CFF Annual Gathering 2025
Wednesday September 17, 2025
5 – 8pm
New York Health Foundation
1385 Broadway, 23rd Floor
NYC
This is a funder-only event
Co-sponsored by Philanthropy New York
CFF is excited to be hosting our 9th Annual Gathering! This event is a chance to meet funder colleagues, enjoy good food, and be inspired by the stories of changemakers in our region. And, this year calls for more. We’ve crafted an agenda to offer new ideas in these unprecedented times, and will provide time to connect with your peers working on similar issue areas. Let’s work together to meet the growing needs around us.
The keynote presentation will be given by Dara Cooper, co-founder of the National Black Food and Justice Alliance (NBFJA) and a founding member of the HEAL Food Alliance. Dara was also instrumental in the creation of Liberating Investment in the Food & Farm Ecosystem (LIFE), a resource mobilization vehicle founded by a collaborative of critical food and land justice organizations representing and directly accountable to frontline voices across the U.S.
As part of the evening, we will hear from Syracuse-Onondaga Food System Alliance, the recipient of the 2025 CFF Champions Award. You will also have a chance to meet the new cohort of Seeding Power fellows.
And, we will be honoring two long-time food funders and CFF members, Ruth Goldman and Barbara Greenberg, who are stepping away from their work in our region this year.
Whether your focus is on nutrition or hunger, food chain workers or farmland preservation, emergency food or food waste, we all have a part to play in creating the just food system that everyone deserves. We encourage your attendance if you’re a long-time CFF member, just entering the field of food systems change, or simply a curious bystander who likes good food. All funders are welcome!
Join us at the CFF Annual Gathering for an evening of locally sourced food and drink, networking, and updates from the field.
2023 CFF Annual Gathering
More about the presentations
Dara Cooper is an activist, organizer, writer, and movement vibe curator. She is the co-founder and former executive director of the National Black Food and Justice Alliance (NBFJA) where she currently serves as strategic advisor. She was a founding member of the HEAL Food Alliance, and also served on the Movement for Black Lives policy table and leadership team helping to write and launch the Vision for Black Lives. Dara currently serves as a member of the Kataly Foundation’s Environmental Justice Resource Collective, helping to distribute approximately $75 million to BIPOC environmental justice organizations around the country. She also served as an advisor for Solidaire’s $14 million Black Liberation Pooled Fund.
Syracuse-Onondaga Food Systems Alliance (SOFSA) is an independent food council in Central New York serving the City of Syracuse, Onondaga Nation, and the surrounding Onondaga County. They won the 2025 Champions Award in recognition of the diverse and thriving network they have become, spearheading many successful food system innovations over the years. SOFSA will be represented by Maura Ackerman, Executive Director, and Emilija Postolovska, Board President.
This year CFF bids farewell to two longtime members who have been a part of CFF since the early days in 2012. At this event, we will be raising a glass in honor of the tremendous work they have done over the years. Ruth Goldman is the Executive Director of Merck Family Fund, who has been supporting urban agriculture initiatives in the northeast for decades. Ruth is leaving her seat on the steering committee as Merck transitions away from food work in our region to focus on pro-democracy work and climate justice more broadly in New England. Barbara Greenberg led the grantmaking of Levitt Foundation for many years, one of the biggest supporters of youth-led food justice work in NYC. She also advised the Kenneth Goldman Donor Fund who supports food waste reduction efforts among other programs. Barbara has closed her philanthropic consulting business and will be enjoying retirement.
The Seeding Power Fellowship brings together experienced leaders working across sectors to build equitable food systems in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Our third cohort is just starting a nine-month curriculum that includes three in-person retreats and 13 virtual sessions focused on collective learning, movement building, leadership development, and collaboration. They will be in attendance to kickoff their year together.