Building an Equitable Food System: Lessons from Community-Driven Initiatives in the Chicago Region

This research explores how community assets can be mobilized to build a resilient, equitable food system by evaluating key learnings from the Chicago Region Food System Fund’s (CRFSF) March 2022 Community Assets funding round. The CRFSF provided grants to 48 non-profit organizations leveraging community strengths to transform how food is produced, processed, distributed, and consumed through approaches centered on economic and racial equity. The evaluation employs thematic content analysis of qualitative data from grantee applications and reports. The results will increase understanding of how community-driven initiatives enhance food system resilience, challenges encountered, and actionable recommendations to further strengthen local food systems.