School & Students for New England's Food Future
Read, share, and download an overview of our new 2030 plan.
Download the PDFOur food systems work began in 2011, inspired by conversations with nonprofit leaders, farmers and processors, policymakers, fishermen, consumers, and our peers in philanthropy. With the New England Food Vision as our guide, we aligned our grant-making strategy to help the regional food supply chain.
Over the last decade, we have witnessed the evolution and expansion of farm to school programming in each New England state alongside complementary momentum in local food purchasing by institutions, retail grocers, and restaurants. Most states now have food system plans and coordinated networks, local food promotion policies, and robust state agency teams. Local sourcing is more common at colleges, universities, and K-12 schools and many have invested in infrastructure, staff training, and student engagement programs.
While progress has been significant, the 2022 New England food count revealed that only 3.1% of New England’s $120.6 billion in food, beverage, and alcohol expenditures were directed toward local and regional products.
With this goal now uniting and motivating the region’s food system leaders, we paused to consider how we might modify our approach over the next five years to not only support this effort, but to help revitalize a New England Food Vision beyond 2030.
The next five years present us with an opportunity to step up with greater urgency and support initiatives designed to build a lasting, resilient, and regional food system.
The Process
In February 2024, our team initiated a 2025-2030 action plan development process. The objectives in this planning process included uncovering the greatest opportunities for change, learning from our stakeholders, and testing our assumptions.
The first phase involved listening to and learning from over 50 stakeholders about the challenges and opportunities within the region’s food system.
Through in-person and remote conversations, attending gatherings, and connecting with trusted partners as well as stakeholders who are new to us, we received a significant amount of information and heard varied perspectives.
With this information in hand, we turned our attention inward to review our vision, values, programs, objectives, and budget. During July and August, we employed a SOAR analysis – a strategic planning technique designed to help organizations assess their strengths and opportunities and envision future aspirations and outcomes.
In early September, we convened to review our findings, reach consensus on a recommended path forward, and to develop this plan.
The process confirmed much of what we understood about how change happens, deepened relationships with regional leaders and stakeholders, and identified strategic opportunities that fit our strengths and size as a foundation.
Our Focus
We are committed to supporting visionary leaders – individuals, organizations, and initiatives – that drive measurable progress toward the goal of producing 30% of our food in the region by 2030.
We see educational institutions, ranging from K-12 to higher education, as pivotal leaders in this regional food system transformation, leading the way by sourcing and serving local foods and engaging students in the importance of fresh, sustainable, and locally produced food, fostering a new generation of informed consumers and advocates.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR 2030 ACTION PLAN
Key Themes
As we looked to 2030 and beyond, three themes emerged that will influence our work in the coming years:
Climate Change
In the past several years, we have seen increasingly dramatic weather events and New England farmers have borne the brunt of their impacts. From droughts in one year to flooding in the next, the already difficult enterprise of providing our food is even more threatened by frequent and harsh impacts of a changing climate.
Strengthening Regional Supply Chains
While we are primarily focused on the educational institution’s role in the region’s supply chain, we will seek ways to provide further resilience in that supply chain, all the way back to the farmer.
Equity
Our approach will include investments in organizations, networks, and projects that actively pursue a more equitable food system and a commitment to prioritizing students and communities with limited access to fresh, regionally produced food.
Our Programs
Our 2025-2030 programs support new and expanded regional supply chain coordination, foster leadership development and networks, increase awareness and mobilize participation in the 30% by 2030 goal, and advance policy and public priorities.
The New England Food Vision Prize
5 MORE YEARS! The Prize is an open invitation for educational institutions and key partners to think boldly about their school nutrition and dining programs. It encourages innovation from farm to tray with scratch cooking, culturally-relevant foods, increased regional procurement, student engagement, and regional collaboration.
We consider this program to be among our most impactful. Since the launch of the Prize, thirty-six teams across New England have increased regional sourcing in partnership with 650 schools, reaching 320,000 of the region’s students.
Grant Opportunities
Our invitation-only grant programs support organizations, projects, people, and programs that create notable increases in local food procurement and sourcing at educational institutions. Grant programs also strengthen regional and state organizations that excel in mobilizing networks and support long-term systemic change through revitalizing the regional food vision, advancing leadership development, and influencing policy change.
Our 2025-2030 grantmaking invitations will focus on work in the following areas:
NEW! School Supply Chain Coordination
This grant program will support schools and campuses, along with their supply chain partners, in their efforts to increase local and regional sourcing in their dining and school nutrition programs.
NEW! Farm to School & Campus Leadership
This new grant program will support the growing number of emerging farm to school leaders throughout New England – ranging from teachers and school wellness experts to school nutrition directors and campus sustainability coordinators– through Farm to School Institutes, workshops and trainings, and professional development programs.
RENEWED! Farm to School & Food System Networks
Support for state and regional farm to school and food system networks that serve as critical hubs for resources, relationship building, advocacy, and mentorship.
Measuring Success
The success of our 2030 plan will be measured on three tiers, from high-level regional self-reliance data to metrics measuring the local impact of our grant making programs.
Local Impact
Farm to School Supply Chain Coordination grantees report year-over-year increases in farm to school sourcing and sales initiatives.
State-level Impact
Annual food system funding from state and federal sources is adding financial resources and capacity at the regional, state, and local levels.
Farm to School Institutes are well supported, and participation by school teams grows each year.
Regional Impact
A refreshed vision for the New England food system is now being integrated into state and regional planning, organizational goal setting, and mobilization efforts.
Year-over-year increases in the spending on regionally-sourced products by New Englanders across all market channels and regionally-sourced products at schools and campuses across New England.
By 2030, our goal is to reach 30% of New England’s schools and students through our work with partners, grantees, and regional stakeholders.
Opportunities to Connect
Join our mailing list
Receive the 2025 New England Food Vision Prize announcement and request for letters of interest! Announcement coming in early April.
Come say hello at the Farm to Institution New England Summit
April 7-9th, 2025 in Portland, Maine. We’ll have an exhibitor table and would love to meet you.
Learn more.
Are you a funder, individual, or public agency looking to collaborate?
Please reach out to Beth Zschau, Sr. Program Officer via info@kendall.org.
Our team attends most regional food system gatherings and events, and we are always open to meeting new potential grantees. Please feel free to seek us out at these gatherings and introduce yourself. We look forward to meeting you!