Our Initiatives
Funding Local Food Justice Projects
A core part of SOFSA’s mission is to align resources such as funding and community leadership to support grassroots food justice efforts.
Each year, we run the Food Justice Fund, a community-led grantmaking initiative. We raise funds from and for the community, then distribute them to local farms, gardens, food access projects, and more.
The Fund is guided by a Leadership Council made up of paid community members who ensure the process is transparent, inclusive, and grounded in local needs. After reviewing applications, the Council narrows the pool, and final decisions are made through a public voting process.
Everyone has a voice in how we shape our food system through funding decisions.
Why Do We Invest in Community Grantmaking?
A core component of SOFSA’s mission is to align resources (not only monetary, but human, capital, equipment, land, etc.) across the network to maximize our collective impact. As part of this effort, the organization’s Fund Development Committee adopted principles of Community-Centric Fundraising in 2021 as part of SOFSA’s Equity and Justice Action Plan. In addition, the committee made a commitment to dedicate a minimum of 15% of funds from any grant or donation over $50k to support under-resourced partners across the network – and to encourage our well-resourced partners to undertake similar goals in their own fundraising practices. This commitment – and all of SOFSA’s work – is informed by health justice, the collective movement to heal society and remove barriers that prevent individual and community well-being.
This work has been made possible by match funding from the Onondaga County Agriculture Council, the New York Health Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Central New York Community Foundation, and through contributions from our membership during our yearly Plant a Seed with SOFSA campaign
