Regional Food Systems
Our food systems reflect some of the 21st century’s most pressing challenges, but also offer significant opportunities to address them.
America’s industrialized and massive-scale agricultural system contributes to climate change, water scarcity and pollution, food-borne illness, antibiotic resistance, loss of wildlife and habitat, obesity and other disease and food insecurity.
Creating new, regional and sustainable food systems can help address many of these cross-cutting concerns while ensuring the most vulnerable among us – children, the poor and people in hospitals – are getting the healthy food they need to thrive. We’re supporting such a regional food system in New England by:
- Channeling demand from our region’s largest food purchasers such as schools, colleges and universities, and hospitals to increase the economic success of sustainable agriculture;
- Focusing on supply chains to expand and streamline the supply and demand of regionally and sustainably produced food; and
- Strengthening food production and distribution systems so they can meet the growing demand.
Grantee Profile
Migrant Justice
“Milk with Dignity will bring about a new day for dairy workers. We will transform this industry and win our human rights.” – Enrique Balcazar, Migrant Justice Farm Worker Member*
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Impact Investing
Ayers Brook Goat Dairy
In 2012, The John Merck Fund joined philanthropic partners, The Castanea Foundation and the High Meadows Fund, to form Evergreen Partners, L3C, committing $300,000 to the partnership to help finance Vermont Creamery’s ...
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Impact Investing
Fair Food Fund
In 2012, The John Merck Fund Board made a $425,000 investment in the Fair Food Network’s Fair Food Fund-Northeast. The Fund was established to help fill the financing gap that many smaller-scale sustainable farmers ...
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Recent Regional Food Systems Grant Awards
| Date | Description | Program Area | Focus | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12/2020 |
Massachusetts Farm to SchoolTo support the development of a clearly articulated school food vision for Massachusetts and to coordinate, grow, and strengthen a statewide coalition advocating for the vision. |
Regional Food Systems |
$27,000 | |
| 12/2020 |
Cooperative Development InstituteTo support New American farmers and food businesses in Maine and the Connecticut River Valley; and to raise the profile of cooperative ownership in the regional food system. |
Regional Food Systems |
$30,000 | |
| 12/2020 |
Migrant JusticeTo transform the dairy industry through worker-driven social responsibility that compels dairy brands to ensure respect for human rights in their supply chains. |
Regional Food Systems |
$50,000 | |
| 12/2020 |
Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working GroupTo cultivate an equitable, just, and sustainable food system for all. |
Regional Food Systems |
$42,000 | |
| 12/2020 |
Red TomatoTo focus on organizational development and two key programs: Bypass and the Eco Program. |
Regional Food Systems |
$45,000 | |
| 12/2020 |
CommonWealth KitchenTo create a reliable sales channel for locally sourced and locally produced food into institutions and pursue other paths for building a just, sustainable regional food economy. |
Regional Food Systems |
$65,000 | |
| 09/2020 |
Real Food GenerationTo make sourcing of regionally- and sustainably-produced food routine in institutional settings, and use higher education’s buying power and intellectual and cultural influence to drive this transformation. |
Regional Food Systems |
$65,000 | |
| 09/2020 |
Health Care Without HarmTo work with Healthy Food in Health Care hospitals that support living wages, labor standards, and equity to respond to the pandemic and create greater food system resilience in its wake. |
Regional Food Systems |
$70,000 | |
| 06/2020 |
Vermont Sustainable Jobs FundTo ensure that all New England residents maintain food security, especially during times of crisis, by engaging state agencies and other key state and regional stakeholders in a collaborative effort to: (1) expand and fortify the region’s food supply and distribution systems, and (2) reduce the GHG emissions and increase the soil health and carbon sequestration associated with food production. |
Regional Food Systems |
$100,000 | |
| 06/2020 |
Rhode Island Food Policy CouncilTo make measurable progress in promoting an equitable, economically vibrant, and environmentally sustainable food system in Rhode Island. |
Regional Food Systems |
$50,000 |