DINA Sustainable Food Systems Initiative – US and Canada

Projects may focus on designing and pilot testing action-oriented, community-based programs or etiological research aimed at understanding the factors that influence individuals or groups to enhance or adopt sustainable food systems, improve access to the local food supply, build community self-sufficiency for meeting food need, or support soil health and climate related activities. Projects that reach underserved local populations will be given priority consideration. Teams designing community-based programs also must identify and evaluate pre-specified outcomes of their work that support impact and show the potential for scalability or wider use.

As part of SFSI Focus on Food, selected teams must participate in a four-day in-person program June 22-26, 2025, in Boulder, CO. The objectives of this program are to provide expertise and support for enhancing SFSI Focus on Food projects through project-specific communication and evaluation assistance, and to facilitate the development of a community of practice among award recipients to share ideas, offer support, and create a grassroots movement toward sustainable food systems that improve the climate, human health, and nutrition. Programming will include content on the relationship between sustainable food systems and human health and nutrition; a communications training; presentations and panels of community stakeholders involved in the sustainable food ecosystem; and panels and group discussions among the selected teams. Some portions of programming will overlap with recipients of SFSI nutrition grants and other programming will focus exclusively on issues around climate, soil health and sustainable food systems. The Danone Institute North America will cover the costs of this in-person programming, including transportation, meals and lodging for up to four team members.

Objectives

• Support innovative, actionable North America-focused food supply initiatives to promote sustainable food systems that reflect the interconnectivity of community, health of people, and health of the planet.
• Foster a new generation of transdisciplinary thought leaders working together and advocating for food systems solutions that can build community capacity and benefit soil health, food access, equity, as well as the health and nutrition of community members.
• Amplify the understanding of the relationship between sustainable food systems, planetary health, and human health among key decision-makers and the public.
• Forge new networks and collaborative relationships among Danone North America, Danone Institute North America, the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research, academic institutions in North America, community groups involved with food sustainability issues, health of community members, and broader food systems disciplines.

Focus Areas

• Focus on areas of interest that could include:
  • exploring farmer, health professional, or community understanding of and/or attitudes regarding the connection between soil health, nutrient density, and human health;
  • assessing knowledge, attitudes and understanding regarding the impact of sustainable agriculture on healthier food systems and communities;
  • pilot-testing ways to close food systems gaps that prevent equitable and sustainable access to healthy food in local communities;
  • creating local farms in urban deserts; empowering local farmers to work within their community to improve access to healthy food;
  • researching or applying use of indigenous practices and their impact of sustainable agriculture;
  • research that supports an underserved population’s access to healthier food systems/sustainable agriculture.

Prize Information

• Funding from this initiative can be used for various types of replicable, scalable projects and can include pilot studies, feasibility testing, needs assessments or quantitative or qualitative methods to understand factors influencing individuals or groups to engage in enhancing or adopting more sustainable food system approaches. Each selected team will receive a USD $50,000 SFSI Focus on Food grant to implement its project and amplify its message to a broader audience over a two-year period. Teams may use this grant mechanism to supplement current funding from other sources, but new project aims must be developed for the SFSI Focus on Food funding.
• The team that presents the strongest communication plan as determined by the panel will be awarded an additional USD 10,000 prize to apply toward expanded communications.

Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible for this initiative, each team must meet the following requirements:
  • Teams should include four core team members representing diverse disciplines related to food systems, including, but not limited to, agriculture, urban planning, nutrition, health, economics, community food access and social, behavioral, or environmental sciences. All team members must actively work together on the project rather than serving exclusively in an advisory role.
  • Teams can include up to two members from a team that received a 2019, 2021, or 2023 Sustainable Food Systems Initiative grant and must include at least two new team members.
  • At least one team member must be a faculty member from a U.S. or Canadian institution of higher education. It is recommended that the faculty member be the lead or co-lead of the project. The team may include other academic members, other professionals, practitioners such as dining directors, farmers, environmental advocates, community leaders and/or agricultural experts.
  • One team member must have expertise/experience in program evaluation. A quantitative or qualitative evaluation of project aims is required.
  • While more team members may be involved, only four will attend the in-person program in June 2025. To the extent possible, the four team members named in the application should be the team members who will be attending the program.

For more information, visit DINA.