Who’s Betting Big on Sustainable Agriculture? Here Are Some of the Key Funders

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Between polluting oceans, cutting down rainforests and burning fossil fuels, most of us are aware to some extent that human activity is degrading the environment. For many, these problems can seem abstract. But one of the most immediately impactful environmental issues involves something people can’t live without: food. 

Our industrialized, extractive relationship with nature has had many negative impacts that make providing food for the almost 7.94 billion people on Earth all the more difficult. Among them are viable land loss, soil degradation, deforestation and biodiversity loss. Agriculture is also closely connected to climate change. On the one hand, climate change has made farming more difficult. On the other, agriculture is responsible for 11% of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. That number is even higher worldwide, at about 25%. One of the key ways to curb climate change is by transitioning to sustainable agriculture practices that reduce waste, preserve habitats and slash emissions. 

According to UC Davis’ Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, sustainable agriculture seeks to meet society’s food needs without hindering future generations from meeting their needs. It is also a means of making our food systems less carbon-intensive and more resilient to climate change, droughts and floods. Examples of sustainable agricultural practices, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, include rotating crops, planting cover crops during off-seasons, reducing or eliminating tillage, adopting agroforestry practices and managing whole ecosystems and landscapes. 

Philanthropy has been a key player in supporting this work, providing funding for scientists, researchers, farmers and practitioners to learn about and implement more sustainable practices. It’s a vibrant and ever-growing field of philanthropy, attracting funders with a wide variety of interests, ranging from climate to public health. Many of those involved are relatively small family foundations, often place-based. From regenerative agriculture to new technology, philanthropy is providing some of the necessary funding to make the switch. 

To that end, here are some of the top funders of sustainable agriculture. 

The Rockefeller Foundation

Rockefeller has a long history of funding agricultural work, including its integral role in the Green Revolution, which transformed farming by introducing new technology globally. More recently, as part of its $105 million commitment to making healthy and sustainable food more accessible worldwide, the Rockefeller Foundation announced it was awarding $11 million across 10 grants to scale up Indigenous and regenerative agriculture practices around the globe. Grants support Indigenous peoples’ traditional ecological knowledge and food systems, regenerative data and networks, and regenerative impact. These grants build on Rockefeller’s $1 billion commitment to catalyze a greener recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Bezos Earth Fund

Billionaire Jeff Bezos’ Earth Fund is the largest philanthropic commitment to fighting climate change, totaling a whopping $10 billion commitment to be distributed by 2030. Among the fund’s programs is the Future of Food program, which aims to support the transition to more sustainable food and agriculture systems. The fund has committed $1 billion to this cause, and according to its website, a total of $80.4 million across four grants has been distributed so far. The grants support alternatives to crop-burning in Indian agriculture ($33.3 million), addressing methane from agriculture ($700,000), harnessing the power of plant root systems ($30 million) and seaweed farming ($10.65 million). 

Ida and Robert Gordon Foundation

The Ira and Robert Gordon Foundation supports sustainable agriculture projects as well as other causes, such as environmental protection and women’s health. It has supported a variety projects and programs, including a five-year research project by UC Santa Cruz to study no-till/low-till organic farming in organic specialty crops, the Woods Hole Research Center’s multiyear project to develop MIR spectroscopy to measure soil health, and the Organic Seed Alliance’s two-year study in dry-farming applications to develop climate-resistant seed varieties, among many others. 

The foundation’s grantees include American Farmland Trust, the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems at UC Santa Cruz, Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, Meridian Institute and Organic Farming Research Foundation. 

Schmidt Family Foundation 

The Schmidt Family Foundation seeks to create a more balanced relationship between Earth and people by partnering with communities around the globe that work on renewable energy, resilient food systems, healthy oceans and the protection of human rights. The foundation’s 11th Hour Project provides organization with funding, impact investing and resources, including network-building, convening and strategic communications.

As part of its Food and Agriculture program, 11th Hour Project supports transitioning to regenerative farming systems. The foundation takes a network-based approach, serving as a convener of organizations that approach resilient food systems from many perspectives and strategies. Some of its grantees include the Common Market, Civil Eats, Land Stewardship Project, North Carolina Environmental Justice Network and Western Organization of Resource Councils. 

W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Another key funder in this space is the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Kellogg’s support stretches around the globe, providing funding to places like Haiti and Mexico, as well as to U.S. groups. Kellogg has also provided funding to advance Indigenous food and agriculture systems and practices.

Recent and ongoing grants include support for Solutions from the Land to develop models on climate-smart agriculture; New Venture Fund to support sustainable and equitable food and agricultural systems at all levels; Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association to promote training for aspiring limited-resource farmers to shift toward more just and equitable food systems; and Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF) to amplify and unite philanthropic support for a more just food system.

Regenerative Agriculture Foundation

Regenerative Agriculture Foundation (RAF) is an intermediary funder that provides funders with opportunities to drive impact in this space. RAF provides both grants (awarded twice a year, in the summer and winter), as well as guidance on what’s going on in the field.

RAF donors include the 11th Hour Project of the Schmidt Family Foundation — which provides ongoing work as well the initial funding for the foundation — Cedar Tree Foundation, TomKat Ranch Education Foundation, Globetrotter Fund, and Armonia LLC.

The foundation’s grantmaking focus is on farmer-to-farmer programs, communications and networks, among others. Grantees include Regenerative Agriculture Alliance, Point Blue, Land Stewardship Project and the Wallace Center at Winrock International.

Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders 

Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF) is not a grantmaker, but it is an important presence worth noting in the world of agriculture philanthropy. The philanthropy-serving organization works to foster and strengthen collaboration between funders and helps with capacit-building in order for philanthropists to be more effective. SAFSF is made up of more than 100 individual donors, community foundations, regranting organizations and both private and public foundations. 

While SAFSF focuses on a range of issues surrounding agriculture, including climate change and mitigation, rural development, and racial equity, one of its main areas of focus is sustainable agriculture. In 2021, SAFSA, along with First Nations Development Institute and Melvin Consulting PLLC launched the Indigenous Food Systems Community of Practice, which ran from July 2021 to June 2022. A cohort of 15 funders invested in Indigenous communities that have experience with grantmaking or investing in sustainable agriculture and food systems work. 

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And the list goes on. Other funders supporting regenerative agriculture include David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Walton Family Foundation, Greenbaum Foundation, Global Greengrants Fund, Pollination Project, Funders for Regenerative Agriculture, Conservation Food and Health Foundation and National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. Check out an even longer list here.

There are many reasons to feel despondent about our relationship with our planet. The good news is that more and more funders are taking an interest in supporting sustainable agriculture practices. Though this is only one component to addressing climate change, it is nevertheless a crucial one.