McConnell Foundation Request for Proposals on Sustainable Food Systems
Posted: March 29, 2011
Categories: News from Sustain Ontario
While the global industrial food system can be credited with providing low cost food to large numbers of consumers, it has serious drawbacks and vulnerabilities. Obesity rates are escalating, and dependence on food banks is growing. Roughly 30% of all greenhouse gas emissions are generated by food production, processing, and distribution; and major watersheds are being harmed by intensive agriculture. The current supply of inexpensive imported food is threatened by rising energy costs and climate change-related declines in crop yields.
Canadians increasingly understand that a resilient and sustainable food system must address not only the economic wellbeing of producers and consumers, but also environmental impacts and human health outcomes. Local, diverse, and ecologically sustainable food initiatives are multiplying across the country, including eco-certification, regionally focussed restaurants and food markets, and healthy supply chain strategies that link informed consumers to local producers.
In order to assist this work, the Foundation is launching an initiative to strengthen regional food economies in Canada. We envision a food system that links growers and consumers in supply chains that incorporate shared values around sustainability, health, and resilience.
Market transformation involves both supply and demand. Thus we are interested in initiatives that increase regional, sustainable food production capacity while enhancing consumers’ ability to make healthy food choices.
Within this broad area of interest, we will prioritize the following types of projects:
- Dissemination of successful local initiatives to new communities
- Development of sustainable public food policies by civil society organizations collaborating with governments
- Multi-stakeholder action, where civil society organizations work with governments and the private sector, including farmers
Examples of projects which this initiative could support include: certification programs that support local and sustainable food; projects that influence institutional procurement policies; “healthy supply chains†that enable intermediaries to link farmers to markets; dissemination of programs that provide fresh local food for schools; food “hubs†that link local producers, processors, consumers, and civil society organizations.
Projects focussed primarily on research or consumer education are not eligible, although such activities may be supported within a broader initiative.
We are primarily interested in receiving proposals for multi-year projects that connect with multiple stakeholders. Our intent is to create a cluster of projects that can learn from one another, and demonstrate successful approaches to food systems transformation that will be of value to other organizations, funders and policy makers. The Foundation places a high value on learning through evaluation and reflection, and its grants include an evaluation component.
Interested organizations are asked to carefully review the granting information on our website, including the granting FAQs, to ensure that they are eligible, and that their proposal fits within Foundation guidelines.
The deadline for submissions of proposals is April 15, 2011.