Awarded Grants
Below is a listing of our awarded grants that tackle big food and agriculture challenges.


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24 Grants found

Integrating Community and Modeling Efforts to Evaluate Impacts and Tradeoffs of Food System Interventions 2020

Year Awarded   2020

FFAR award amount   $100,000

Total award amount   $2,000,718

Location   Fort Collins, CO

Program   Tipping Points


The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is highlighting food system deficiencies. Producers are struggling to reach consumers due to concerns with processing, distribution and demand. We provided supplemental funding to the Colorado State University research team to evaluate how food is provided through emergency feeding programs, who uses these services, the costs of these services, the food provided and its dietary quality

Open Market Consortium: Creating Economic Opportunities for Small and Mid-size Growers

Year Awarded   2020

FFAR award amount   $2,000,000

Total award amount   $4,000,000

Location   Memphis, TN

Matching Funders   AgLaunch, Mississippi State University, The Seam, Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Tennessee State University, Wallace Center at Winrock International


The COVID-19 pandemic illustrated that greater tools are needed to ensure flexibility in the food supply chain during major crises to ensure both economic security for farmers and food security for consumers. The Open Market Consortium (OMC)is developing and piloting an open-source, public-access blockchain system to connect small and mid-size farmers to institutional buyers and minimize supply disruptions. OMC, led by AgLaunch Initiative, includes founding members Mississippi State University, The Seam, Tennessee State University and the Wallace Center at Winrock International.

Determining Environmental and Biological Conditions Influencing Lettuce Discoloration, Yield and Leaf Quality

Year Awarded   2020

FFAR award amount   $2,591,231

Total award amount   $4,792,131

Location   Washington, D.C.

Matching Funders   Aerofarms, Fluence, GreenVenus, Priva, BASF


Lettuce is a popular vegetable in the US, but much of the produce is not marketable because lettuce leaves discolor after harvest. Our Precision Indoor Plants (PIP) Consortium is researching ways to prevent discoloration in indoor-grown lettuce, while increasing lettuce yield and leaf quality. This is the first project funded by the PIP Consortium.

FFAR Funds Novel Supply-Demand Technology, Connecting Institutional Buyers to Specialty Crop Farmers

Year Awarded   2020

FFAR award amount   $2,000,000

Total award amount   $4,000,000

Location   Memphis, TN

Matching Funders   AgLaunch, Mississippi State University, The Seam, Tennessee State University, Wallace Center at Winrock International, Tennessee Department of Agriculture


The COVID-19 pandemic illustrated that greater tools are needed to ensure flexibility in the food supply chain during major crises to ensure both economic security for farmers and food security for consumers. The Open Market Consortium (OMC)is developing and piloting an open-source, public-access blockchain system to connect small and mid-size farmers to institutional buyers and minimize supply disruptions. OMC, led by AgLaunch Initiative, includes founding members Mississippi State University, The Seam, Tennessee State University and the Wallace Center at Winrock International.

A community-based microfarm aggregation model for transforming agricultural production and enhancing asset-based economic development in post-industrial urban areas

Year Awarded   2019

FFAR award amount   $962,600

Total award amount   $2,068,336

Location   Mansfield, OH

Matching Funders   Mind and Body Align and Braintree Business Solutions, North End Community Improvement Collaborative, Fran and Warren Rupp Donor Advised Fund of the Richland County Foundation,  Sustainability Institute at Ohio State University


Ohio State University researchers are launching an urban sustainable food system project to increase access to fruits, vegetables and other specialty crops while supporting the local economy. The microfarm network will progress over three years, allowing  researchers and growers to calibrate the growing, harvesting and marketing processes for the local setting. A parallel interdisciplinary research team will measure the ways in which this embedded local production system impacts a range of local issues from food insecurity, to urban beautification, to food literacy and educational achievement.

Employing Regional Produce Cooperatives to Enhance Household Nutrition and Reduce Food Insecurity

Year Awarded   2019

FFAR award amount   $999,740

Total award amount   $2,027,981

Location   Chicago, IL

Matching Funders   Rachel Ray Foundation, Target, University of Illinois


Millions of Americans struggle with food insecurity. Feeding America established Regional Produce Cooperatives to direct a greater variety of produce to food banks at a lower cost. Feeding America is evaluating whether the decrease food waste, shorten the time between source and distribution and increase access to produce. Ultimately, the project aims to increase consumption of nutritious produce and decrease food insecurity.

Integration of Small Farmers into Technology-enabled, Rapid-response Fresh Food Supply Chains

Year Awarded   2019

FFAR award amount   $963,513

Total award amount   $1,928,166

Location   Tempe, AZ

Matching Funders   Arizona State University and New Mexico State University


Highly-perishable produce is usually shipped across long distances. Without information about current and future market demand, some farmers produce a surplus of food that is wasted. Producers need more efficient supply chains to ensure quality fresh food reaches consumers. Arizona State University and New Mexico State University researchers are developing market intelligence and supply chain planning tools that enable growers to predict consumer demand and sell directly to consumers. The tool helps farmers reach the right markets at the right time.

Environmental and Nutritional Benefits of Food Recovery and Redistribution: A Pilot Assessment in New York’s Capital Region

Year Awarded   2018

FFAR award amount   $433,152

Total award amount   $870,998

Location   Albany, NY

Matching Funders   Bellwether Collaboratory, Capital Roots, The Food Pantries for the Capital District, John Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Radix Ecological Sustainability Center, University at Albany Foundation, the University at Albany School of Public Health—State University of New York


Food recovery programs have the potential to reroute food that would otherwise go to waste to underserved people in the community. University of Albany researchers are creating a computational model to evaluate the components of fresh produce recovery and redistribution.

Finding the Proper Levers: Identifying Leverage Points for Transformation in Urban Food Systems Through Participatory Modeling

Year Awarded   2018

FFAR award amount   $1,000,002

Total award amount   $2,005,803

Location   Flint, MI

Matching Funders   Michigan State University, Michigan Fitness Foundation, Michigan Department of Education, Community Foundation of Greater Flint, C.S. Molt Foundation


Due to Flint, Michigan’s economic decline, aid from all levels of government and various organizations has poured in to decrease rates of food insecurity and malnutrition. Michigan State University researchers are identifying how interventions from government and external organizations can use resources more efficiently to promote healthy and affordable food access in Flint.

Modeling the Future of Food in Your Neighborhood

Year Awarded   2018

FFAR award amount   $936,418

Total award amount   $1,904,424

Location   Cleveland, OH

Matching Funders   Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine-Center for Health Affairs, City of Cleveland Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, Cleveland State University, Greater Cleveland Food Bank, Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland, The Ohio State University (OSU) Extension Cuyahoga County, OSU John Glenn School, OSU SNAP-Ed, Saint Luke’s Foundation, The Food Trust, Unify Project, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center


Nearly two out of three Clevelanders have limited access to full-service supermarkets. In Cleveland, Ohio, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine researchers are developing decision-making computational models to maximize the equitable impact of food system initiatives in neighborhoods in and around Cleveland.

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