Cook County is cutting checks to the people who grow the region’s food. Nearly $700,000 in flexible grants is headed to 15 farms and food businesses across Metro Chicago, all aimed at getting more locally produced, culturally relevant meals into schools, hospitals and community meal programs. Each recipient will receive funding plus technical assistance to expand food hubs, build processing and distribution capacity and pursue stable institutional contracts, with organizers pitching the effort as a way to boost local economies while centering fair labor, humane animal treatment and sustainability.
Fifteen finalists were selected from more than 100 applicants and will receive awards ranging from $40,000 to $80,000 each. The Cook County Department of Public Health notes that seven of the grantees are based in suburban Cook County and that CCDPH directed $300,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds specifically to support those suburban awardees, according to Cook County Department of Public Health.
About the fund
The Metro Chicago Good Food Purchasing Initiative (GFPI) Community Fund combines flexible grant dollars with tailored technical assistance so historically excluded farmers and food entrepreneurs can meet institutional procurement standards and scale up their operations. “We’re investing in those who grow and produce our food to ensure everyone in our community has access to good, fresh, high-quality options,” Kaitlyn Poindexter said in the announcement, per Chicago Food Policy Action Council.
Selected awardees
The 15 grantees include Otter Oaks Farm (Woodstock), Food Hero (Little Village), ChiFresh Kitchen (Chatham), Evanston Grows (Evanston), Wood St. Collective (West Englewood), Sugar Arts Workshop dba Cakewalk Chicago (Beverly) and other community-rooted producers and processors. The county press release also highlights American Rescue Plan Act-designated recipients such as Mother Carr’s Farm (Lynwood) and Real Foods Collective (Maywood), reflecting a mix of city and suburban projects, according to Cook County Department of Public Health.
What the grants will pay for
Grant recipients plan to invest in expanded greenhouse and processing capacity, preservation kitchens and food-hub development so they can better reach institutional buyers and community meal programs. Funders including The Rockefeller Foundation and Builders Initiative joined Cook County’s ARPA contribution to underwrite the program and provide wraparound support for awardees, according to Chicago Food Policy Action Council.
The policy context
The awards are part of a broader push to align public purchasing with Good Food Purchasing Program values, including local economies, environmental sustainability, a valued workforce, animal welfare and nutrition, a framework Metro Chicago GFPI works to implement across institutions. Metro Chicago GFPI says the shift toward GFPP-aligned buying aims to create steady markets for small, mission-driven producers and to normalize “good food” purchases in schools, hospitals and county agencies, according to Metro Chicago GFPI.
“We’re committed to fully implementing the Good Food Purchasing Policy with the City of Chicago, its Sister Agencies, and the Cook County Government,” Metro Chicago GFPI states on its site. Organizers say the real test will be whether this combination of capital and customized training can turn one-time grants into steady institutional contracts and long-term revenue for small producers.
