In 2025, the Illinois food system faces a period of disruption and uncertainty. Federal funding shifts and administrative changes threaten to withdraw major streams of government support from organizations working to ensure access to good food, fair markets, and resilient local food economies across Illinois. These shifts are landing hard—on programs, on communities, and most of all, on the people at the center of this movement.
In response, a group of aligned funders—long committed to food system equity and resilience—launched a time-limited, flexible grantmaking collaboration to support grantees during this transition.
This effort recognizes a central truth: people are the heart of a resilient food movement. In the face of institutional instability, personal challenges, and uncertain futures, the Illinois Food Movement Fund (IFMF) is committed to practical strategies and human-centered support to help leaders and teams sustain their work, build emotional resilience, and strengthen organizational capacity.
The goals are simple but critical:
- Help food system organizations and leaders navigate a volatile funding landscape.
- Preserve the strength, health, and vision of Illinois’ food system leadership.
- Support smart, intentional adaptation—whether through sustainability planning, collaboration, or, where necessary, graceful unwinding.
Foundations supporting this fund are Food:Land:Opportunity, Hunter Family Foundation, Little Owl Foundation, The Lumpkin Family Foundation, Margot L. Pritzker Fund, and Walter S. Mander Foundation.