Learn more about grants for sustainable agriculture by exploring Inside Philanthropy’s list of top sustainable agriculture funders below. Subscribers can also explore funders using our Grantfinder Search Tool. Become a member.
Key Funders
Sustainable Agriculture and Food System Funders
Funding Trends
For decades, leading American foundations invested big in large-scale agriculture, with an aim to increase food production and end hunger. Industrial agriculture has become a major source of greenhouse gas emissions that degrades soils, diminishes biodiversity and deprives many smaller-scale farmers of land and livelihoods. It has become clear that a more sustainable approach to agriculture is needed to combat climate change, and funders are shifting more resources to this area.
While funding for sustainable agriculture overall accounts for less than 1% of total giving, grants in this space have been gradually increasing.
Some funders make grants for sustainable agriculture out of concern for environmental conservation. Others are motivated by a focus on food systems, food access or health. Many donors make grants for sustainable agriculture through programs dedicated to Indigenous communities. Grantmakers come to sustainable agriculture from many directions, and they are not necessarily “agriculture funders.”
The biggest funder group in this space, Sustainable Agriculture and Food System Funders (SAFSA), which “amplifies the impact of philanthropic and investment communities in support of just and sustainable food and agriculture systems,” counts among its members agriculture funders as well as health-focused funders like the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, groups focused on Indigenous communities, such as the First Nations Development Institute, environmental grantmakers including Patagonia, and several community foundations, among many others.
For decades, big foundations like Gates and Rockefeller backed the Green Revolution, a technology-focused approach to agriculture intended to end hunger. But as the harmful impacts of industrial agriculture on the planet — and on small-scale farmers — have become clear, even longtime supporters of this approach are shifting resources to support more sustainable agriculture.
The field has seen a lot of growth and funding diversification in recent years. As IP has reported previously, citing interviews with experts at SAFSA, funders in this space are showing a “greater awareness of and desire to engage with underserved communities, community- and BIPOC-led organizations,” as well as addressing systemic racism in food supply chain issues, land access and traditional agriculture practices. Sustainable agriculture funding has also been moving toward addressing the over-subsidization of the largest and wealthiest farming operations in the U.S. As part of efforts to fuse agriculture with more equitable practices, more funding — as evidenced from several green regrantors, among others — has also flowed to creating access to Indigenous land and Indigenous farming practices amongst Native American populations.
Rockefeller, McKnight and Schmidt are among the foundations making grants for agroecology, which supports biodiversity and the knowledge and practices of smaller-scale, traditional, local farmers.
Another fast-growing area of agriculture philanthropy is regenerative agriculture, a holistic approach that considers how food systems impact everything from water to climate change. The donor collaborative Funders for Regenerative Agriculture (FORA), which first met in 2019, had more than 60 members by 2022. As the impacts of climate change multiply, many experts from SAFSA, and even the USDA, have sounded the alarms, citing a deep need for “more systemic solutions and approaches to climate mitigation through agriculture.” In this light, giving has been increasing for sustainable agriculture as it intersects with climate change funding.
Grantmakers in this sector also engage in advocacy relating to public policy and government funding, which has a huge impact on agriculture.
New entrants to sustainable agriculture and food systems include support from mega-donors like Jeff Bezos and the Walton Family.
Foundations for Sustainable Agriculture
11TH HOUR PROJECT
The 11th Hour Project fosters sustainable use of water, energy and food resources. It works to promote agricultural systems that are sustainable and economically just, and supports human rights projects that relate to the environment and intersect with energy, food and water systems.
ADAX & ORYX FOUNDATION
The foundation’s grants for sustainable agriculture address African nations, among other areas.
AGUA FUND
The Agua Fund’s grantmaking for sustainable agriculture focuses on Indigenous practices. Grants here are also tied to the fund’s environmental giving and Indigenous and racial justice work.
ANDERSON-ROGERS FOUNDATION
The Anderson-Rogers Foundation supports sustainable agriculture and food systems programs that promote “environmentally sound agricultural practices.” The foundation supports both small and large scale projects.
BARNWOOD FOUNDATION
According to tax filings, the Barnwood Foundation primarily and broadly funds grantmaking related to sustainable agriculture.
BEZOS EARTH FUND
Bezos Earth Fund is the climate funder created by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. It supports environmental conservation and justice, climate change and clean energy, marine and freshwater restoration, and animal and wildlife preservation.
DR. BRONNER’S FAMILY FOUNDATION
Dr. Bronner’s Family Foundation supports human rights, and immigrants and refugees, human rights, agriculture, animals and wildlife, and public health in places all over the world.
HOWARD G. BUFFETT FOUNDATION
The Howard G. Buffett’s food security focus area takes a conservation-based approach to farming practices and focuses on resource development for smallholder farmers in least developed countries.
CERES TRUST
The Ceres Trust supports the environment, climate change resiliency, animals and wildlife, film and sustainable agriculture in Hawaii, the Upper Midwest and Central California.
HARRY CHAPIN FOUNDATION
Chapin’s grantmaking for sustainable agriculture is broad and focused on education.
CLIF BAR FAMILY FOUNDATION
The foundation’s environmental giving operates the programs Food Systems and Sustainable Agriculture.
CLIMATEWORKS FOUNDATION
The ClimateWorks Foundation supports climate change efforts through various programs, some related to sustainable agriculture and food systems, and grantmaking in places all around the world.
CONSERVATION, FOOD AND HEALTH FOUNDATION
The foundation supports projects that "promote or develop specific sustainable agriculture practices with potential to advance science and practice in other countries."
JOHN DEERE FOUNDATION
Deere’s funding in this space works to expand application of agricultural best practices.
CORNELL DOUGLAS FOUNDATION
The foundation broadly supports the sustainable production of food, as wells as education about agriculture.
JOHN AND ANNE DUFFY FOUNDATION
Grantmaking is broad here and favors established organizations.
EARTHWATCH INSTITUTE
This is a unique environmental funder that is committed to climate change across all of its giving areas, including sustainable agriculture.
FOUNDATION OF DEEP ECOLOGY
The foundation’s Ecological Agriculture grants support “pioneers in sustainable agriculture.”
JOHN AND MARY GEISSE FOUNDATION
The foundation’s sustainable agriculture funding tends to focus on supporting rural farming practices, but grantmaking is still new and evolving in this area.
GENERAL MILLS FOUNDATION
The foundation’s agriculture funding aims to “strengthen the food growers from which we source key ingredients,” and focuses on the protection of pollinator habitats and watershed areas and the improvement of soil health.
WALLACE ALEXANDER GERBODE FOUNDATION
Gerbode’s environmental program has recently begun to fund programs involved in sustainable agriculture and food systems, naming “access to healthy food” as an area of interest.
GIVE2ASIA
Sustainable agriculture is a newer funding area for this funder. It has funded sustainable farming and fishing practices.
T.S. AND K.D. GLIDE FOUNDATION
With roots in farming and ranching, the Glides give broadly in this area.
GLOBAL GREENGRANTS FUND
Greengrants has worked extensively with organizations in rural and developing areas of the world on efforts to promote soil conservation and sustainable farming methods.
GREENBAUM FOUNDATION
The Greenbaum Foundation funds sustainable food systems, specifically funding organizations that promote plant-based diets for their sustainability and health benefits.
GEORGE HANLEY FOUNDATION
Grants for sustainable agriculture are broad and are tied to creating a clean economy.
HILLSIDE FOUNDATION
The Hillside Foundation primarily funds Jewish causes, but also support STEM education, health and more. The foundation's philanthropy centers around the Mid-Atlantic region, particularly the D.C. area.
IKEA FOUNDATION
IKEA’s grants in this space focus on the intersection of rural farmers in the developing world and multiplying risks brought on by climate change.
KALLIOPEIA FOUNDATION
The Kalliopeia Foundation supports programs that address the overlapping issues of Indigenous rights, racial justice, equity, sustainable agriculture and environmental conservation in U.S.
KATALY FOUNDATION
The Kataly Foundation supports racial equity and indigenous rights, environmental and climate justice, sustainable agriculture, public health and economic development as these issues relate to communities of color.
LAZAR FOUNDATION
Sustainable agriculture is an emerging interest for the Lazar Foundation.
MARS WRIGLEY FOUNDATION
This foundation invests in transformative and regenerative farming practices that will help the next generation of farmers.
MERCK FAMILY FUND
It funds “programs in low-income urban areas that are harnessing the power of young people to create urban farms and local markets.”
ORSKOV FOUNDATION
Orskov’s student grants and community projects uniformly fund projects that support agricultural innovation toward the sustainability, longevity and prosperity of farms in developing areas of the world.
PACE ABLE FOUNDATION
The agriculture program supports organizations that help poor farmers in developing nations to adopt methods and technologies that enhance the productivity and profitability of their farms.
DAVID AND LUCILE PACKARD FOUNDATION
The Packard Foundation also funds conservation via its Agriculture Livelihoods and Conservation program, which supports the involvement of farmers and other small business owners who depend on natural resources in efforts to conserve and protect lands and ecosystems from destructive use and development.
PANTA RHEA FOUNDATION
The program was established in 2016 to support “leaders and organizations around the U.S. and the world fighting for food systems that foster thriving communities, promote dignity and racial equity, and regenerate natural resources. Much of the foundation’s work in this area has been collaborative.
PEPSICO FOUNDATION
Pepsico’s nutrition funding aims to alleviate pervasive hunger by supporting organizations that provide health food to people in need and supporting initiatives for “long-term food security.”
POLLINATION PROJECT
The project has given to initiatives for sustainable agriculture and food through its Health and Wholeness and Environmental funding programs.
IRWIN ANDREW PORTER FOUNDATION
The Porter Foundation prioritizes sustainable agriculture projects that partner with small-scale farms and indigenous and nomadic peoples to combat hunger though the adoption of sustainable agriculture.
PRN ALUMNI FOUNDATION
The foundation invests in sustainable urban farming, amongst other interest areas.
PURLEY OVERSEAS TRUST
Sustainable agriculture appears to be a growing area of interest for Purley. The trust’s interests in this area are evolving.
SWIFT FOUNDATION
The foundation funds issues related to rural sustainable farming from a variety of perspectives.
FLORA L. THORNTON FOUNDATION
The Flora L. Thornton Foundation typically awards grants to organizations operating in large metropolitan areas in the United States, particularly within the Los Angeles area.
THOUSAND CURRENTS
A significant portion of this funder’s climate change grantmaking supports initiatives that promote sustainable agriculture, water management and the limitation of fossil fuel extraction from indigenous lands.
THRESHOLD FOUNDATION
The foundation works to mitigate climate change through the management of “farms, ranches and other landscapes so we pull carbon out of the air and return it to soils and living systems.”
TOMKAT FOUNDATION
The TomKat Foundation’s giving for sustainable agriculture and food systems prioritizes sustainable animal agriculture, the removal of obstacles to the processing and distribution of healthy foods, the preservation of lands for sustainable farming and ranching, and increasing the availability of healthy and sustainable foods to underserved communities.
VERE INITIATIVES
Vere Initiatives is the philanthropic vehicle of Dirk and Natasha Ziff. It supports environmental causes and, to a lesser extent, journalism, democracy and place-based initiatives.
WALLACE GENETIC FOUNDATION
This foundation’s sustainable agriculture giving overlaps with it’s goals for global development and climate change.
WAVERLEY STREET FOUNDATION
The Waverley Street Foundation plans to distribute $3 billion in grants to organizations working at the intersection of climate change, conservation and racial and indigenous justice by the year 2035.
WILD GEESE FOUNDATION
Its community-based food justice funding primarily benefits organizations in Massachusetts that work to create sustainable agriculture and to expand access to affordable and healthy food.
WOODCOCK FOUNDATION
The Woodcock Foundation has demonstrated strong interest in supporting the development of sustainable food systems and agriculture over the past several years.
