Navigating a New Political Landscape
Wednesday June 18, 12:30 – 1:30pm ET
Funder only. Registration required.
The onslaught of devastating news and norm-shattering changes coming out of the White House has left people in turmoil trying to protect themselves and the people they care about. Executive orders and federal funding cuts have upended entire industries, with significant impacts on the food and farming system as well as the nonprofit sector.
The CFF Steering Committee invites funders to a discussion about the impacts they are seeing on their grantees and in the sector, and what steps their foundations are considering or taking in response. These issues are not going away, and we envision this Roundtable as an ongoing series of check-ins tailored to food funders in our region. See below for notes from prior meetings.
The idea for this series was borne out of private discussions CFF members were already having at meetings, and inspired by the series of funder calls CFF hosted in the early days of Covid.
Related resources and articles (an updating list):
- FAQ: Nonprofits in the New Landscape. Building Movement Project’s FAQ’s, last updated June, 2025.
- 2025 Federal Funding Resources. Relevant executive orders, federal funding freeze information, relevant litigation & the on-going impacts to agriculture, climate/environment, and DEI/immigration. Compiled by Dãnia Davy.
- Federal Funding Landscape Tracker. Tracking the status and forecast of dozens of federal funding streams. Compiled by SHOT Fund. Also, SHOT Fund’s response/ask.
- Project 2025 Tracker. Track the progress of different elements of Project 2025, sortable by agency, subject, and status.
- Executive Orders Affecting Charitable Nonprofits. Regularly updated link from National Council of Nonprofits.
- Federal Funding Freeze Survey. Data gathering by National Young Farmers Coalition.
- Financial Risk of Nonprofits Losing Government Grants. Interactive data tool and related analysis by Urban Institute.
- Frontline Communities Across the US Are Committed to Owning Their Fair Share of the Food System and Will Not Back Down. Statement from Liberating Investment in the Food and Farm Ecosystem (LIFE).
- Sounding the Alarm: Nonprofits on the Frontlines of a Polarized Political Climate. Building Movement Project.
- Amid Funding Freezes and ICE Raids, What Will It Take to Support Grantees? Lisa Pilar Cowan, The Chronicle of Philanthropy.
- As Funders Face New Levels of Risk, What Does Bravery Look Like? Lisa Pilar Cowan, The Chronicle of Philanthropy.
- Your Leadership Matters Right Now—Response to Federal Funding Freeze. Clare Fox, SAFSF.
- Thanks, Foundations, but 6% or Even 10% Payout is Not Enough. Vu Le, Nonprofit AF.
- Challenging Times: How U.S. Nonprofit Leaders are Experiencing the Political Context. Center for Effective Philanthropy.
- Farmers Speak Out on the Devastating Impact of USDA Funding Freeze. National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.
- Unite in Advance: Philanthropy Coalition Launches Solidarity Campaign. Nonprofit Quarterly.
What Are CFF Roundtables?
An informal virtual space to connect with funder colleagues
Last year, as Community Food Funders’ membership had grown across the New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut region, we were hearing from more colleagues who craved a space to share their work and to learn from others. In response, we launched CFF Roundtables, a new series of lunchtime meet-ups. The purpose was to meet other funders working on current issues in food justice.
CFF roundtables are a chance to meet other funders interested in the same topic. Hear from each other about what is happening in the space, and discuss any opportunities or challenges that may be on the horizon.
Got a topic to propose? Let us know!
What to expect
- A lunchtime Zoom meeting, feel free to bring your meal to the screen
- An issue-based gathering, hosted by funders who are active in that space
- An interactive conversation where participants will share what they are funding (or considering funding) on the topic, and any other opportunities they’d like to discuss
- No formal presentations or guest speakers. This is funders connecting with other funders
- A chance to continue meeting as a group, if desired
If you would like to help organize a roundtable on a topic you are interested in, please reach out to
Adam Liebowitz at adam@northstarfund.org.
Notes and resources from past meetings
May 22, 2025
- Press release from Hunger Free America on proposed food aid cuts
- Statement from FRAC on House Ag Committee passing the budget bill
- Participants requested a separate meeting to discuss spend-down foundations. Resources were shared from National Center for Family Philanthropy and the Johnson Center for Philanthropy.
- Excited for the opportunity to connect and organize at the SAFSF Forum in New Mexico, June 9-12
- Other discussion points
- Lack of funding support to fight food stamp cuts
- Need for increased digital and physical security of grantees
- Infrastructure (including legal) to support and protect the frontlines
- Concerns around changes to how foundations are taxed
April 10, 2025
- The Hudson Valley Farm Relief Fund is seeking co-funders.
- Healing Soils Foundation has launched the Regenerative Farmer Assurance Fund to provide recoupable grants for organic and regenerative farmers in the Midwest facing delays in public funding
- The Unite in Advance campaign launched with a new piece in the Nonprofit Quarterly, including a Public Statement from Philanthropy sign-on call from the Council on Foundations.
- From the SHOT Fund
- SHOT Fund’s $1.7M Pilot Emergency Response Data Brief (Feb):
- Live landscape tracker
- Join their next $3M pooled fund (May):
- SHOT Fund Recoverable Grant Agreement Language: Email maisah@regenerativeagriculturefoundation.org for a template