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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04/2021 |
Maine Farmland TrustTo help Maine farmers realize the significant economic opportunities offered by scaling up to reach wholesale markets. |
Regional Food Systems |
$25,000 | |
| 04/2021 |
The Carrot ProjectTo build the Agricultural Viability Alliance into a network for farm and food business technical assistance practitioners across our region that can address shared challenges, facilitate more uniform high-quality TA provision, and more effectively share and expand limited resources. |
Regional Food Systems |
$25,000 | |
| 04/2021 |
Vermont Sustainable Jobs FundTo support Vermont Farm to Plate, which will increase sustainable economic development and create jobs in Vermont’s food and farm sector; and improve access to healthy, local food for all Vermonters. |
Regional Food Systems |
$75,000 | |
| 04/2021 |
Massachusetts Food System CollaborativeTo achieve a more equitable and sustainable food system for Massachusetts by promoting, monitoring, and facilitating implementation of the Massachusetts Local Food Action Plan. |
Regional Food Systems |
$35,000 | |
| 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 |