Table of Contents
General Information
- What is community grantmaking?
- Where did these funds come from?
- What is the annual timeline for the Food Justice Fund?
- What are the key dates for 2025?
- What is the Food Justice Fund Leadership Council? How are their decisions made?
- How will community voting work?
- How can I contribute to the Food Justice Fund?
Grant Application Instructions
- Where can I find the application?
- What are the funding priorities for 2025?
- What are the two different “Tracks”?
- How will funds be distributed between the two Tracks?
- Where can I get application support?
Frequently Asked Questions
- How many applications may I submit?
- Can past grantees receive funding in 2025?
- What are you looking for in the Project Overview section?
- What is an indirect cost?
- How will funding “remainders” be dealt with?
- What are the reporting requirements?
- What if my actual expenditures vary from those I proposed in my budget?
Something else?
GENERAL INFORMATION
What is community grantmaking?
The Food Justice Fund is a community grantmaking project (sometimes called “participatory grantmaking”). That means that the final awardees of this fund will be selected by a vote that is open to anyone over the age of 14 who resides in Syracuse, Onondaga County, or Onondaga Nation. The application process and selection criteria have been designed by the Food Justice Fund Leadership Council (FJFLC) – a diverse group of community leaders committed to building a more just and equitable food system in our region. Read more about the specifics of how voting will work.

Where did these funds come from?
Since 2023 for its annual “Plant A Seed” fundraising campaign, SOFSA’s Advisory Board decided to allocate 75% of funds raised to support efforts across our network to advance food justice – and the idea for this community grantmaking initiative was born! As of January 2025, the Food Justice Fund stands at a grand total of $46,250. The sources of these funds are outlined below:

What is the annual timeline for the Food Justice Fund?

What are the key dates for 2025?
Monday, February 17th, 2025 | Food Justice Fund grant applications open |
Wednesday, February 26th @ 11am | FJF Grant Application Info Session (Hybrid) 🏢In-person at SOFSA’s Office (324 University Avenue, Syracuse, 13210) 💻Virtual on Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87851508475 [For those unable to attend, questions may be submitted in advance at https://wkf.ms/40ogia4] |
Friday, February 28th | Info session recording with Q&A responses posted |
Friday, March 14th @ 5pm | Food Justice Fund applications due |
March 17th to April 10th | Food Justice Fund Leadership Council reviews all applications |
Friday, April 11th | Track 1 finalists and Track 2 grantees notified |
Thursday, April 14th @ 9am | Community voting opens (how will this work?) |
Thursday, April 24th @ 6:30pm | Community voting ends |
Thursday, April 24th: from 5:30-7:30pm | 🌟Gather & Grant Celebration🌟 The public is invited to join finalists at Beauchamp Branch Library. Those who haven’t voted previously will have their final opportunity to do so up until 6:30pm, after which awardees will be announced and we will celebrate together! |
Saturday, October 25th, 2025 | 3rd Annual Food Justice Gathering While some projects may not be fully completed by late October, our hope is that all grantees will have a meaningful story to share about the impact of their project as part of SOFSA’s Annual Food Justice Gathering. |
October 25th to November 12th | Applications open for 2026 Food Justice Fund Leadership Council |
What is the Food Justice Fund Leadership Council? How are their decisions made?
The Food Justice Fund Leadership Council (FJFLC) is a diverse group of community leaders committed to building a more just and equitable food system in our region. They were selected through an application process during fall 2023. The group is comprised of the following talented individuals who’ve lent their time and talent to designing this grantmaking process together:
- Jed Locquiao
- Kanischa Miller
- Amy Tao Woodley
- Laura Vasquez
- Katie Purcell
- Debra McClendon-Boddie
Over the course of its work to design this year’s community grantmaking process, the FJFLC will practice consent-based decision-making arriving at its conclusions with careful deliberation. At the same time, we recognize that we are new to community grantmaking. It will be messy, we will make mistakes, and we will work together to continually improve. It will also be celebratory and joyful as we collectively enact a just food future that serves our community!

How will community voting work?
Community voting will take place through an online balloting system developed by the Crowdsourced Democracy Team at Stanford University. (This is the same system that was used by the Syracuse community for the participatory budgeting process for lead poisoning prevention last year.)
Any resident of Syracuse, Onondaga County, and Onondaga Nation over the age of 14 is eligible to vote one time throughout the voting period.
Voting will be available in the following locations:
- In-person at any Onondaga County Public Library location during their open hours. Visit https://www.onlib.org/locations to find a location near you. Ask at the circulation desk to receive a unique code.
- Remotely from your phone or personal computer using SMS verification.
- In-person at the Gather & Grant Celebration (Salt City Market Community Room) – Thursday, April 18th from 5:30-6:30pm. [on-site interpretation services available in Spanish, Arabic, Nepali, and ASL}
We will use “knapsack” style voting where participants will have the opportunity to fill their “bag” with projects to decide how this year’s Food Justice Fund grants are awarded. Results will be automatically tabulated at 6:30pm on April 18th and the awardees will be announced later that evening!
You can preview the ballot anytime at this link: https://pbstanford.org/2024-sofsa
How can I contribute to the Food Justice Fund?
This year’s annual campaign “Plant a Seed with SOFSA” will again be dedicated to fundraising for another round of Food Justice Fund grants in 2025. To make a contribution, please visit:
https://www.zeffy.com/donation-form/plant-a-seed-with-sofsa
GRANT APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
Where can I find the grant application?
The application is available at https://wkf.ms/4jj0NJe. Applications open on February 15th and are due March 15th at 5pm. Late applications will not be accepted.
Only online applications will be accepted.
What are the funding priorities for 2025?
Each year, funding priorities for the Food Justice Fund grants are determined by the Food Justice Fund Leadership Council (FJFLC). Their decision-making is informed by their personal perspectives on the food system as well as data collected by SOFSA through our Community Listening Sessions, Food Justice Gathering exit surveys, working group conversations and more.
In the first year of Food Justice Fund grantmaking, the FJF Leadership Council arrived at the following priorities for the distribution of funds:
- Access to fresh & culturally relevant foods
- Community gardens and urban agriculture
- Education (kitchen literacy, multigenerational exchanges, learn-to-grow programs, etc.)
- Transportation to grocery stores & markets
For 2025, the FJFLC members have selected the following priorities for this year:
- Priority
- Priority
- Priority
- Priority
What are the two different “Tracks”?
When applying for the 2025 Food Justice Fund Community Grantmaking Initiative, applicants will choose between two distinct Tracks. A “Track” is essentially a pathway for funding, each with its own focus area and set of goals. Choosing the right Track helps ensure your application aligns with your project’s needs and vision.
Both Tracks are designed to support and empower our community’s grassroots leaders in advancing food justice. We encourage you to think about your project’s goals and choose the Track that aligns best with your vision for creating change. Below, we break down the two Tracks available this year to help you decide which is the best fit for your initiative.
Track 1: Food Justice Innovation
Track 1 is for grassroots food justice projects that directly address community needs. This is a great fit for initiatives that:
- Solve problems related to food access and equity.
- Support community-led solutions that are innovative and action-oriented.
Once applications are reviewed, finalists will be selected by the FJF Leaders. The final awardees will be decided by public vote.
If your project is focused on creating new solutions to pressing food justice issues, Track 1 might be for you!
Track 2: Food Justice Capacity-Building
New for 2025, Track 2 focuses on building the long-term success of grassroots organizations working in food justice. This Track is ideal if your organization wants to strengthen its ability to create change in the future. Examples of capacity-building activities include:
- Budgeting and financial management workshops.
- Grantwriting support and fundraising strategies.
- Leadership development programs.
- Community organizing and mobilization training.
Unlike Track 1, projects in Track 2 will not involve a public voting process. Instead, applications will be reviewed, and awardees will be selected directly by the FJF Leaders.
If your organization’s priority is to grow and build a stronger foundation for future impact, Track 2 could be your best option!
How will funds be distributed between the two Tracks?
The Food Justice Fund Leadership Council elected to save $X,000 of the available funds to seed another round of Food Justice Fund grants in 2026 and beyond. The remaining $XX,000 will be distributed in 2025 as follows:
- Track 1: At least $XX,000 will be distributed through a community voting process in April
- Track 2: Up to $X,000 of the funding may be granted to capacity-building initiatives at the discretion of the Food Justice Fund Leadership Council.

Where can I get application support?
In-person application assistance is available by appointment. Please contact Renee Marcoux at renee@syrfoodalliance.org or 315-552-0488.
Please note: Application assistance will be limited in the week leading up to the grant deadline. Please plan ahead and request assistance as early as possible.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How many applications may I submit?
While we recognize that there are many great ideas, we ask that each applicant submits only one proposal. There is no limitation on collaborations. For example, an applicant may be a collaborator on multiple projects but cannot be the primary recipient of funds for more than one application.
Can past grantees receive funding in 2025?
In order to ensure an equitable distribution of Food Justice Fund resources, the decision has been made that 2024 grantees will not be eligible for repeat funding in 2025. This year’s FJFLC will be responsible for making a determination about eligibility for 2026 and beyond.
How will funding “remainders” be dealt with?
As you may be aware if you’ve previewed the ballot from 2024, you’ll notice that there is frequently no configuration of the finalists’ projects that will have us arrive exactly at the available funds for this year’s Track 1 grants.
- Once voting closes, the projects will be ranked based on the votes received.
- We’ll begin by allocating funds to the project receiving the highest amount of votes and will continue in order for each project.
- At some point as we go down the list, we’ll have some funds remaining but not enough to fully fund the next top-ranked project.
- If that remaining amount exceeds $1,000, the remaining funding will be awarded to the next top-ranking project that is willing to accept partial funding.
- If the remaining amount is under $1,000, that funding will be carried forward to the future Food Justice Fund grantmaking.
What are you looking for in the Project Overview section?
In the application, there is a 5-8 sentence Project Overview section. This intended to be a public-facing “sales pitch” that the community will read during the voting process. If your Track 1 proposal is advanced to the community voting phase, the response in this field will appear on the ballot as the description of your project. You are encouraged to explore the Sample Ballot to see how projects will appear to voters.
For Track 2 proposals, the Project Overview will be the main description of your project that the Food Justice Fund Leaders use to rank proposals and select awardees. You are still encouraged to use a persuasive “sales pitch” style that is easily understood by the general public.
What is an indirect cost?
Indirect costs are costs that cannot be directly attributed to a specific project. They are sometimes referred to as “overhead” or “costs of doing business”. This can include things like renting office space that’s used for more than just this one project or paying for a portion of a business’s insurance that covers all of its operations.
For the purposes of the Food Justice Fund in 2024, it is allowable to request a percentage of the budget for these costs, however indirect rates over 5-10% are discouraged. The voting public may or may not understand the concept of indirect costs so applicants are encouraged to make sure their response to the Use of Funds question helps folks understand why their project is a good value.

What are the reporting requirements?
Grantees are expected to provide the following in terms of reporting on their project’s outcomes:
- A story about the success of the project to be shared at the Food Justice Gathering in October 2024
- 3-5 photos or videos of your project to be shared with the SOFSA network
- Completion of a brief awardee survey to help improve the process for next year
What if my actual expenditures vary from those I proposed in my budget?
We know that actual expenditures may vary from those in the initially proposed budget. Within reason (and not to exceed 50% of the total award amount), grantees may shift costs to meet the realities of executing the project.
- All expenditures must be directly related to the community-approved project’s overarching goals or intent.
- Grantees must submit budget modification requests in writing to director@syrfoodalliance.org prior expending grant funds outside of the approved budget.
SOMETHING ELSE?
What if my question isn’t answered yet?
- Before February 26th, please plan to attend the Info Session or submit your question in advance via the online form.
- After that time, you will need to request individual application assistance to have your question(s) answered.