FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 6, 2026
FOR MORE INFORMATION: [email protected]
Local Farms and Food Businesses Receive Nearly $500,000 in Grants to Help Make Metro Chicago Food System More Equitable
For the fourth year in a row, the Metro Chicago Good Food Purchasing Initiative (GFPI) Community Fund continues to uplift local food production in metro Chicago.
The Chicago Food Policy Action Council (CFPAC), in partnership with Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) and Builders Vision Philanthropy is awarding over $460,000, along with tailored technical assistance, to 15 local farms and food businesses working toward creating a “good” food system in metro Chicago that is accessible, equitable, racially just, healthy, fair, local, humane, and sustainable.
Awardees were selected from a highly competitive pool of farmers and food entrepreneurs based within 250 miles of Chicago and represent the collaboration, dedication, and mission-alignment that strengthens our regional food system. The GFPI Community Fund specifically aims to invest in those who have historically faced structural barriers to funding and institutional market access.
Laura O’Carroll, director of the Good Food Purchasing Initiative at CFPAC, said, “We are honored and overjoyed to support this incredible cohort of food producers who are helping to shape a more equitable, resilient, and community-rooted food system for metro Chicago. CFPAC envisions a food system where public institutions help build collective power among those historically excluded from control over food production and access.”
Grant awards span from $40,000 to $80,000, supporting projects that align with the GFPP values of sustainable practices, fair labor standards, humane animal treatment, and community-centered food access. Awardees are also dedicated to collaborating with other aligned local food producers as well as to supplying local institutions and community meal sites.
Eight of the 15 awardees selected this year are based in suburban Cook County, highlighting the region’s leadership in building a more equitable, resilient, and locally rooted food system. In 2026, CCDPH invested more than $200,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding through the GFPI Community Fund to support these organizations, bringing its total contribution to $1.5 million since 2023. This investment, alongside support from Builders Vision Philanthropy, is helping expand access to healthy food, strengthen local food economies, and advance health equity throughout the region.
“Investing in local food systems is an investment in community health, economic prosperity, and equity,” said Dr. Kiran Joshi, chief operating officer at Cook County Department of Public Health. “Public institutions have a critical role to play in directing resources toward local growers, food businesses, and workforce development efforts that strengthen our communities. By aligning public purchasing and investments with community values, we can improve health outcomes, create economic opportunities, support quality jobs, and build a more resilient food system for future generations. Cook County is proud to help lead this work and demonstrate the power of local action.”
The GFPI Community Fund is built on three essential components that work in concert to provide holistic, wrap-around support for awardees. In addition to the financial award, recipients receive individualized technical assistance tailored to support both their proposed project and their overall operations. The third pillar – networking – offers awardees the opportunity to participate in working groups, collaborate with fellow food producers, and engage in peer-to-peer support, creating a community of mutual uplift that extends beyond the Fund’s direct investment.
“The GFPI Community Fund is designed to do more than simply move dollars—it is about building a more equitable, resilient, and interconnected local food system across Metro Chicago,” said Kaitlyn Poindexter, GFPI Community Fund program manager at CFPAC. “We have strategically designed this grant to fill critical gaps, directing flexible funding to the food producers who need it most and supporting sectors of agriculture that have historically been underfunded and overlooked by traditional funders.”
The Metro Chicago GFPI Community Fund builds on Cook County’s 2018 resolution in support of the Good Food Purchasing Program (GFPP), a nationally recognized, metric-based procurement framework designed to create a more just and sustainable food system. In partnership with CFPAC, CCDPH is charged with implementing GFPP across Cook County institutions, including Cook County Health, Cook County Jail, and the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center.
“Building a food system that works for everyone requires bold leadership, cross-sector collaboration, and a commitment to equity,” said Amy O’Rourke, director of Chronic Disease Prevention and Control at Cook County Department of Public Health. “Through initiatives like the Good Food Purchasing Program, Cook County and our partners are demonstrating how public institutions can improve health outcomes, strengthen local economies, support quality jobs, and create lasting community impact.”
This fund was first started with the goal of increasing the availability of food aligned with the GFPP and to support partnerships with public and private institutions such as schools, health care systems, senior living centers, food pantries, and other community meal sites. The grants support a wide range of projects, from business expansion, to supporting fair labor and equitable pay, to launching food hubs and more. Together, these efforts move the Community Fund beyond a transactional model toward one rooted in long-term relationships, collaboration, and community building across the metro Chicago food system.
2026 GFPI Community Fund Awardees:
- Fresher Together, Sauk Village, IL
- Mother Carr’s Farm, Lynwood, IL
- Just Roots Chicago at It Takes A Village Community Farm – Sauk Village, IL
- Cornerstone Community Development Corporation, Ford Heights, IL
- Hope Center, Blue Island, IL
- Real Foods Collective, Maywood, IL
- Robbins Community Garden, Robbins & Crestwood, IL
- Roots & Vine Food Hub, Park Forest, IL
- Evanston Grows, Evanston, IL
- Otter Oaks Farm, Woodstock, IL
- Sowed Up Farms, Humboldt Park, Chicago
- Adelante Center for Entrepreneurship, North Lawndale, Chicago
- HOJO Family Assistance Program (HOJOFAP), North Lawndale, Chicago
- ChiFresh Kitchen, LWCA, Chatham, Chicago
- Sol De Chicago Farm LLC, East Garfield Park
MAP of Community Fund Awardees.
The GFPI Team works to bring this vision to life by supporting both institutions purchasing food as well as food producers to conduct their work in ways that are accessible, equitable, racially just, healthy, fair, local, humane, and sustainable.
For descriptions of the projects grant recipients will implement, click HERE .
Chicago Food Policy Action Council is a nonprofit organization that co-develops, facilitates, advocates for and supports implementation of policies that advance food justice and food sovereignty in Chicago and across the region. It aims to dismantle systemic racism in the food system.