Growing Justice Fund Launches 2025 RFP to Advance Community-Led Values-Aligned Institutional Food Purchasing

This practitioner-developed RFP shifts power to diverse leaders and communities toward strengthening the full institutional purchasing supply chain.

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, August 25, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Growing Justice Fund (GJF) is proud to announce the launch of its 2025 Request for Proposals (RFP). With grants ranging from $25,000 to $250,000, this opportunity will resource Tribal, Indigenous, Black, Latinx, Asian, and immigrant communities leading and benefiting from efforts to transform institutional food procurement into a values-aligned system that builds community power, equity, and sustainability across the food chain.

This RFP is rooted in the recognition that institutional purchasing is one of the most powerful but underutilized levers for change. By shifting where and how schools, hospitals, government agencies, and other institutions spend their food dollars, we can realign financing, create opportunities for historically marginalized farmers and food businesses, and drive systemic transformation from seed to plate.

The RFP is designed to support work that aligns with one or more of the following priorities:

Building Infrastructure for good food procurement
Building policy action through grassroots organizing and advocacy for good food procurement
Cultivating Traditional Food Pathways to build community wealth within Tribal Nations

Through this new grantmaking opportunity, GJF will offer two types of awards—Planning and Implementation Grants to meet applicants where they are on their journey toward advancing equitable food purchasing.

Planning Grants (up to $25,000) are designed for organizations in the early stages of project development. These grants support strategic research, stakeholder engagement, coalition-building, feasibility studies, and organizational planning—laying a strong foundation for future implementation.

Implementation Grants ($50,000–$250,000) are geared toward organizations with a clear project plan and existing partnerships ready to bring their initiatives to life. These awards support the full execution of strategies that transform institutional food procurement and build power and infrastructure within BIPOC and community-led food systems.

“This RFP is not just about funding—it’s about deepening relationships, resourcing community-rooted wisdom, and investing in the systems that nourish us. As a fund that practices participatory grantmaking, we’re calling in movement-builders, farmers, operators, advocates, and organizers to co-create food systems rooted in racial and economic equity.”
- Ricardo Rocha, Growing Justice Fund Advisory Committee Chair

The Growing Justice Fund was established to disrupt traditional philanthropic models by practicing trust-based philanthropy and shifting power to those with lived experience and proven expertise in creating solutions. Guided by a majority-BIPOC and Native Advisory Committee of food systems practitioners, the Fund’s participatory governance structure shapes strategy, grantmaking, and communications ensuring the work is grounded in lived experience, mutual accountability, and shared leadership with an emphasis on values-based purchasing.

“This opportunity from the Growing Justice Fund is a transformative step toward strengthening our local food system and addressing food insecurity on Rosebud. By supporting our Local Foods Capacity Program, we’ll empower local Native producers with the tools, training, and resources they need to grow their operations.”
- Siċaŋġu Co, Growing Justice Fund 2024 Grantee

We invite applicants to leverage this opportunity to reimagine procurement - one of the most powerful tools for systemic change and direct purchasing power toward positively impacting historically marginalized communities.

Deadline
Applications are due Tuesday, October 14th, at 5 pm PT/8 pm ET.

Grant seekers are strongly encouraged to complete the Eligibility Quiz by Monday, October 6th, at 5 pm PT/8 pm ET to allow ample time to receive an invitation and submit an application.

How to Apply
Interested organizations can download the full RFP, take the eligibility quiz, and visit our website for more information: www.growingjustice.org/apply.

About Growing Justice Fund:
The Growing Justice Fund is a pioneering philanthropic fund advancing values-based good food purchasing by institutions and building community power across the food chain. By investing in community-led initiatives, GJF helps shift procurement systems, strengthen BIPOC food economies, and create sustainable, equitable food chains. The Growing Justice Fund is housed at the Amalgamated Charitable Foundation.

Rashanda Freeman
Growing Justice Fund
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