Philanthropy
We grant and re-grant to nonprofits, social enterprises, and research efforts advancing food system innovations.
Our Philosophy
Food System Innovations is a philanthropic impact platform. We combine grantmaking, regranting, programs, fiscal sponsorships, fellowships, equity investments, and collaborative partnerships to drive system-level progress in the transition to sustainable proteins. Our funding approach is ecosystem-informed, data-driven, and closely tied to our programs.
Grants
In 2025, FSI directed $25,000,000 in funds, including from other funders, to more than 200 grantees across 35 countries. Here’s how we invest to accelerate food systems transformation.
What We Look For
Across all programs, FSI prioritizes opportunities that deliver:
High Catalytic Potential: Work that unlocks what otherwise would not happen.
Sound Strategy: Evidence-based approaches grounded in strong methods and realistic pathways to impact.
Sector-Level Leverage: Initiatives that build tools, data, technologies, standards, or collaborations that multiple stakeholders can use.
Scalability and Adoption Pathways: Projects that can move from pilot to broader impact.
Values Alignment: Partners who share FSI’s commitment to a humane and sustainable future of food.
Invitation-Only Funding
FSI does not accept unsolicited proposals.
We identify opportunities through:
Landscape analyses and market research
Expert interviews and advisory networks
Direct programmatic work
Recommendations from trusted partners
Targeted open calls tied to specific initiatives
When an opportunity is aligned with our strategy, FSI will invite select organizations to submit materials for consideration.
FSI occasionally opens competitive opportunities or calls for proposals within specific initiatives.
Regranting Through FSI
FSI regrants funds donated by dozens of funders of all sizes. Our regranting approach allows us to support a broader range of solutions and empower more partners doing critical work.
How our regranting works:
Strategic and Invitation-Only: Regrants are proactively sourced by our team based on ecosystem needs, research, and expert input.
Rigorous Vetting and Due Diligence: We conduct assessments of organizational capacity, strategic impact, financial management, governance, and mission alignment.
Flexible Mechanisms: FSI provides regrants through direct grants, sponsored programs, pooled vehicles, and collaborative initiatives with other funders.
FSI does not accept unsolicited proposals. Regranting occurs only through invitation and in connection with FSI’s specific programmatic strategies.
Featured Grants
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![Horizon Institute for Public Service logo with the word Horizon in large red letters, a gold star above the 'I', and the subtitle 'Institute for Public Service' in smaller blue text underneath.]()
The Horizon Institute for Public Service manages an emerging technology fellowship that has supported several biotech fellows whose portfolios include work on food tech innovation.
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![Climatelworks Foundation logo with a stylized circular design and the organization name in black text.]()
ClimateWorks Foundation’s Food and Agriculture Program accelerates food systems transformation by aligning partners and resources to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen climate resilience, and improve livelihoods.
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![NYU logo with torch icon on purple background.]()
New York University conducted a systematic review of regenerative grazing as a climate change mitigation strategy.
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![Black and white logo that reads 'Essential']()
Essential partnered with Stanford University and the World Bank to author a policy report on fermentation’s role in food security in LMICs.
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![Logo with the words "GREENERY BY" in large blue letters and "DEFAULT" in large teal letters, featuring a stylized leaf design to the left of the text.]()
Greener by Default empowers institutions to serve more sustainable food, harnessing choice architecture and behavioral science to nudge diners towards plant-based options that are appealing, abundant, and accessible.
Fiscal Sponsorship
FSI provides no-cost fiscal sponsorship to a limited number of mission-aligned projects.
Food system change often begins with civil society, as new ideas, research, and advocacy efforts first take shape. Fiscal sponsorship is often essential to that work, enabling emerging initiatives to operate, raise funds, and build credibility without the overhead of forming a new legal entity.
Through fiscal sponsorship, FSI offers administrative, financial, and compliance support so partners can focus on impact rather than infrastructure.
FSI views fiscal sponsorship as an important form of philanthropic support that lowers barriers to entry, strengthens civil society, and helps promising efforts move more quickly from idea to action.
FSI’s capacity for additional fiscal sponsorships is limited. Contact us to learn more.
Advisory Services
FSI works with philanthropic funders and aligned investors to help direct resources where they can have the greatest impact.
We advise foundations and donors by sharing insights drawn from our research, programmatic work, and on-the-ground engagement across food systems. Our goal is to ensure that high-impact and often neglected projects have the support they need to succeed. This includes emerging approaches, early-stage efforts, and work taking place in regions where relatively modest resources can unlock outsized impact.
We also support new and expanding funders entering the space. This includes foundations and individuals who are newly engaging with food system challenges, as well as international donors seeking to better understand opportunities within their own regions.
Our advisory work helps funders navigate complex landscapes, clarify priorities, and align capital with outcomes they care about—whether related to climate, public health, animal welfare, food security, or equity.
For funders who want to contribute but do not have the time or capacity to identify specific grantees, FSI offers a donor-advised approach. Funders may contribute to FSI, and we ensure that 100% of those funds—sometimes supplemented by our own—are deployed to vetted, mission-aligned projects and organizations. Allocations are tailored to each funder’s interests and informed by our ongoing ecosystem analysis.
Contact us to learn more about FSI’s advisory services or to explore potential collaboration.