We Won a Food Justice Fund!
After a year and a half of advocacy, we are thrilled to share that $3 million was included in the City of Pittsburgh’s 2023 budget to create a Food Justice Fund. Thank you to everyone who testified at public hearings, attended Food Justice Fund Committee meetings, and helped to make this major victory possible! Now that funding has been secured, we will work with City Council to ensure that those funds are distributed through an equitable and transparent process that truly benefits those most impacted by inequities in access to affordable, healthy food.
What is the Food Justice Fund?
The Food Justice Fund is a way to invest in grassroots, community-led projects to address food apartheid. The following documents provide more detail on how the fund will operate.
update
Tier 2 Funding Recommendations Announced!
We’re excited to share that City Council has officially approved the Priority 1 Awards for the Pittsburgh Food Justice Fund! The FJF Governance Committee, made up of community-rooted volunteers and food systems experts, carefully reviewed nearly 100 applications and selected a final list of awardees to recommend for funding.
Grant Snapshot
A total of $1.5 million was awarded, with individual grants capped at $75,000. Funding will support activities like:
Distributing free food and meals
Supporting community gardens and nonprofit urban agriculture
Creating jobs and youth employment in food system-related fields
Council District Breakdown
Here’s how the funding was distributed across the city:
District 1 (Wilson): $77,682
District 2 (Kail-Smith): $135,000
District 3 (Charland): $122,681
District 4 (Coghill): $75,000
District 5 (Warwick): $180,800
District 6 (President Lavelle): $105,634
District 7 (Gross): $28,579
District 8 (Strassburger): $18,470
District 9 (Mosley): $393,753
Multiple districts: $152,764
Citywide projects: $209,645
Click here to download (pdf) the full list which is below of recommended organizations and allocations.
Organizations recommended for FJF funding
Abiding Missions
Ballfield Farm, fiscally sponsored by Perry Hilltop Citizens Council Ballfield Farm
Beechview's Eating Healthy, fiscally sponsored by Casa San Jose
Birth Your Way, fiscally sponsored by New Sun Rising
Farm to Table Buy Local
Fishers of Men Community Development Corporation
Friendship Community Presbyterian Church
Garfield Community Farm
Greentech Rising Organization Inc
Hilltop Urban Farm
I am Foundation
Involvemint Inc.
ISLAMIC CENTER OF PITTSBURGH
JADA House International
Larimer Consensus Group
Mwanakuche Farm Inc
Northside Food Pantry Advisors, fiscally sponsored by United Methodist Church Union
Out Of The End Incorporated
Petra Community Connections Garden, fiscally sponsored by Tamion Enterprises
Polish Hill Civic Association
POORLAW
PTA Pennsylvania Congress - Dilworth Traditional Academy PTA
The Octopus Garden, fiscally sponsored by New Sun Rising
TransYOUniting
Troy Hill Citizens
Unshakeable Motherhood Maternal Care in the Food Deserts, fiscally sponsored by New Sun Rising
Valley View Presbyterian Church
We Cook, We Eat, We Live, fiscally sponsored by New Sun Rising
West End P.O.W.E.R.
Wild Indigo Guild, fiscally sponsored by Pittsburgh Presbytery Wild Indigo Guild
Council Timeline Recap
Introduced: July 8
Committee Vote: Passed out of committee
Final Vote: Approved on Tuesday, July 22 (watch live)
Nonprofit partner New Sun Rising will manage the fund distribution. All awardees will now move into the contracting phase before funds are officially disbursed.