Chicago Food Policy Action Council
Chicago Food Policy Action Council (CFPAC) is a public charity based in Chicago, Illinois. It supports food justice and food sovereignty through policy work and grantmaking, including financial and technical support for local farms and food businesses working to increase access to Good Food Purchasing Program-aligned food in the Metro Chicago region.
Chicago Food Policy Action Council at a glance
In short: Chicago Food Policy Action Council gave $1.6M across 27 grants in 2025 (avg $59K), mostly in Illinois. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,585,250
- +118.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 27
- +107.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $58,713
- +5.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $50,000
- Total assets
- $2,267,362
- +81.5% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Illinois (99% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Chicago Food Policy Action Council
- How to Apply
-
The 2026 application cycle is past. The fund website says applications are closed and directs prospective applicants to check back in 2027. The program describes eligibility for systemically marginalized local farmers and local food organizations or businesses aligned with GFPP values.
- Review Cycle
- September 8, 2026, for the past 2026 cycle.
- Deadline
- September 8, 2026, for the past 2026 cycle.
- Contact
Mailing address: 231 S Lasalle St 2100-005, Chicago, IL 60604
Phone: (773) 394-2136
Website: https://chicagofoodpolicy.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Chicago Food Policy Action Council funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Mother Carr's Farm ($120K). Together the top 10 received $885K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($65,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
66 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 34 grants of 66 (52%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The fund’s stated geographic scope is the Metro Chicago region. Eligible organizations must serve Suburban Cook County and/or Metro Chicago; the program describes locally based organizations with primary operations in Illinois and/or within 250 miles of Chicago, with a 500-mile limit for meat, poultry, and seafood. In 2025, 99% of reported grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois and 1% to recipients in Michigan.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 27 itemized grants.
Cities
How Chicago Food Policy Action Council gives
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $139K (2020) to $1.6M (2025). In 2025 it made 27 grants totaling $1.6M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Mother Carr's Farm Lynwood, IL | 2024 Community Fund grant disbursement | $120,000 |
| Real Foods Collective Maywood, IL | 2024 and 2025 Community Fund disbursements; GFPI Emergency Meal Funding | $111,000 |
| ChiFresh Kitchen Cooperative Chicago, IL | 2025 Community Fund Grant Disbursement | $95,000 |
| Fresher Together Chicago, IL | GFPI Community Fund 2024 and 2025 Grant Awardee Disbursement | $95,000 |
| Ditto Foods llc Mokena, IL | GFPI Community Fund 2024 and 2025 Grant Awardee Disbursement | $90,000 |
| Chicago Urban Farm Solutions LLC Chicago, IL | 2024 Community Fund Disbursement | $80,000 |
| Hope Center Blue Island, IL | 2024 and 2025 Community Fund Grant disbursement | $80,000 |
| Food Hero L3c Chicago, IL | 2024 and 2025 Community Fund Grant Disbursement; GFPI Emergency Meal Funding | $78,500 |
| Evanston Grows Evanston, IL | 2024 and 2025 GFPI Community Fund Awardee | $75,000 |
| 1 grant to individuals Recipients not named | — | $65,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The 2025 filing reports 27 grants; the 2024 filing reports 13, and the 2023 filing reports 9.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $2,267,362 | $4,949,285 | $4,167,770 | $1,585,250 | 27 | $7,748 |
| 2024 | $1,249,047 | $2,115,009 | $2,330,041 | $726,069 | 13 | $705 |
| 2023 | $1,425,590 | $1,779,619 | $1,896,910 | $424,750 | 9 | $154 |
| 2022 | $1,529,573 | $1,674,154 | $1,688,687 | $687,750 | 3 | $56 |
| 2021 | $1,547,669 | $2,876,352 | $2,404,249 | $1,584,663 | 14 | $78 |
| 2020 | $1,120,652 | $1,581,999 | $683,440 | $139,200 | 1 | — |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
CFPAC’s mission is to co-develop, facilitate, advocate for, and support implementation of policies that advance food justice and food sovereignty in Chicago and across the region. Its stated vision is a food system where Chicagoans can access healthy, culturally appropriate food produced through community-driven, ecologically regenerative, and economically viable processes.
Through the GFPI Community Fund, CFPAC supports systemically marginalized local farmers and food businesses working to increase access to Good Food Purchasing Program-aligned food. The fund’s stated priorities include local economies, sustainable practices, fair labor, animal welfare, nutrition, and access through institutions and community food sites.
The 2025 grantees illustrate the range of organizations supported. Real Foods Collective describes its mission as creating economic opportunity through food, community, and connection. Evanston Grows says it works to reduce food insecurity by increasing access to locally grown produce and building community connections. Just Roots Chicago describes work to expand access to local, sustainably grown and culturally relevant food. Urban Growers Collective says it addresses food-system inequities and structural racism through urban agriculture.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, CFPAC reported 27 grants totaling $1,585,250. Grant amounts ranged from $7,500 to $120,000, with a median of $50,000. Larger awards included $120,000 to Mother Carr’s Farm, $111,000 to Real Foods Collective, $95,000 each to ChiFresh Kitchen Cooperative and Fresher Together, and $90,000 to Ditto Foods LLC. The filing lists purposes including Community Fund disbursements and GFPI Emergency Meal Funding.
The GFPI Community Fund offers flexible financial and technical support. Its stated award range is $40,000–$80,000, with a maximum of $80,000 per organization or business per grant cycle. The program description says there is no matching or reimbursement requirement, funds are disbursed at the start of the grant period, and awardees co-create a budget and milestones with the fund manager. Application support described on the fund website includes one-to-one counseling, office hours, and language translation and interpretation services.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Anton Seals as president, Daniel Block as treasurer, Jose Oliva as secretary, and Rodger Cooley and Justin Prevost-Schultz as executive directors.
Chicago Food Policy Action Council is led by Rodger Cooley, Executive Director on every filing since 2020; 2 of 5 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Rodger Cooley
Executive Director
On filings since 2020
37.5 hrs/week
$72K (2020) → $135K (2025)
Justin Prevost-Schultz
Executive Director
New on the 2025 filing
37.5 hrs/week
$89K (2025)
Anton Seals
President
Board Member → President, 2021
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jose Oliva
Secretary
Board Member → Secretary, 2021
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$50 (2020) → $0 (2025)
Daniel Block
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Erika Allen (2020–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Kim Wasserman (2020–2022) — Board Member
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $135K, to Rodger Cooley (Executive Director). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Chicago Food Policy Action Council
How much does Chicago Food Policy Action Council give each year?
Chicago Food Policy Action Council gave $1.6M across 27 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $726K across 13 grants.
What is Chicago Food Policy Action Council's typical grant size?
Chicago Food Policy Action Council's median grant in 2025 was $50,000, and its average grant was $58,713, across 27 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does Chicago Food Policy Action Council give grants?
Chicago Food Policy Action Council gives mostly in Illinois: 99% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (15 grants).
Does Chicago Food Policy Action Council give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 27 grants with a stated purpose on Chicago Food Policy Action Council's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "2025 Community Fund Grant Disbursement" (6 grants), "2024 Community Fund Grant disbursement" (4 grants) and "2024 Community Fund Disbursement" (4 grants).
Who are Chicago Food Policy Action Council's largest grantees?
Chicago Food Policy Action Council's largest 2025 grantees include Mother Carr's Farm ($120,000), Real Foods Collective ($111,000) and ChiFresh Kitchen Cooperative ($95,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($65,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 21% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Chicago Food Policy Action Council?
Chicago Food Policy Action Council reported $2.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $4.9M.
What does Chicago Food Policy Action Council fund?
CFPAC’s mission is to co-develop, facilitate, advocate for, and support implementation of policies that advance food justice and food sovereignty in Chicago and across the region. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Chicago Food Policy Action Council?
The 2026 application cycle is past. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Chicago Food Policy Action Council's EIN?
Chicago Food Policy Action Council's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 30-0626664. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 11, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS June 24, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS July 25, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS September 17, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS August 12, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 16, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Chicago Food Policy Action Council funds
Food, Agriculture & Nutrition Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Chicago Food Policy Action Council's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Chicago Food Policy Action Council funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 21, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/chicago-food-policy-action-council-morg_ebf10c97e69a46588ed60db6205560ca
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_300626664_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Chicago Food Policy Action Council funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/chicago-food-policy-action-council-morg_ebf10c97e69a46588ed60db6205560ca},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-21. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Chicago Food Policy Action Council's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Chicago Food Policy Action Council down — hundreds of funders to go?