Grants
What we fund
The New Jersey Food Fund supports nonprofit organizations and coalitions working to test and implement systems-level food security solutions across New Jersey. We fund work that goes beyond emergency food distribution —prioritizing efforts that build infrastructure, deepen partnerships, and increase access to healthy, culturally relevant food.
We do not fund individuals, for-profit or government entities, partisan organizations, capital campaigns, or inconsistent food distributions without a broader strategy for sustainability or systemic impact. Coalitions led by a nonprofit organization may include government or for-profit partners.
We support:
Coalition-building and cross-sector collaboration
Innovation at any point in the food security system
Capacity-building and operational improvement
Local agriculture-to-community connections
“Support from the New Jersey Food Fund has been instrumental in allowing The Food Trust to strengthen partnerships with local businesses and launch innovative new efforts, working to address upstream causes of food insecurity and strengthen the broader food system in Camden.”
– Nyssa Entrekin
Deputy Director of Nutrition Education
The Food Trust
Harvest the Future program
This cash grant program funds projects that test, build, or scale innovations that strengthen food security at its roots. Grantees work on coalition-building, shared systems and infrastructure, and linking locally-grown food to underserved communities. Examples include:
Real-time food rescue technology
Regional food security data tools
Rural home delivery systems
Collective purchasing strategies
New economic markets for local farmers
“The Fund’s investment was catalytic—it demonstrated the Coalition’s value to other funders and opened doors for deeper collaboration.”
– Robin Peacock
Executive Director
MEND Hunger Relief Network
On behalf of the Food and Health Equity Coalition of Essex County (FHEC)
Grant Navigator program
200+ proposals submitted
$1.3 million in external grant awards
Return on investment: better than 4 to 1
“The Grant Navigator support Loving Our Cities received through the New Jersey Food Fund was nothing short of transformational. We've built the systems and therefore the capacity to successfully research, respond to and reap grant awards.”
– Angela Brown
Executive Director
Loving Our Cities
Since our launch in 2024, we have:
New Jersey Food Fund Grantees
2024
Cathedral Kitchen
Center for Food Action
CUMAC
Food Bank Network of Somerset County
Ironbound Community Corporation
Jewish Family & Children's Service of Southern New Jersey
Loving Our Cities
Meeting Essential Needs with Dignity (MEND)
nourish.NJ
Toni's Kitchen
Food & Health Equity Coalition of Essex County (via MEND)
Foodshed Alliance
Mercer County Food Security Leaders
Princeton Mobile Food Pantry
REPLENISH
Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK)
2025
Camden Food Security Collective
(via Food Bank of South Jersey)
CareSparc Community Connections
Cathedral Kitchen
Center for Food Action
Communities Revolutionizing Open Public Spaces (C.R.O.P.S.)
Feeding Hands Food Pantry
Food Bank Network of Somerset County
Hoboken Community Center
Interfaith Food Pantry Network
Jewish Family & Children's Service of Southern New Jersey
Loving Our Cities
nourish.NJ
Ranch Hope
St. Joseph Social Service Center
Food Equity and Security Taskforce (F.E.A.S.T.) (via Interfaith Food Pantry Network)
New Jersey Community Kitchen Coalition (via Cathedral Kitchen)
Rise
Norwescap / C.R.O.P.S. / New Roots
Rutgers, the State University on behalf of its Cooperative Extension of Cape May County
St. Francis Community Center
Table to Table
The Food Trust
"Table to Table partners with businesses all along the supply chain, and we deliver rescued surplus food to hundreds of pantries and other community partners for free. This grant will be transformational as we invest in new technology to streamline our truck-based food rescue operations, helping us effectively match high volumes and diverse types of donated fresh food to our partners based on their capacity, needs, and community demographics. Our goal is to deliver the right foods, to the right communities, at the right times – providing nourishment and promoting food access and equity throughout northern New Jersey."
– Heather Thompson
Executive Director
Table to Table
“The funding allowed REPLENISH to glean incredibly valuable data in a meaningful and engaging way with our pantry partners. We are excited now to use this data along with our consultant as we develop actionable goals and deliverables to make an impactful change across Middlesex County.”
– Jennifer Apostol
Director
REPLENISH
“The expertise this program brought to us elevated our game and made our fundraising more rigorous.”
– Steve Katz
Executive Director
Food Bank Network of Somerset County
Current grantmaking cycle
Our most recent grantmaking cycle opened in September 2025. Organizations apply by invitation only, and this cycle, we expanded our invitation list to about 100 nonprofits and coalitions working in all 21 New Jersey counties.
Through our two core programs—the Grant Navigator program and the Harvest the Future program—we will continue investing in nonprofits and coalitions that are building equitable, long-term solutions to food insecurity across New Jersey.