned about each other’s’ work in the field, heard a presentation about CFF, and discussed some current opportunities for continued networking and collaboration. This group will continue to meet at future CFSA gatherings.  Read more…

Procurement Policy and Worker Safety

Ford Foundation, January 8, 2015

The Food Chain Workers Working Group of CFF partnered with the Labor and Community Partnerships Working Group of Neighborhood Funders Group to host a roundtable discussion.  Funders, food chain worker organizers, and school food advocates met to hear an overview of the Good Food Purchasing Program in Los Angeles and specifically the protections it has in place for workers.  Participants then discussed what a comparable program could look like in NYC.

2014

400M Acres: Land Access, Ownership, and Stewardship

Surdna Foundation, November 21, 2014

CFF member Fleming Family Foundation organized this briefing in an effort to launch a new Farmland Access and Preservation Working Group of CFF.   Professor Eric Freyfogle laid the foundation for the meeting with a history of land rights and ownership, and Jean Willoughby presented her work as the Project Director of the Agricultural Reinvestment Fund at Rural Advancement Foundation International.  Severine von Tscharner Fleming then explained the work that lay ahead as over 400M acres of farmland is set to change hands in the coming years due to farmers retiring.    Read more…

Food Waste Funder Briefing

North Star Fund, November 10, 2014

CFF members GRACE Communications Foundation and the Betsy and Jesse Fink Foundation partnered to host this introductory briefing on food waste issues in the US.  Sarah Vared (Betsy and Jesse Fink Foundation) opened with an overview of problem, and then Chris Hunt (GRACE Communications Foundation) detailed some of the recent work they are funding on the topic.  We then heard from Tristram Stuart, founder of Feedback and creator of Feeding The 5,000 events worldwide, who detailed his experiences on the ground before opening up to questions from participants.  Read more…

A New Food Economy: What Do We Mean?

Philanthropy New York, October 30, 2014

North Star Fund and Community Food Funders partnered with Philanthropy New York to host a workshop on food as part of their series, Can Philanthropy Help Shape the Next Economy? A Workshop Series for a Just Transition.  Our workshop discussed the Triple Bottom Line, of sound ecological thinking, social and racial equity, and sustainable economic business models, and featured examples of each from a panel of leading professionals in the field.  Panelists included Nelson Carrasquillo (CATA), Dennis Derryck (Corbin Hill Food Project), Ann Karlen (Fair Food Philly), and Brian Snyder (Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture), and was moderated by Hugh Hogan (North Star Fund).  Read more…

Urban Ag with NYCHA & DEP

North Star Fund, July 24, 2014

Members of the Urban Agriculture Working Group of CFF met with representatives from the NYC Department of Environmental Protection and the NYC Housing Authority to discuss ways of scaling up urban agriculture in New York City. We discussed the NYCDEP Green Infrastructure program, which includes a grants program that has distributed over $11million in its first three cycles, as well as NYCHA’s plans to create five new urban ag sites on its properties.

Feeding NY Report Release

The Murphy Institute, June 24, 2014

Brandworkers and the Community Development Project at the Urban Justice Center released their new report, Feeding New York: Challenges and Opportunities for Workers in New York City’s Food Manufacturing Industry, and held a policy briefing around the reports main findings and themes.  The event was co-sponsored by the Food Chain Workers Working Group of CFF, along with other partners.  Read more…

CFF 2nd Annual Gathering

Roosevelt House at Hunter College, May 8, 2014

CFF’s Annual Gathering featured an interview of New York Times bestselling author Tracie McMillan by renowned radio personality Leonard Lopate. Tracie mostly discussed her book, The American Way Of Eating, an investigative journalism and undercover reporting account of issues of race and class in the food system. Approximately 50 funders from the region attended, along with 8 practitioners specially invited by CFF’s working groups.  Read more…

Food + Enterprise 2014

Food Book Fair at the Whythe Hotel, April 25, 2014

This day-long event, hosted by Slow Money NYC, was co-sponsored by the Food Hubs, Finance, and Investment Working Group of CFF. Program details included an entrepreneur clinic, foodshed funders lunch, panel discussion, and pitch competition.

Food Chains Funder Briefing

North Star Fund, April 24, 2014

At this briefing, hosted by the Food Chain Workers Working Group, attendees heard from people involved with film Food Chains, a movie having its US premier the following weekend at the Tribeca Film Festival and set for national distribution in the fall. Sanjay Rawal, the film’s director, was joined by the film’s producer, two members of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, and the director of the Fair Food Standards Council. This meeting included practitioners working on labor issues in addition to CFF funders.  Read more…

Program Related Investment Presentation

North Star Fund, March 10, 2014

At this meeting, Farm To Table Co-packers (FTC) presented to staff and board members of CFF Steering Committee Foundations. These foundations are considering a PRI in the food system, and invited FTC to present as a potential recipient.

Beyond The Kale Funder Briefing

Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, February 11, 2014

At this briefing hosted by the Urban Agriculture Working Group of CFF, attendees learned about new research soon to be released in the book Beyond the Kale: Urban Agriculture and Social Justice Activism in New York City, by Kristin Reynolds and Nevin Cohen, from the New School. A facilitated conversation between funders in the room and invited practitioners from the field followed prepared remarks by the authors. The topic centered around how urban agriculture contributes to the creation of just and sustainable cities, and what philanthropy’s role could and should be moving forward. Practitioners in attendance included Maggie Cheney (EcoStation:NY & Bushwick Campus Farm), Tanya Fields (The BLK ProjeK), Yonnette Fleming (Hattie Carthan Community Garden), and Karen Washington (La Familia Verde Community Garden Coalition and Resource Center, & Black Urban Growers).  Read more…

Read about events that happened prior to 2014 here.