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2026 GFPI

Community Fund

Launch Webinar

The Metro Chicago Good Food Purchasing Initiative (GFPI) Community Fund

KP (Kaitlyn Poindexter)

GFPI Community Fund Program Manager

June 1, 2026, 9 - 10:30 AM CT

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Agenda

Welcome
Fund Overview
2026 RFP
Preview of Materials
Application Support
Q&A

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GFPI Community Fund Overview

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Chicago Food Policy Action Council

CFPAC co-develops, facilitates, advocates for, and supports implementation of policies that advance food justice and food sovereignty in Chicago and across the region.

CFPAC envisions a food system where all Chicagoans, regardless of race, class, gender, and/or social identity, have the right to healthy and culturally-appropriate food produced through community driven sustainable and economically viable processes.

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Good Food Purchasing Initiative (GFPI)

GFPI Mission

We envision a food system where our community institutions support and contribute to building the collective power of those structurally excluded from control over food production & access to imagine, build, and tend to a liberatory foodshed.

We work to ensure that the places that feed our communities purchase food that advances a “good” food system for all.

A “Good Food” system is: accessible, equitable, racially just, healthy, fair, local, humane, and sustainable.

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GFPI Community Fund

The 4th year of an initiative aimed at increasing access to GFPP-aligned produce and food products in the Metro Chicago region.

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GFPI Community Fund Goals

Increased Community Engagement & Awareness

Increasing amount of locally sourced GFPP aligned produce and food products in Institutions and Community Food Access Sites

Accessible, Adaptive & Flexible Funding

Enhanced availability of healthy and nutritious, fair, local, sustainable, and humane foods

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GFPI Community Fund

ELIGIBILITY:

Systematically marginalized Food Producers
Must be based in Illinois and/or within a 250-mile radius of Chicago
Must serve Metro Chicago (Cook County)
Striving to meet GFPP standards
Plans for sales to community food access sites and/or Institutions
Plans to collaborate with other local food producers
Legal Entity

Systemically Marginalized & GFPP-Aligned Food Producers:

Farmers: Systemically marginalized, local farmers who adhere and/or strive towards GFPP values (racially equitable, healthy, fair, local, humane, and sustainable). This includes both rural and urban growers as well as indoor and outdoor growers. This fund is intended for small to midsize (less than 150 employees and/or less than $750,000 in annual revenue) growing operations.
Food Organizations/Businesses: Local food producers, food processors, value-add manufacturers, food service providers, caterers, prepared food providers, distributors, and aggregators that align with GFPP values (racially equitable, healthy, fair, local, humane, and sustainable) and are in need of financial support and technical assistance for capacity building to increase their access to community-food access sites and/or institutional buyers. There are no limitations at this time regarding the category of food products the Food Organizations/Businesses serve as long as they are produced locally. This fund is intended for small to midsize (less than 150 employees and/or less than $750,000 in annual revenue) operations.

Systemically Marginalized (5 pts): "Systemically Marginalized" refers to those that experience social, economic, and/or political exclusion and/or discrimination based on characteristics such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, disability, and/or religion.

The organization/business is (1) owned/controlled by or managed by leaders who experience social, economic, and/or political exclusion and/or discrimination based on characteristics such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, disability, and/or religion and/or (2) organization/business services and/or the proposed project benefit, are community driven, co-designed, or directly influenced by systemically marginalized communities.

Alignment with GFPI & GFPP Values (5 pts): (1) Organization/business as well as the (2) proposed project have an aligned mission and vision with the Metro Chicago Good Food Purchasing Initiative (GFPI). Organization/business as well as the proposed project is equitable, accountable, and transparent in both their producing and sourcing and is advancing at least one or more of the following values within the Metro Chicago Regional food system: local, sustainable, healthy, humane, and/or fair.

Legal entity: Qualifying organizations are privately, cooperatively, for-profit or non-profit owned and operated or a tribal nation.

Desire to supply/sell to Community Meal Sites and/or Public Institutions in the Metro Chicago region (5 pts): The proposed project will (in)directly create new or strengthen existing market opportunities to community meal sites or institutions in Metro Chicago.
The organization has a plan to begin, expand, and/or improve their current service to community meal sites, public meal programs and/or institutions. .

Higher scores include detailed and specific plans to serve community meal sites or institutions that are aligned with or can be carried out simultaneously with the proposed project & explain how these plans will be initiated, continued, and/or expanded upon during the grant period.

Public meal programs: Schools, early childcare centers, hospitals, community centers, senior centers, living and care communities, and other organizations serving meals to the public.
Community meal sites/ food access sites: Food banks, food pantries, mutual aid programs, health centers, community gardens, and other initiatives focused on improving food access and security.
Public or Private Institutions: City of Chicago, its Sister Agencies, and Cook County Government, libraries, hospitals, universities, government offices, correctional facilities, community centers.

Desire to Collaborate (5 pts): The goal of the GFPI Community Fund is to build a network of mission-aligned growers across the Metro Chicago region. The farm/organization must have plans for beginning, expanding, and/or improving their current relationships (through sharing resources and/or knowledge) with other mission-aligned farms/food businesses in the Metro Chicago food system.

Higher scores would be given to applicants that provide specific and detailed plans for beginning, expanding, and/or improving their existing collaborative relationships with other mission-aligned farms/food businesses in the Metro Chicago food system to advance the GFPI mission/vision.

Serve Suburban Cook County / Metro Chicago: Your farm/organization and proposed project serves Suburban Cook County and/or Metro Chicago.

Locally based: Your farm/organization’s primary operations are based in the state of Illinois and/or within a 250 mile radius of Chicago (500 miles for meat, poultry, and seafood).

Organizations may apply to the 2026 GFPI Community Fund with multiple projects (more than one application per business). Previous GFPI Community Fund awardees may apply for additional funding for an ongoing project or a new project. However, there is a maximum of $80,000 that will be awarded per organization/business per grant cycle.

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GFPI Community Fund

OFFERINGS:

Project Management
Tailored Technical Assistance
Networking

Flexible grants ranging from $40K - $80K
Two-year grant period (Sept 2026 - Sept 2028)
Live Reporting & Coaching
Review Committee Reflective of Applicant Pool

Project Management:

At the beginning of the grant period, the GFPI Community Fund Program Manager will assist Fund awardees in developing measurable goals relevant to their project and will provide quarterly tracking on progress. Additional qualitative data (i.e: on-site interview co-led by GFPI’s Evaluation Team) will be collected at the end of the grant period to support a deeper understanding

Tailored Technical Assistance (TA) – Along with flexible grant funding, awardees will have the option of receiving TA tailored to their organizational or business needs. Applicants can share more about their experience with TA, indicate their preferred TA categories, and/or recommend specific providers in their application.

The Tailored Technical Assistance offerings can include one or more options from the categories listed below. An applicant could also request another option of their choice that is not listed below. The applicant will have the opportunity to indicate their preference for the technical assistance that would be most helpful for them to receive in the application process.

Farm Operations
Equipment / Purchasing
HR / Staff / Training / Project Management
Finance, Planning & Accounting Support
Marketing, Pricing & Sales
Certifications
Fundraising
Nutritional Guidance
Legal Support (Business Development)

Exposure and Networking Opportunities – Awardees will be invited to onboard and network with the other grant awardees who are similarly passionate about increasing the availability of racially equitable, healthy, fair, local, humane, and sustainable food products in the Metro Chicago region. There will also be opportunities to highlight your organization/business and celebrate your milestones across the extensive GFPI and CFPAC networks, attend site visits with other organizations, participate in small working groups with awardees convened around priority areas, get first access at GFPI events and pilot programs and more.

Flexible Grants Ranging from 40 - 80k (5 - 10 awardees this year)

This grant funding intentionally does not have extensive restrictions on how awardees spend the requested funding. With flexible grant funding, organizations can allocate resources where they are most needed.
We trust the leaders of an organization know what funds are most needed for, and we recognize that those needs can change over the course of a grant cycle. Instead of locking an organization into a static budget, me and the awardee will co-create a budget and milestones across the year that make sense given the allocated funding amount and the scope of the project. This way, instead of just paying for certain projects, we can support your organization’s entire mission.

Live Reporting – Instead of intensive reporting, grant awardees will have required Quarterly Check-ins/ coaching with the GFPI Community Fund Program Manager after initial onboarding in lieu of reporting requirements. These quarterly check-ins are important for us to understand how the funds are being used; ensuring they relate back to the goals of your project and align with the GFPI Community Fund. During these check-ins awardees will have access to additional coaching, project support, and opportunities for industry connections on a quarterly basis.

TA Support during the Application Process:

In order to make this application process as accessible as possible, The GFPI Community Fund Manager will hold 30 minute 1:1 sessions for applicants to ask questions or request specific support with their individual application.

Office hours are a space for applicants to ask questions and/or request help with the application process in a group setting. You are welcome to join for a portion or all of these hour-long office hour sessions.

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GFPI Community Fund

OFFERINGS (Cont.):

One grant per organization/business per grant cycle

Previous GFPI Community Fund awardees may apply for additional funding for an ongoing project or a new project.

Regardless of funding decision, you may opt-in to resources and/or connections from CFPAC

TA support during the application process:

Webinar
One on ones
Office Hours
Info sessions

Project Management:

At the beginning of the grant period, the GFPI Community Fund Program Manager will assist Fund awardees in developing measurable goals relevant to their project and will provide quarterly tracking on progress. Additional qualitative data (i.e: on-site interview co-led by GFPI’s Evaluation Team) will be collected at the end of the grant period to support a deeper understanding

Tailored Technical Assistance (TA) – Along with flexible grant funding, awardees will have the option of receiving TA tailored to their organizational or business needs. Applicants can share more about their experience with TA, indicate their preferred TA categories, and/or recommend specific providers in their application.

The Tailored Technical Assistance offerings can include one or more options from the categories listed below. An applicant could also request another option of their choice that is not listed below. The applicant will have the opportunity to indicate their preference for the technical assistance that would be most helpful for them to receive in the application process.

Farm Operations
Equipment / Purchasing
HR / Staff / Training / Project Management
Finance, Planning & Accounting Support
Marketing, Pricing & Sales
Certifications
Fundraising
Nutritional Guidance
Legal Support (Business Development)

Exposure and Networking Opportunities – Awardees will be invited to onboard and network with the other grant awardees who are similarly passionate about increasing the availability of racially equitable, healthy, fair, local, humane, and sustainable food products in the Metro Chicago region. There will also be opportunities to highlight your organization/business and celebrate your milestones across the extensive GFPI and CFPAC networks, attend site visits with other organizations, participate in small working groups with awardees convened around priority areas, get first access at GFPI events and pilot programs and more.

Flexible Grants Ranging from 40 - 80k (5 - 10 awardees this year)

This grant funding intentionally does not have extensive restrictions on how awardees spend the requested funding. With flexible grant funding, organizations can allocate resources where they are most needed.
We trust the leaders of an organization know what funds are most needed for, and we recognize that those needs can change over the course of a grant cycle. Instead of locking an organization into a static budget, me and the awardee will co-create a budget and milestones across the year that make sense given the allocated funding amount and the scope of the project. This way, instead of just paying for certain projects, we can support your organization’s entire mission.

Live Reporting – Instead of intensive reporting, grant awardees will have required Quarterly Check-ins/ coaching with the GFPI Community Fund Program Manager after initial onboarding in lieu of reporting requirements. These quarterly check-ins are important for us to understand how the funds are being used; ensuring they relate back to the goals of your project and align with the GFPI Community Fund. During these check-ins awardees will have access to additional coaching, project support, and opportunities for industry connections on a quarterly basis.

TA Support during the Application Process:

In order to make this application process as accessible as possible, The GFPI Community Fund Manager will hold 30 minute 1:1 sessions for applicants to ask questions or request specific support with their individual application.

Office hours are a space for applicants to ask questions and/or request help with the application process in a group setting. You are welcome to join for a portion or all of these hour-long office hour sessions.

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Application Support

Office Hours

4 Office-Hours Sessions will be held, one each week via Zoom.

Monday, June 8th | 12 - 1 pm CT: in-person Grant Writing 101 presentation

Hosted by IL Extension: 8753 S. Greenwood Ave.
Open Office Hours until 4 pm

Tuesday, June 16th | 9 -10 am CT: Virtual Office Hours hosted by GFPI Community Fund Manager
Monday, June 22nd 12 - 1 pm CT: Virtual grant writing 101 presentation hosted by IL Extension Team
Sunday, June 28th 5 - 6 pm CT: Virtual Office Hours hosted by GFPI Community Fund Manager

1:1 Sessions � 30 minute time slots. Sign up on the CFPAC Website

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Timeline

Funding decisions by September 2026

Application Period:

June 1st - June 29th (11:59 PM CDT)

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Previous Awardees

2023

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2024

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Request for Proposal (RFP)

The RFP is a very detailed grant overview with all the details regarding this opportunity.

Application Questions

This is an outline of the application (the actual application is on google sheets)

Budget Template

This is required. Applicants will use it to demonstrate how they plan to use the funds. It should align with & complement the proposed project narrative.

Scoring Rubric

The guidelines we use to evaluate the applicants and how we weigh different parts of their application

Materials Walkthrough

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Question &

Answer

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Thank you!

For any inquiries regarding the fund:

KP (Kaitlyn Poindexter)

GFPI Community Fund Manager

kaitlyn@chicagofoodpolicy.com

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