To support communities in their efforts to grow, sell, and eat healthy food, the City of Austin’s Office of Sustainability is now accepting applications for the Food Justice Mini Grants program. The program offers grants of up to $3,000 to support community-driven solutions led by those most negatively impacted by the food system. The grant was launched this week in solidarity with upcoming celebrations of the Juneteenth holiday, which commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans in the US. 

“To create a more just food system, we must acknowledge and support community-driven solutions,” said Lucia Athens, the City of Austin’s Chief Sustainability Officer. “We are thrilled to offer this grant to the leaders of change addressing food inequities locally.”

The program welcomes ideas and projects from applicants that want to build food justice in Austin but prioritizes proposals led by Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Indigenous peoples, low-income individuals, and other communities negatively impacted by the food system. Food justice is defined as movements that advocate for transformational change around how our food moves from the fields to our forks.

Non-profits, schools, for-profit businesses, homeowner associations, faith-based groups, grassroots initiatives, and more are eligible to apply for a grant. Examples of funded projects could include: 

• Innovative food production methods
• Fresh food markets or affordable food retail
• Workforce development in the food supply chain
• Low-cost home meal or grocery delivery services 
• Community events centered on food systems or food justice

“The Food Justice Mini Grant helped us amplify our efforts to provide access to food to our community,” said Dr. Rosamaria Murillo, CEO of El Buen Samaritano and a 2021 grant recipient. “One of the major contributors to our health and our wealth is access to food, and justice is about that — it’s about access.”

Applications are being accepted now through July 22, 2022. Those selected for a grant will be notified by August 29, 2022. Learn more at  www.austintexas.gov/fjmg.

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About the City of Austin’s Office of Sustainability

Austin’s Office of Sustainability works to ensure a thriving, equitable, and ecologically resilient community by providing leadership, influencing positive action through engagement, and creating measurable benefits for Austin. The office works to achieve net-zero community-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, a healthy and just local food system, resource-efficient strategies for municipal operations, tangible projects that demonstrate sustainability, and a resilient and adaptive city. Find out more at www.austintexas.gov/sustainability.