Food Policy Councils: Food Justice, Democracy, and Civic Engagement
Organizing and activating networks for policy changes are hallmarks of a healthy democracy. In this moment, food policy councils (FPCs) are responding to federal funding freezes, harmful federal food system policies, and communities in crisis. Their ability to address community needs on the ground and in collaboration with their local representatives can help communities weather challenges at the federal level. Strong FPCs also create stable political structures that outlast changes in administrations.
Food systems are complex and interconnected, and driving change requires collaboration and cooperation across sectors, geographic boundaries, and political ideologies. FPCs have served as convening bodies that promote civic engagement and provide platforms for communities to advocate for healthy, just, and sustainable food systems. With approximately 300 FPCs across the country, serving communities large and small, they bring together diverse actors to influence policy in their communities.
While FPCs have been around for decades, their prominence increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, largely due to their success in meeting communities' rapidly evolving food system needs. Findings from Johns Hopkins’ Center for a Livable Future’s 2021 census found that 82% facilitated connections across food systems sectors, 76% advocated for policy changes, and 50% collaborated with government staff or elected officials to secure funding for food system services.
Learn
Learn about food policy councils and the critical roles they play in advancing health, equity, and civic engagement around food.
Discover tools to connect with councils in NJ, NY, and CT.
Hear stories from local FPCs about how they’re responding to the shifting federal food policy landscape, deepening their equity work, and inspiring civic engagement in their communities.
Meet two national organizations providing technical assistance and funding to food policy councils nationwide.
Speakers
Jeanine Cava, Executive Director, NJ Food Democracy Collaborative
Maura Ackerman, Executive Director, Syracuse-Onondaga Food Systems Alliance
Marissa Baron, Executive Director, Food Policy Networks
Laureen Husband, Independent Advisory Committee, Better Food Policy Fund
Cost: Free for CNJG Members and Non-Member Grantmakers
This program is open to funders only.
New Jersey Food Democracy Collaborativ (NJFDC) convenes the NJ Food Systems Policy Council and the NJ Alliance for Local Food & Farms, creating a unified statewide ecosystem that bridges policy leadership and grassroots organizing to expand healthy food access and strengthen local farms. In plain terms, NJFDC exists to turn statewide conversation into coordinated action: we convene diverse food system actors, align them around shared priorities, and support them through education, civic engagement training, and convening, to advance concrete policy and funding outcomes together. NJFDC functions as a statewide backbone organization, coordinating partners who previously worked in isolation.
Syracuse-Onondaga Food Systems Alliance (SOFSA) is a network of changemakers dedicated to reshaping our region's food system. Grounded in principles of transformative justice and reciprocity, SOFSA cultivates connection, collaboration, and coordination across sectors to mobilize our collective resources towards a more just and sustainable food future in Syracuse, Onondaga County, and Onondaga Nation.
Food Policy Networks (FPN) is the only national organization dedicated specifically to supporting food policy councils (FPCs) across the United States. FPN works to build the knowledge, capacity, and courage of food policy councils to use their civic power to advocate for and advance local and state policies that support just, equitable, and restorative food systems. For more than a decade, FPN has supported over 300 food policy councils and allies by convening learning communities, providing technical assistance, facilitating peer connection, and elevating the role of FPCs as models for civic engagement and cross-sector collaboration. As an independent organization, FPN continues to strengthen the ability of food policy councils to operate effectively at the intersection of community and government, ensuring that those most impacted by food systems challenges have a meaningful voice in public decision-making.
The Better Food Policy Fund is a values-based fund that exists to support local, regional, or tribal groups who are working in the US to effect better food policy through civic collaboration. We invest in US-based food policy councils, empowering community and government collaboration for progressive food policy. We provide financial resources to councils, communicate the value of food policy councils, and provide opportunities for shared learning. We are a Collective Action Fund of the Tides Foundation, a purpose-driven fund that relies on an Independent Advisory Committee (IAC) to make recommendations for grants in support of our mission. We use participatory grantmaking processes to enhance equity and redistribute power in the food system funding landscape.
Co-sponsored by New York Health Foundation, Council of New Jersey Grantmakers, Philanthropy New York, Engage New York, and Sustainable Agriculture and Food System Funders