The LA Food Equity Fund: Cultivating a More Just and Sustainable Food Future for Los Angeles County

The LA Food Equity Fund: Cultivating a More Just and Sustainable Food Future for Los Angeles County

Los Angeles County, a region celebrated for its vibrant and diverse culinary scene, also grapples with stark food inequities. While some neighborhoods boast abundant access to fresh, healthy food, many others struggle with limited options, contributing to diet-related health issues and economic disparities.

The LA Food Equity Fund, an intermediary project led by Community Partners in partnership with the LA County Chief Sustainability Office, has awarded over $20 million in grants to 78 organizations to alleviate food and nutrition insecurity across Los Angeles County. With American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, this initiative builds on the Los Angeles Food Equity Roundtable’s Action Plan to create a more sustainable and resilient food system.

“The LA Food Equity Fund represents a bold and ambitious vision seeking to address food system inequities and create a more sustainable future for our region,” said Phyllis Owens, Vice President, Intermediary and Strategic Partnerships, Community Partners. “We’re proud to draw on our experience supporting community-based organizations and designing more equitable grantmaking programs.”

As highlighted by evaluators A-Cubed Consulting in The LA Food Equity Fund’s newly released Six-Month Interim Report, grantees have already made significant achievements. For example, food distribution grantees hosted events across the five Supervisorial Districts in LA County to distribute food and essential household items:

• 9,000 food and essential household items were distributed to residents in need
• Over 66,000 community residents were reached by food distribution efforts, gaining access to much-needed food and other resources such as personal hygiene products and diapers.

Other grantee milestones include:

• SÜPRMARKT distributed over 35,000 pounds of organic produce to communities in South Central Los Angeles and opened the area’s first vegan grocery store.
• Partnership for Growth LA taught students gardening and soil science through their Young Growers Program, strengthened partnerships, and increased food sharing.
• Chinese Christian Herald Crusades launched a nutrition column in Herald Monthly, reaching 15,000 readers with healthy eating tips and recipes.
• Impact Justice, addressing food equity and reentry, partnered with five organizations to deliver trauma-informed nutrition education and integrated food distribution sourced from local farms.
• Prosperity Market supports Black farmers, chefs, and entrepreneurs, expanded online shopping hours, added weekly delivery with an extended radius, and launched nationwide shipping.

The LA Food Equity Fund has awarded over $20 million to 78 organizations, 45 in the first cohort and 33 in the second cohort, to address food and nutrition insecurity across Los Angeles County. The funding supports initiatives in strengthening food systems, nutrition promotion, public benefits enrollment, and food distribution, prioritizing high-need communities and strategic alignment. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, the newly released six-month evaluation highlights several key impact learnings from the first cohort of 35 capacity-building grantees and 10 food distribution grantees.

“We have successfully provided scholarships for Health Educator Trainings, collaborated with key networks to expand our reach, and enhanced our website to improve user experience and engagement. Additionally, we are piloting new software to streamline care coordination and implementing technology solutions to enhance efficiency within our team. These initiatives have strengthened our organization’s infrastructure and positioned us for long-term sustainability and growth.”

– FEAST, Inc. (Capacity-building grantee, LA Food Equity Fund)

Additional report highlights include the Roundtable’s Action Plan, where capacity-building grantees addressed multiple goals:

1. 19% improved the affordability of healthy foods
2. 59% increased equitable accessibility to healthy foods
3. 41% built market demand and consumption of healthy foods
4. 43% supported sustainability and resilience in food systems & supply chain

This transformative fund aims to dismantle systemic barriers and build a more equitable and sustainable food system for all in LA County. By strategically investing in community-led solutions, the LA Food Equity Fund is empowering local organizations to address the root causes of food insecurity and promote a healthier, more resilient future for the region.

Learn more about the LA Food Equity Fund Six-Month Interim Report.