Our History - Better Food Policy Fund

How We Got Here

We recognize that how things are done really matters – not just what is done. This is why we took time to involve food policy council stakeholders as we developed this Fund. Through highly relational engagement we built a loosely knit group of 350+ stakeholders, which continues to grow.

By intentionally involving stakeholders in meaningful ways, we have already begun supporting food policy councils in indirect ways. We have observed:

Reciprocal learning between different food policy councils
Sense of validation among food policy councils that their work is important
Best practices have emerged from collective sense-making
Sense of connection for those who work in relative isolation from other councils
Renewed willingness to address difficult challenges

Read about our co-development process for setting Fund strategy and governance.

Things We’ve Co-Created Along the Way

Through interactions with food policy council stakeholders, we have co-developed several products during the Fund development process.

Landscape Analysis

Identified internal and external forces affecting food policy councils

Fund Direction

Direction for both fund strategy and governance, as well as the Fund name

Communications Project

Spin-off communications effort to develop materials that make the case for food policy councils

Examples of Great Work

Crowdsourcing surfaced three dozen councils to showcase in case studies

Selection Criteria

Factors to consider when selecting grantee finalists

Funder Webinar

Funders-only webinar raising awareness of the importance of food policy councils