Funds available to support community-initiated projects working to advance food equity

Community-based organizations working to address food education, access, and security in Seattle are encouraged to apply for Tier Two of the City of Seattle’s Food Equity Fund by April 30, 2022. This new grant program prioritizes projects led by and for communities most affected by limited access to healthy, affordable, and culturally relevant food: Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), immigrants, refugees, low-income individuals, families with young children, youth, and elders.

The Food Equity Fund is funded by the Sweetened Beverage Tax (SBT) and, in 2021, also received $750,000 in funding from the Equitable Communities Initiative Task Force. The fund was developed in 2021 in response to recommendations from the Sweetened Beverage Tax (SBT) Community Advisory Board, a board composed of eleven members committed to centering the communities most impacted by health and economic inequities when advising the City on programs and services supported by SBT revenue.

Apply for Funding

There are two funding opportunities within the Food Equity Fund:

• Tier One grants have a maximum award amount of $75,000. Applications for this cycle closed in December 2021 and awards were announced on February 18.
• Tier Two grants have a maximum award amount of $150,000. Applications for this cycle are open March 1 – April 30, 2022.

During the Tier Two cycle, approximately $2 million in funding will be available for community-led projects that seek to advance food equity. This includes but is not limited to projects that:

• Increase access to culturally relevant food
• Create a more equitable and sustainable local food system
• Promote healthy eating and positive lifestyle changes
• Partner with small businesses in the food sector to address food equity

For more information or to begin your application visit  seattle.gov/food-equity-fund.

Engagement Opportunities

To ensure equitable engagement and to help community leaders get information, fine tune project ideas, and submit strong applications, Seattle Department of Neighborhoods (DON) staff are offering a variety of community engagement opportunities, including:

• Technical assistance via weekly virtual office hours every Wednesday, 4-8pm between March 9 – April 13.
• A pre-recorded informational workshop video available on the Food Equity Fund website. This video will be made available in multiple languages in the coming weeks.
• Targeted in-language outreach and one-on-one technical assistance via partnership with the City of Seattle’s Community Liaisons.

In addition, DON is offering three online informational workshops where community members can learn more about the application and project review process.

Workshop dates and times are as follows:

March 12, 2022, 10-11:30am
Register / Join Online: https://bit.ly/FEF_3-12-22
Join by phone: +1-206-207-1700 United States Toll (Seattle), +1-408-418-9388 United States Toll
Access code: 2498 200 1671

March 23, 2022, 10-11:30am
Register / Join Online: https://bit.ly/FEF_3-23-22
Join by phone: +1-206-207-1700 United States Toll (Seattle), +1-408-418-9388 United States Toll
Access code: 2491 162 7623

April 12, 2022, 6-7:30pm
Register / Join Online: https://bit.ly/FEF_4-12-22
Join by phone: +1-206-207-1700 United States Toll (Seattle), +1-408-418-9388 United States Toll
Access code: 2493 072 4349

Grant Review Process

All applications will be reviewed by a Food Equity Fund Grant Review Panel. The Tier Two review panel will consist of one Food Equity Fund project manager, one additional DON staff member, one staff member from another relevant City department, and two community members. The application review process will take place in May and June 2022. All reviewers will be required to attend an anti-bias training. Community members will be compensated $750 for their participation. If you are interested in serving on the grant review panel, please contact program staff at (206) 727 – FOOD (3663) or foodequityfund@seattle.gov.

Information, resources, and applications are available at seattle.gov/food-equity-fund.  

To speak with Food Equity Fund program staff, please call (206) 727 – FOOD (3663) or send an email to foodequityfund@seattle.gov.