For Immediate Release: $1.5M of Emergency Funding Awarded by The Chicago Region Food System Fund to Address Ongoing Impacts of COVID-19

CONTACT/CONTACTO:
Patrick Williams/Brandon Hayes
312-646-0621
press@boldbison.com
(Media inquiries only/Solo consultas de medios)

$1.5M OF EMERGENCY FUNDING AWARDED BY THE CHICAGO REGION FOOD SYSTEM FUND TO ADDRESS ONGOING IMPACTS OF COVID-19

***60 $25,000 Grants Distributed; Total of $9,917,150 Awarded to 139 Grantees Since June 2020***

(Chicago, IL – March 22, 2022) In response to the unprecedented surge in COVID-19 cases since December 2021, The Chicago Region Food System Fund continued its emergency funding today by awarding $25,000 grants to 60 Chicago region organizations. Originally announced in January as a $1 million round of 40 grants, the Fund increased the awarded funding by 50% in direct response to the dire impacts of the Omicron variant on Chicago’s food system. 

Grant recipients announced today are:

  • Allies for Community Business
  • Bella Cuisine
  • Belmont-Cragin Mutual Aid – NWMA Coalition Chicago
  • Brave Space Alliance
  • Bronzeville Kenwood Mutual Aid
  • Center for Food Equity in Medicine
  • Chicago Bread Club
  • Chicago Lights
  • Chicago Workers Collaborative
  • Chicago’s Green City Market Program
  • Chicago Food Policy Action Council 
  • Chinese American Service League
  • Common Pantry
  • DeKalb County Community Gardens
  • Dion’s Chicago Dream
  • Ecosystems of Care
  • Eighteenth Street Development Corporation
  • Elawa Farm Foundation
  • Farmworker and Landscaper Advocacy Project
  • First Baptist Church of Lake Forest
  • First Corinthians Missionary Baptist Church
  • Fuller Park Community Development
  • Gage Park Latinx Council
  • GAP Community Center
  • Grace Housing Complex
  • Growing Home, Inc.
  • HEAL Food Alliance
  • Health Policy Institute of Chicago
  • I Hold Your Hand Because You Hold My Heart
  • Iglesia Evangelia Emanuel
  • Illinois Farmers Market Association, NFP
  • Inner City Muslin Action Network
  • InUrban Strategies
  • Just Roots
  • Kids Off The Block, NFP
  • Lincoln Square Ravenswood Solidarity Network
  • Little Village Community Foundation
  • Little Village Environmental Justice Organization
  • Mayfair Mutual Aid – NWMA Coalition Chicago
  • New Eclipse Community Alliance
  • Northside Action for Justice
  • Northwest Mutual Aid Coalition
  • Our Lady of Guadalupe Food Pantry
  • Public Media Institute
  • Roberti Community House
  • Sacred Ground Ministries
  • Sisters Working It Out
  • Street Vendors Association of Chicago
  • Telpochcalli Community Education Project – tcep
  • The Flow Foundation
  • The Key Works Association
  • The Kindness Campaign
  • The Southwest Collective
  • The Trotter Project
  • Top Box Foods
  • Warehouse Workers Justice Center
  • West Side Mutual Aid 
  • West Side United 
  • Woodlawn Food Security Health & Human Services Project
  • Young Men’s Educational Network (YMEN)

“The list of grantees we are pleased to announce today represents the strength of the Chicago region’s communities and food system in the wake of unprecedented and ongoing challenges,” said Karen Lehman, Director, Fresh Taste. “The sudden, catastrophic surge of COVID-19 cases this winter buffeted the food system and our communities. Coupled with the expiration of other pandemic-related support and rising inflation, the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 on the food system are as bad as they’ve ever been. These 60 organizations are meeting crucial needs in communities across the region.”

Originally planned as a series of grant rounds in 2020 and early 2021, the Chicago Region Food Fund will continue its grantmaking throughout 2022. Since June 2020, the Fund has distributed a total of $9,917,150 to 139 grantees. The Chicago Region Food System Fund focuses on COVID-19 related response and building resilience in the local food system, an area approximately 200 miles from Chicago (about a day’s drive to/from the city). Priority has been given to organizations producing food in, and supplying food to, communities of color. Fresh Taste, fiscally sponsored by Forefront, manages the Fund. 

Major funders of this round of the Chicago Region Food System Fund are Builders Initiative, Crown Family Philanthropies, Food:Land:Opportunity (funded through the Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust), Fresh Taste, Little Owl Foundation, The Lumpkin Family Foundation, Margot L. Pritzker Fund, Walder Foundation, and Walter Mander Foundation. The Fund welcomes additional support. Visit ChicagoRegionFoodFund.org for more information.

Fresh Taste is a collaborative funder initiative committed to racial and economic equity and focused on changing the way food is grown, processed, distributed, and consumed in the Chicago region to promote healthy land, healthy people, and healthy communities. Fresh Taste’s vision is that residents of the Chicago region eat local fruits, vegetables, whole grains, meat, and dairy products produced through regenerative agriculture and brought to tables by local businesses. 

Forefront is Illinois’ membership association for nonprofits, grantmakers, advisors, public agencies, and their allies. They provide education, advocacy, thought leadership, and facilitate collective action around issues that are important to its members and to the sector. Forefront oversees and is responsible for all financial and legal activities of Fresh Taste.


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CONTACTO/CONTACTO:

Patrick Williams/Brandon Hayes
312-646-0621
press@boldbison.com
(Solo consultas de medios)

$1.5 MILLONES OTORGADOS POR EL FONDO DEL SISTEMA ALIMENTARIO REGIONAL DE CHICAGO PARA ABORDAR LOS IMPACTOS CONTINUOS DEL COVID-19

***60 Subsidios de $25,000 distribuidos; Total de $9,917,150 otorgados a 139 beneficiarios desde junio de 2020***

(Chicago, IL – March 22, 2022) En respuesta al aumento sin precedentes en los casos de COVID-19 desde diciembre 2021, el Fondo del Sistema Alimentario Regional de Chicago continuó hoy su financiamiento de emergencia al otorgar subvenciones de $25,000 a 60 organizaciones de la región de Chicago. Anunciado originalmente en enero como una ronda de $1 millón de 40 subvenciones, el Fondo aumentó la financiación otorgada en un 50 % en respuesta directa a los graves impactos de la variante Omicron en el sistema alimentario de Chicago. 

Los beneficiarios de las subvenciones anunciados hoy son:

  • Allies for Community Business
  • Bella Cuisine
  • Belmont-Cragin Mutual Aid – NWMA Coalition Chicago
  • Brave Space Alliance
  • Bronzeville Kenwood Mutual Aid
  • Center for Food Equity in Medicine
  • Chicago Bread Club
  • Chicago Lights
  • Chicago Workers Collaborative
  • Chicago’s Green City Market Program
  • Chicago Food Policy Action Council 
  • Chinese American Service League
  • Common Pantry
  • DeKalb County Community Gardens
  • Dion’s Chicago Dream
  • Ecosystems of Care
  • Eighteenth Street Development Corporation
  • Elawa Farm Foundation
  • Farmworker and Landscaper Advocacy Project
  • First Baptist Church of Lake Forest
  • First Corinthians Missionary Baptist Church
  • Fuller Park Community Development
  • Gage Park Latinx Council
  • GAP Community Center
  • Grace Housing Complex
  • Growing Home, Inc.
  • HEAL Food Alliance
  • Health Policy Institute of Chicago
  • I Hold Your Hand Because You Hold My Heart
  • Iglesia Evangelia Emanuel
  • Illinois Farmers Market Association, NFP
  • Inner City Muslin Action Network
  • InUrban Strategies
  • Just Roots
  • Kids Off The Block, NFP
  • Lincoln Square Ravenswood Solidarity Network
  • Little Village Community Foundation
  • Little Village Environmental Justice Organization
  • Mayfair Mutual Aid – NWMA Coalition Chicago
  • New Eclipse Community Alliance
  • Northside Action for Justice
  • Northwest Mutual Aid Coalition
  • Our Lady of Guadalupe Food Pantry
  • Public Media Institute
  • Roberti Community House
  • Sacred Ground Ministries
  • Sisters Working It Out
  • Street Vendors Association of Chicago
  • Telpochcalli Community Education Project – tcep
  • The Flow Foundation
  • The Key Works Association
  • The Kindness Campaign
  • The Southwest Collective
  • The Trotter Project
  • Top Box Foods
  • Warehouse Workers Justice Center
  • West Side Mutual Aid 
  • West Side United 
  • Woodlawn Food Security Health & Human Services Project
  • Young Men’s Educational Network (YMEN)

“La lista de beneficiarios que nos complace anunciar hoy representa la fortaleza de las comunidades y el sistema alimentario de la región de Chicago a raíz de los desafíos continuos y sin precedentes”, dijo Karen Lehman, directora de Fresh Taste. “El aumento repentino y catastrófico de casos de COVID-19 este invierno azotó el sistema alimentario y nuestras comunidades. Junto con el vencimiento de otro apoyo relacionado con la pandemia y el aumento de la inflación, los impactos continuos de COVID-19 en el sistema alimentario son tan malos como nunca antes. Estas 60 organizaciones están satisfaciendo necesidades cruciales en comunidades de toda la región”.

Originalmente planificado como una serie de rondas de subvenciones en 2020 y principios de 2021, el Fondo del Sistema Alimentario Regional de Chicago continuará otorgando subvenciones a lo largo del año 2022. Desde junio de 2020, el Fondo ha distribuido un total de $9,917,150 a 105 beneficiarios. El Fondo del Sistema Alimentario Regional de Chicago se enfoca en la respuesta relacionada con el COVID-19 y en el desarrollo de la resiliencia en el sistema alimentario local, un área aproximadamente a 200 millas de Chicago (aproximadamente un día de viaje hacia/desde la ciudad). Se ha dado prioridad a las organizaciones que producen alimentos y suministran alimentos a las comunidades de color. Fresh Taste, patrocinado fiscalmente por Forefront, administra el Fondo.

Los principales financiadores de esta ronda del Fondo del Sistema Alimentario Regional de Chicago son Builders Initiative, Crown Family Philanthropies, Food:Land:Opportunity (financiado a través de Searle Funds en The Chicago Community Trust), Fresh Taste, Little Owl Foundation, The Lumpkin Family Foundation, Fondo Margot L. Pritzker, Fundación Walder y Fundación Walter Mander. El Fondo agradece el apoyo adicional. Visite ChicagoRegionFoodFund.org para obtener más información.

Fresh Taste es una iniciativa de financiación colaborativa comprometida con la equidad racial y económica y enfocada en cambiar la forma en que se cultivan, procesan, distribuyen y consumen los alimentos en la región de Chicago para promover tierras saludables, personas saludables y comunidades saludables. La visión de Fresh Taste es que los residentes de la región de Chicago coman frutas, verduras, cereales integrales, carne y productos lácteos locales producidos a través de la agricultura regenerativa y traídos a la mesa por empresas locales.

Forefront es la asociación de membresía de Illinois para organizaciones sin fines de lucro, donantes, asesores, agencias públicas y sus aliados. Brindan educación, defensa, liderazgo intelectual y facilitan la acción colectiva en torno a temas que son importantes para sus miembros y para el sector. Forefront supervisa y es responsable de todas las actividades financieras y legales de Fresh Taste.

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