Announcing the next phase of The New England Food System Resilience Fund. Learn More
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:
“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*
MoreIn 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 ...
MoreIn 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 ...
MoreDate | 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 |