NOTE: Grant applications are by invite only. Grants will be awarded on a case by case basis after internal review. Does your organization sound like a match for our grant program? Complete our grant inquiry form to get in touch. 

About

Chipotle Mexican Grill established the Chipotle Cultivate Foundation in 2011 to extend its commitment to making real food accessible for all. Since its inception, the foundation has contributed more than $5 million to like-minded organizations committed to cultivating a better world through food.

We also provide resources and mentorship to growth stage ventures that share in our mission through a yearly accelerator program. It's how we share our learnings and illuminate the innovation happening in the industry.

How We Work

Each year we focus on one area of impact that furthers our mission and pair an accelerator program with a series of grants. This year, our grants will be awarded to organizations that are supporting the next generation of farmers.

Our grant program focuses on supporting organizations that share our mission of making real food accessible for all

NOTE: The Trust Board of Trustees meets four times a year in January, April, July and October to consider grant requests. An eligible request that arrives too late for one meeting will be placed on the agenda of the following meeting. Proposals must be received on the following dates to be included in the agendas noted:

December 1 - January agenda

March 1 - April agenda

June 1 - July agenda

September 1 - October agenda

If any of the above dates fall on a weekend or holiday, the proposal must be received the first working day following the published deadline.

Our Mission

Our mission is to continue and further the philanthropic legacy of Gardner Cowles, Jr. and the Cowles family, which includes promotion of education, social justice, health, and the arts.

The Founder

The Cowles Charitable Trust was first established in 1948 by Gardner “Mike” Cowles, Jr. (1903-1985). Born into the Cowles publishing family of Des Moines, Iowa, Mike was the youngest of Gardner Cowles and Florence Call Cowles’ six children. A newspaper editor and publisher by trade, he was committed to his family’s traditions of responsible, public-spirited, and innovative journalism as well as philanthropy. 

Mike always said that his mother, through her liberal social views, humor, and soft-spoken nature, was his greatest influence. One of the first women in Iowa to earn her college degree, Florence Call made philanthropy her life’s work, beginning by establishing a seed savings bank in her living room to help neighboring farmers through the winter. A strong advocate of women’s reproductive rights and family planning, she supported Margaret Sanger’s mission, including bailing her out of jail on more than one occasion. 

Mike continued his mother’s legacy of activism and was politically engaged both nationally and internationally. The Cowles family was passionate about civil rights and race relations in 20th century America, as demonstrated not only through their philanthropy but also via their trade. In a 1955 speech detailing what makes a great editor, Mike said:

“The greatest editors I know are just like the greatest educators and are successful for the same reason. They are thoughtful men with scrupulous regard for the truth. They are men who strive to stir the best in the human race, not pander to the worst. They are men who dare to lead, even when the direction is temporarily dangerous and unpopular.”

With his brother John, Mike was co-owner of Cowles Media Company. In 1937, he published the first issue of LOOK, a national picture magazine with roots in Mike’s passion for photojournalism and the journalistic innovations that the brothers had implemented at their newspapers. For Mike, LOOK was a visual tool meant to inspire and open the world to its readers; an instrument meant to facilitate one of his greatest passions: education. Of education, Mike stated in a 1949 speech: 

“The only answer to ignorance is education and more education. And I mean more than just the formal education in more and better schools, colleges and universities. I mean more adult education, more public forums, more discussion groups. But above everything else, I mean better newspaper and magazine editing, better news and discussion and debate programs on the radio. And I mean the use of the powerful new medium of television to make people understand and think. Too much thinking nowadays goes on in a bath of noise, because life is so busy, so complex…leaving the common man appallingly confused and misinformed.”

Mike Cowles left to his family a philanthropic legacy that continues to this day. The majority of the Cowles Charitable Trust’s current trustees are Mike’s direct descendants. 

For more information on Mike Cowles and the Cowles family, click here.

Who We Are

The Food and Farm Communications Fund is a multi-funder collaborative and pooled grant program organized around a shared belief in the role of strategic communications and narrative to build power and embolden transformative change in our food and farm systems. We believe that working together, with the long view in mind, will help us to invest our time and resources strategically. We find strength in our networks, yet know we have much to learn. To that end, we maintain an open application process and take cues from those closest to the problems we seek to address.

Core Grants Program

The Core Grants Program is the central offering of the Food and Farm Communications Fund, awarding targeted communications support to community-based nonprofit organizations and grassroots networks working to advance systemic and cultural change across our food and farm systems. We’ve set our sights on building power and shifting narratives, and are looking to support organizations vested in the long view, with equity and resilience as central pillars of their vision.

Core Grants are intended to:

Bolster communications capacity and strategy

This includes:

• establishing or upgrading communications tools, platforms, or systems, to strengthen your organization’s ability to understand, target, and reach diverse audiences;
• developing content, collateral, or creative media initiatives to convey your organization’s work in a more impactful way;
• comprehensive, integrated communications planning and strategy-setting;
• professional development and training, to improve the communications capacity of staff and leadership;
• as well as short-term communications staffing solutions (including partnerships with outside consultants) that demonstrate sustained benefit to the organization.

Shift public narrative

This includes:

• narrative development work that serves to amplify a grassroots food and farm narrative and/or debunk misleading dominant narratives;
• message framing and integration;
• as well as development of content, collateral, or creative media initiatives that convey the story of your constituents in a more impactful way.

Build connections and community engagement

This includes:

• campaigns, events, or experiences that utilize communications tools and activities to foster constituent and public engagement around food and farm systems issues;
• multicultural, equity, and justice-based approaches to communications;
• as well as communications projects that bring people together across divides (geographic, racial, economic), to foster empathy and solidarity, and to build collective power.

Range and Term of Core Grants

Core Grants are expected to range from $15,000 to 40,000 over a 12-month term, with $25,000 being the typical funding amount. Grant amounts are contingent on demonstrated need, alignment with the Fund’s purpose and criteria, as well as the Fund’s giving capacity in any given year. Upon successful completion of a Core Grant, grantees may be invited to apply for a mini-grant in the second year to further boost the organization’s communications work. Renewals of Core Grant awards are rare and by invitation only; they should not be counted on for project success. Core Grantees may be invited to participate in optional communications capacity-building, training, and peer-networking opportunities during the term of their grant.

NOTE: This call is open-ended, however, submissions are reviewed on a quarterly basis.

About the Agency Fund

We make philanthropic investments in ideas and organizations that leverage data, science, and technology to support people in the navigation of economic and life choices. Our innovation investments focus on time-limited projects that pilot, experimentally test, or scale and iteratively improve specific innovations that advance human agency. We welcome concepts that fall within the general scope of our approach.

Background for our Open Call

Recent advances in experimental social science show that even people who live in extremely difficult conditions, and who appear to have very limited options, can derive major benefits from insights that engage their consciousness, affirm their dignity, and support them in charting a path forward. Remarkable impacts can follow on subjective indicators like self-efficacy and life satisfaction, as well as with objective development outcomes like income, health status, and educational attainment.

The expansion of mobile technology, along with the falling cost of data in low-income settings, makes it possible to bring evidence-based guidance to people in poverty as well. A number of organizations are already pioneering this approach.

For example:

• Non-profit Precision Development provides smallholder farmers in India and Africa with agricultural advisory services that are tailored to local agronomic conditions.
• Non-profit ConsiliumBots helps Latin American students and their families navigate the public education options that are available to them.
• Shujaaz, a social venture, builds digital tools that help East African micro-entrepreneurs seek and share advice on informal street hustles.

We are interested in these and similar ideas that give people access to localized, actionable insights that may prove useful to them in the navigation of their difficult economic prospects.

What and How We Fund

This call supports research and innovation projects.

• A Pilot round is suitable for untested ideas. The expected output is a proof-of-concept. The maximum contribution is $200k.
• Advanced funding rounds are suitable for ideas with a degree of existing evidence or scale. The expected outcomes are greater evidence and greater scale. There are no defined contribution limits.

Purpose of the FoundationThe purpose of Ekhagastiftelsen is to promote human health by supporting the development of better food, natural medicines and healing practices, and to support research for a healthier way of life, which in itself may have a disease preventive effect.A central idea is to focus more on preventive active care than reactive care to combat symptoms. The same applies to the agricultural and food areas where the focus should be to find methods that can prevent various problems instead of focusing on their manifestations.The focus should not be on tackling problems, but rather finding ways to prevent their occurrence.Prioritized Research AreasIn accordance with Gösta Videgårds wishes and interests the foundation supports certain specific research areas.Better and Healthier FoodFor Gösta Videgård an important goal was the improvement in quality of agricultural products through agriculture without toxins and artificial substances. The foundation therefore supports research and development based on the principles of organic and biodynamic food production or other methods and orientations that promote this goal. Research should be in line with IFOAMs (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements) principles of organic production.Examples of research that can be supported is how such crops that currently require pesticides can be grown organically in a qualitative and efficient way to produce better and healthier food.Research on improved preparation and storage of food, as well as the analysis of food quality can receive support.Nutrition and Way of LIfeGösta Videgård was very interested in significance of the diet for humans. The Foundation therefore supports research into the role of the diet in the treatment of diseases and strengthening the body's resistance.Examples of funding can be research into which type diet and food the body needs, the impact of different food choices on bodily functions and related nutritional issues.Healthier lifestyles, a cleaner environment and a more active outdoor lifestyle was also important to Gösta Videgård and he wished that the foundation should work to promote such development. Ekhagastiftelsen can therefore support scientific research in this area.Complementary Medicine and Natural MedicinesGösta Videgårds had a keen interest in complementary medicine and its goal of curing diseases by using the body's own innate healing abilities and utilize natural healing powers. He appreciated and also practiced the basic idea of avoiding artificial chemicals as far as possible.Ekhagastiftelsen recognizes that today support for this area of research can be extended to include also other medical research where the mindset is to utilize natural methods and medicines, and for example, can go under the names integrative, biological or alternative medicine.There are mental and psychological aspects in complementary medicine, and research in this direction can also be supported. However, our view is that research on the physical impact and bodily functions have higher priority than research on mental health and psychology.Which Applications Can Receive Grants?The main focus should be on scientific research and primarily applied research. Basic research in areas such as for example molecular biology and genetic research can be supported if it clarifies causal relationships that can be considered to be of direct value for further research related to foundation's purpose.In addition to funding scientific research, the foundation can, to a lesser extent, grant funding for projects designed to have research findings put into practice, for example, training activities, documentation projects, book projects or conferences. Such applications must contribute to a development in line with the foundation's purpose.The foundation also welcomes applications for planning grants. These can be for organizing seminars / workshops on the issue that the applicant wants to study, in order to get a better basis for a definite application (which can also be directed to other funding bodies) and as part of a dialogue between scientists and the scientific advisory council.Ekhagastiftelsen wishes primarily to support strategic and innovative projects of a pilot nature, as well as research that is highly newsworthy and that not just confirms previous findings. The foundation also supports participatory research projects, in which, for example, farmers and scientists work together to identify research questions and methods, and jointly evaluate the results.

About

Welcome to the Clif Family Foundation, an organization we started in 2006 to support small-to-midsize grassroots groups led by people whose vision and commitment we deeply admire. We have been proud to support hundreds of organizations that are working tirelessly to strengthen our food system, advance equitable community health outcomes, and protect the places we play by being stewards of our environment and natural resources. Our desire has been to leave the world a better place for our children. Now that we’re grandparents, the urgency to build a healthier, just, and sustainable world is even more personal. We look forward to expanding the reach and impact of the foundation in the years to come. This includes working with more organizations to make their innovative ideas a reality and supporting a new generation of leaders. We believe we can all do more good in the world. Together. Our grants are awarded annually for general operational support as well as for specific projects.

Foundation Priorities

• Strengthen Our Food System
• Grow organic farming and other climate-friendly agriculture
• Safeguard agricultural seeds and biodiversity 
• Democratize access to fresh and nutrient-dense foods
• Connect families with local food outlets and farmers
• Create viable opportunities for the next generation of farmers
• Enhance Equitable Community Health Outcomes
• Promote clean water access
• Curtail exposure to toxic materials
• Increase access to nature and outdoor activities
• Expand pedestrian and bicycling opportunities
• Improve farmworkers’ standard of living, wages, and working conditions
• Safeguard Our Environment and Natural Resources
• Accelerate action on climate change
• Advance renewable energy and support green jobs
• Break the resource waste cycle
• Preserve watersheds, open spaces, and wild places
• Conserve water supplies for fair, long-term access

Priority is given to applicants that:

• Address two or more of our funding priorities at the same time:
• Strengthen our food system
• Enhance equitable community health outcomes
• Safeguard our environment and natural resources
• Demonstrate strong community ties.
• Operate within viable and clearly defined plans for positive change.

About the Native American Agricultural Fund 

The Native American Agriculture Fund (NAAF) is a private, charitable trust serving Native farmers and ranchers through strategic grantmaking in the areas of business assistance, agricultural education, technical support and advocacy services. NAAF was created from the historic Keepseagle v. Vilsack litigation settlement (see ‘History’).

NAAF grantmaking activities are governed by the Trust Agreement and final award decisions are made by our Board of Trustees.

For 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organizations

General Focus: Business Assistance, Agricultural Education, Technical Support and/or Advocacy

Special Focus: Beginning Farmer and Rancher; Climate Resilience, Conservation and Disaster Assistance

America the Beautiful Challenge

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), through anticipated cooperative agreements from the Department of the Interior (DOI), Department of Defense (DoD), and the Department of Agriculture’s U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), is pleased to announce the launch of the America the Beautiful Challenge (ATBC) 2022 Request for Proposals (RFP). The ATBC vision is to streamline grant funding opportunities for new voluntary conservation and restoration projects around the United States. This Request for Proposals is a first step toward consolidating funding from multiple federal agencies and the private sector to enable applicants to conceive and develop large-scale, locally led projects that address shared funder priorities spanning public and private lands.

In year one of the ATBC approximately $85 million will be awarded in nationwide funding to advance the America the Beautiful Initiative and its goals to connect and restore the lands, waters, and wildlife upon which we all depend. In the first year, ATBC will seek to fund projects across the following themes:

• Conserving and restoring rivers, coasts, wetlands and watersheds 
• Conserving and restoring forests, grasslands and other important ecosystems that serve as carbon sinks 
• Connecting and reconnecting wildlife corridors, large landscapes, watersheds and seascapes 
• Improving ecosystem and community resilience to flooding, drought and other climate-related threats
• Expanding access to the outdoors, particularly in underserved communities
• Collectively, these themes allow applicants to develop landscape-level ATBC proposals that address conservation and public access needs that showcase cumulative benefits to fish and wildlife, carbon sequestration and storage benefits, engage with and benefit underserved communities, support community access to nature, and help safeguard ecosystems through conservation, resilience-focused and nature-based solutions. 

Projects funded through the ATBC will advance the principles underlying the America the Beautiful Initiative, as described in the Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful Report:

• Pursue a collaborative and inclusive approach to conservation
• Conserve America’s lands and waters for the benefit of all people
• Support locally led and locally designed conservation efforts
• Honor Tribal sovereignty and support the priorities of Tribal nations
• Pursue conservation and restoration approaches that create jobs and support healthy communities
• Honor private property rights and support the voluntary stewardship efforts of private landowners and fishers
• Use science as a guide
• Build on existing tools and strategies with an emphasis on flexibility and adaptive approaches

Geographic Focus

ATBC is a nationwide program. Projects throughout the U.S., U.S. territories and Tribal Nations are eligible for funding. Projects can be on public lands, Tribal lands, and private lands, and ideally span multiple landownership boundaries. Locations will be prioritized where projects are guided by existing conservation plans as well as the program priorities listed below.

Program Priorities

ATBC will prioritize proposals that implement voluntary large-scale, on-the-ground conservation activities or otherwise lead to on-the-ground implementation through capacity building, community engagement, planning and project design. The overarching goal is to advance existing landscape conservation plans and/or propose to knit together a diverse stakeholder partnership that develops and/or implements new conservation plans. As part of this, projects should address priority species and/or habitat conservation actions identified in existing plans or other species recovery or conservation plans. Projects that are informed by Indigenous Traditional Knowledge (ITK) and promote Tribal co-stewardship are also encouraged. 

Competitive proposals will increase interagency and intergovernmental collaboration and address more than one of the program priorities below. 

Benefit At-Risk Fish, Wildlife and Plant Species. Conserve and restore habitat to improve ecosystem function and biological diversity, as identified by conservation plans, ITK, or emerging information for priority fish, wildlife and/or plant resources, such as threatened and endangered species, species of greatest conservation need (including game species). 

Expand Habitat Connectivity. Conserve and restore priority habitat and stopover areas along key migratory routes; conserve, restore or improve fish passage; conserve or restore lands and/or waters that are critical to habitat connectivity; or expand and enhance wildlife corridors that contribute to larger-scale conservation efforts (e.g., removing and right-sizing culverts, removing encroaching trees from grassland and sagebrush ecosystems, rehabilitating areas damaged by fire, treating exotic/invasive vegetation to improve habitat values, or voluntary conservation easements to strengthen habitat connectivity).

Provide a Range of Ecosystem Services. Demonstrate and quantify a range of ecosystem services restored (e.g., improving stream flow for aquatic resources, watershed health, carbon sequestration, restoration of Tribal subsistence resources).

Strengthen Ecosystem and Community Resilience. Conserve and restore natural systems that help ecosystems and/or communities respond to, mediate and recover from disturbances such as floods, wildfire, drought (e.g., enhancing a wetland to improve coastal resilience, invasive species prevention or removal to reduce wildfire risk, restoring fire resilient stand structure and species composition in fire prone forests, water conservation to address drought, expansion of wetlands to protect from flooding, grassland restoration to promote natural prairie ecosystems).

Expand Public and Community Access to Nature. Create, improve or expand opportunities for public access and recreation, in particular for underserved communities that lack access to the outdoors, in a manner consistent with the ecological needs of fish and wildlife habitat. Projects should be conducive to high-quality recreational experiences, such as biking, birding, boating, fishing, hiking, outdoor education, cultural activities, hunting and wildlife viewing. Projects should be predominantly nature-based in application. Hard infrastructure, such as parking lots and visitor center amenities, are not eligible under this funding opportunity.

Engage Local Communities. Applicants are encouraged to develop projects that incorporate outreach to communities, particularly underserved communities in accordance with the Administration’s Justice40 initiative, foster community engagement, and pursue collaboration with farmers, ranchers, Tribal Nations, states or other land managers to produce measurable conservation benefits. When possible, projects should be developed through community input and co-design processes, and incorporating ITK when possible. Additionally, projects should engage community-level partners (e.g., municipalities, NGOs, community organizations), as appropriate, to help design, implement, and maintain projects to secure maximum benefits for communities, maintenance, and sustainability post-grant award. 

Support Tribally Led Conservation and Restoration Priorities. Consistent with the Administration’s commitment to honoring Tribal sovereignty and advancing equity for Indigenous people, applicants are encouraged to prioritize projects that uplift Tribal and Indigenous-led efforts. These efforts may include but are not limited to Tribal co-stewardship of federal or other lands, restoration of Tribal homelands, access to and/or restoration of sacred sites, and elevation of ITK.  

Contribute to Local or Tribal Economies. Implement conservation projects that, as a co-benefit, directly contribute to local economies and underserved communities. For example, projects could help expand tourism or recreational economies, promote regenerative agriculture, or contribute to working lands and/or community or Tribal forestry. Applicants are encouraged to estimate the economic benefits that are expected because of the project (e.g., number of jobs sustained or created). 

Contribute to Workforce Development: Develop the next generation of conservation professionals, including through support for national service, youth and conservation corps engaged in conservation and climate-related work. Projects that develop the restoration workforce, in particular with AmeriCorps and 21st Century Conservation Service Corps programs, are encouraged.

Funding Availability, Grant Categories, and Match

Approximately $85 million will be available for 2022, with four categories of grants, of which ATBC expects to award at least 10% for Tribal grants and 3% to U.S. territories. Funding is being provided to NFWF through cooperative agreements, or similar mechanisms, that allow for agency participation. Funding in this RFP is contingent upon final execution of the agency awards to NFWF. Please also refer to the specific Department/Agency level funding priorities found in Appendix 2:

States, Territories, and Tribal Implementation Grants: Grants ranging from $1 million to $5 million will be awarded to states, U.S. territories and Tribal-affiliated organizations and governments to implement projects that address the program priorities on public, Tribal, and/or private lands. Landscape scale restoration requests beyond $5 million may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please contact NFWF program staff to discuss. Projects should be completed within four years of award and partnerships with NGOs and localities through subawards are encouraged.

Grants under this category are contingent upon awards by DOI

Planning, Collaboration and Engagement for States, Territories and Tribes: Grants of $200,000 to $1,000,000 will be awarded to states, U.S. territories, Tribal governments, and Tribal-affiliated organizations for projects that enhance local capacity to implement future on-the-ground actions through community-based assessments, partnership building, planning, project design, and other technical assistance-oriented activities. Projects in this category should include multiple partners, be at a significant scale for the landscape/watershed/seascape, clearly demonstrate how efforts will lead to implementation projects, and be completed within approximately one year of award.

Grants under this category are contingent upon awards by DOI

Grants to Buffer and Benefit Public Lands: Grants ranging from $250,000 to $1.5 million will be awarded for projects that result in direct, on-the-ground conservation actions that benefit National Forests and DoD facilities. Projects should be targeted toward outcomes identified in a conservation implementation plan and should be completed within two to four years of award. DoD funds will be prioritized to Sentinel Landscapes or areas that advance the military mission (e.g., the Pacific region or directly supporting an installation) and projects must be in the vicinity of or ecologically related to a DoD installation or range. DoD funds may not be used for work directly on military lands. USFS funds will support invasive species detection, prevention, and treatments benefiting USFS lands, as well as collaboratively-developed fish passage and water quality projects on Federal and Tribal lands.

Grants under this category are contingent upon awards by DoD and USFS

Private Forests, Rangeland and Farmland Grants: Grants ranging from $200,000 to $500,000 will support outreach and engagement with private landowners to advance voluntary conservation efforts on working lands that align with the NRCS Working Lands for Wildlife Framework (e.g. sagebrush, grasslands, bobwhite quail, northeast turtles, golden-winged warbler). Projects should be completed in two to three years.

Grants under this category are contingent upon awards by NRCS

The ATCB program is expected to have an annual application cycle.

Got Organic?

Farmers Advocating for Organic (FAFO) began with the 2002 Farm Bill, which included an exemption for organic farmers from contributing to national promotion programs like “Got Milk?” In response, Organic Valley devised a way for farmers to pool their exemptions into an organic-focused granting fund as a way to promote and advance organic farming.

Our name says it all: Farmers Advocating for Organic. FAFO is a grant program funded entirely by annual, voluntary contributions from Organic Valley farmers. It's the largest farmer-funded grant program in the U.S. and one of the few focused solely on organic. 

The fund provides a way for Organic Valley farmers to address the long-term needs of the organic marketplace and the future of organic agriculture by supporting the development of long-term solutions. Through combining resources, Organic Valley farmers are able to invest in projects that affect the livelihoods of organic farmers across the country. 

Simply said, FAFO is organic farmers helping organic farmers.

FAFO funds projects that make a difference

Grants are awarded to research, education and advocacy projects that advance FAFO’s mission: to protect and promote the organic industry and the livelihood of organic farmers.

Within this context, FAFO is currently prioritizing projects that focus on:

• Projects that benefit family farmers who produce organic dairy, eggs, meat, produce, and grain/forage 
• Projects that focus on organic soil health and biology
• Projects that strengthen CROPP Cooperative (internal)