for Increasing Local Food Production
Over the next three years, the Benwood Foundation will make up to $250,000 available for projects that
Background
In the past year the Benwood Foundation has studied many aspects of local food system reform. The Foundation believes that food system reform offers significant opportunities for innovative approaches to community change and that it has important implications for small business development, public health, energy conservation and community building.
We have learned that local food system reform efforts seem to be most productive and vibrant where local entrepreneurial efforts and grassroots efforts are in play. Food system reform efforts often take place outside the walls of traditional business, government or educational institutions. The Foundation believes that creative philanthropic efforts are required if a tipping point is to be reached to make a substantial impact on changing the overall food system in our area.
Therefore the Benwood Foundation is announcing an unconventional approach to furthering the supply side of the food system continuum by conducting an ideas competition. The Foundation proposes to provide up to $250,000 to winners of the competition to enable them to implement their ideas over a three year period.
Competition Update:
Food System Ideas Competition winners will be announced in April 2010. Please visit www.benwood.org to stay up to date on competition announcements.