Healthy food is essential to improve community strength and wellbeing. However, the current food system doesn’t work as well as it should for many Minnesotans.

The Food Justice Funding Initiative from The Center for Prevention at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is designed to improve the health of communities where access to healthy food is needed most, including Black, Indigenous, Latine, Asian Pacific Islanders, and other communities of color.

The Center recently awarded $1.2 million in funding per year for up to three years to 12 Minnesota nonprofit organizations as part of the Food Justice Funding Initiative.

Funded projects reflect community-led strategies to address food insecurity and support Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) leaders in creating equitable change to local food systems.

“Communities most impacted by health inequities are the best equipped to lead work to overcome the systemic barriers faced in accessing healthy food,” said Sarah Senseman, director of tobacco settlement operations and community funding at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. “Investing in community led efforts to address food insecurity, increase food sovereignty, and support greater participation in decision making on policies related to food justice are critical to advancing racial and health equity.”

Food Justice Funding Recipients

• American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO) – AICHO will provide opportunities for multigenerational community members to participate in traditional Indigenous food production, activate additional growing spaces, and advance policies that support Indigenous food sovereignty.
• Appetite for Change (AFC) – AFC will use Food Justice Funding to connect hundreds of food-insecure families with weekly deliveries of nourishing meals, free of cost and barriers.
• Central Minnesota Community Empowerment Organization (CMCEO) – CMCEO will work to increase access to traditional foods and engage the community in learning about healthy food choices and the importance of physical activity.
• Dream of Wild Health – Dream of Wild Health will use funding to expand the work of the Indigenous Food Network (IFN) and increase access to and consumption of healthy Indigenous food.
• Foundation For Essential Needs (FFEN) – Funding will help to support FFEN’s goal to advance a culture in hunger relief centered on shopper (food shelf client) priorities.
• Hmong American Farmers Association (HAFA) – Funding will support HAFA’s innovative Farm-to-Family Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, which advances health equity, racial equity, and social connections for low-income, food insecure children and families.
• Hallie Q. Brown Community Center, Inc.- Hallie Q. Brown will strengthen efforts to dismantle systemic barriers that prevent BIPOC and/or low-income individuals and families from obtaining food that aligns with their needs.
• Minnesota Seeds of Justice – Minnesota Seeds of Justice will work to increase access to culturally appropriate foods for marginalized communities facing food insecurity and build awareness around community food resources and how to access them, such as SNAP/WIC benefits, online grocery shopping, and nutrition.
• Prairie Rose Agricultural Institute for Research, Innovation & Education (PRAIRIE) – PRAIRIE will strengthen their efforts to support immigrant and refugee farmers involved in the New Roots Farm Incubator Cooperative to increase the consumption of culturally appropriate, fresh, healthy foods in the Fargo-Moorhead area.
• Sharing Our Roots (SOR) – SOR will expand the work of their Community Connectors across Rice County to increase equitable access to land and nourishing foods.
• University of Minnesota Morris will advance access to healthy, affordable, and culturally appropriate foods without barriers for BIPOC and low-income students and rural community members as well as grow the next generation of community-centered food justice leaders.
• Urban Roots MN – Urban Roots MN will use Food Justice Funding to empower local youth through nature, access to healthy food, and community.

Learn more

Learn more about the Food Justice Funding Initiative here.