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Better Food Policy FundBetter Food Policy Fund
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Evolving the Funder Role

The Better Food Policy Fund is a Collective Action Fund of the Tides Foundation, a purpose-driven fund that relies on an independent advisory committee (IAC) made up of people who are closer to the work on the ground.  The IAC makes recommendations to Tides for grants in support of our mission.  Donors work alongside the BFPF Independent Advisory Committee in different ways, all of us trying to find ways to further support and lift up the work of food policy councils!

One unique aspect of our BFPF is that we use participatory grantmaking processes to enhance equity and redistribute power in the food system funding landscape.  We seek to celebrate and uplift the work of food policy councils, and believe every food policy council is worthy of financial support.

Come Join Us!

We are so grateful for the support of our founding seed funders who were excited to go first and go big!

  • Anonymous individual donors
  • The From Now On Fund
  • The Smith Edmonds Family Foundation

Their support gave us the runway needed to truly engage the experts and activists on the ground who could set the strategy of the fund.

What about you?  Are you an investor passionate about creating real change? If so, we are interested in connecting with you!

BFPF Hive

Benefits of joining the Better Food Policy Fund as a donor:

Amplify Your Impact
Together we go far!
Pooling our resources = funding more groups = exponentially greater impact.
Empower Other Voices
Share in the rewarding experience of shifting decision-making to those closest to the work being funded.
Drive Systems Change
We take an adaptive approach to challenges, seeking to address root causes for lasting systemic change.
Learn Something New
Discover fresh ways to approach change, gaining insight through reflective continuous improvement.
Meet Like-Minded Folks
We’re relational! Get to know others who share your values and vision as we develop a vibrant funding community.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the questions we’ve been asked along the way. Additional questions are answered here. Please reach out if you have additional questions!

Is there a minimum donation amount or term?

While there is no minimum donation amount or term, there are numbers to help inform those decisions. Under our current unrestricted grantmaking pilot program, $80,000 will support a council for two years. Ideally, support for councils would last 3-5 years. Based on the annual survey from Food Policy Networks project at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, there are approximately 300 food policy councils in the US, most of which are severely underfunded. Thus, our first cohort of 10 grantees meets only 3% of FPCs.

 

How are FPCs funded? Why is additional funding needed?

According to the Food Policy Networks annual survey of FPCs, funding sources vary whether the FPC is situated within the government or outside of a government host. Sometimes FPCs receive money from the city budget. Other funding sources include healthcare foundations, private foundations, and public charities.

The FPN survey says nearly two out of three councils report a budget of less than $10,000. FPC members often contribute their time and energy as part of their paid job. These can be people connected with government or non-profit institutions. Sole reliance on this model of in-kind contributions of time makes it difficult to engage less-resourced community members, resulting in less informed, less democratic, and less equitable outcomes.

Furthermore, concerns around perceived conflicts of interest can cause FPC members within government to shy away from conversations around policy.

We’d Love to Hear From You!

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