Food First

What Food First does

Food First (legally the Institute for Food and Development Policy) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1975 in Oakland, California by Frances Moore Lappé and Joseph Collins. It operates as a 'people's think tank' with a mission to end the injustices that cause hunger, structured around three interrelated work areas: research, education, and action. Its target audience comprises grassroots activists, social movements, alliances, and coalitions working on systemic food system change, with secondary audiences in academia and policy advocacy.

The organization's core offerings include a Publications Program (over 60 books, hundreds of articles, backgrounders, policy briefs, and reports), a Fellows Program for early-career food sovereignty leaders, a Seed + Grant Program funding grassroots movements, a Webinars series, a monthly Food Sovereignty Digest newsletter, and a graphic novel on amplifying grassroots voices. It maintains a network of activist-scholars and strategic partnerships with organizations including La Via Campesina, the US Food Sovereignty Alliance, the Climate Justice Alliance, and Planting Justice. Revenue is generated almost entirely through donations — one-time gifts, monthly Sustainer's Circle contributions (starting at $3/month), legacy/planned giving, stock gifts, and workplace giving programs (CFC #11952) — with no product sales or fee-for-service revenue model. The organization employs a small dedicated staff (11-50) collaborating with board members, fellows, interns, and contributing authors, and operates globally despite a single Oakland HQ.

Name

Food First

Legal name

Institute for Food and Development Policy

Website

https://foodfirst.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Food First (Institute for Food and Development Policy) is a 501(c)(3) 'people's think tank' founded in 1975 that produces food justice research, publications, and programs to support grassroots activists and social movements working to end the injustices that cause hunger.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Justice Advocacy and Research

akta.pro primary industry

Food Systems & Value Chain Development for Nutrition (BPADAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD)

Keywords

• Food justice advocacy
• Food sovereignty research
• Nonprofit publications
• Agricultural policy analysis
• Grassroots organizing

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: Food First operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that relies primarily on charitable donations from individuals. They accept one-time gifts, monthly donations (Sustainer's Circle starting at $3/month), and various planned giving options.
2. Legacy Donations: Planned giving options including giving appreciated assets (stocks, bonds, real estate), naming Food First in wills, giving life insurance, pooled income funds, and IRA/qualified retirement plan donations.
3. Stock Donations: Donors can transfer appreciated stock to Food First, allowing them to avoid capital gains tax while making a larger tax-deductible gift.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Food First is a nonprofit research and advocacy organization that produces publications, educational programs, fellowships, and grants to advance food justice and food sovereignty. Operating as a "people's think tank," it combines action-oriented research with direct support for activists, social movements, alliances, and coalitions working for systemic change in food systems globally.

Product overview

Food First (Institute for Food and Development Policy) operates as a nonprofit 'people's think tank' offering a suite of educational and advocacy products centered on food justice and food sovereignty. The core offerings include the Publications Program (books, backgrounders, policy briefs), the Fellows Program for early career activists, the Seed + Grant Program supporting grassroots movements, educational Webinars, and the Graphic Novel on grassroots voices in food justice. These products work together to provide research, education, and action resources that help citizens understand the global food system and engage with food sovereignty movements worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Publications Program Food First's publication program produces over 60 books and hundreds of articles, backgrounders, policy briefs, development reports, and academic publications exposing root causes of hunger and amplifying voices of food justice movements. Available to the general public and used widely as undergraduate course adoptions.
• Fellows Program A program for early career thought leaders dedicating their careers to supporting grassroots struggles and advancing the global movement for food sovereignty. Fellows become part of Food First's network of activist-scholars.
• Seed + Grant Program
• Webinars
• Graphic Novel: Amplifying Grassroots Voices in Food Justice A graphic novel reflecting findings from the WriteShop Research Study, demonstrating how Indigenous and minority food growers and food system advocates can achieve a world without hunger. Created in collaboration with Planting Justice.
• Food Sovereignty Digest Newsletter

Quantifiable outcome

• Published over 60 books and hundreds of articles and research reports

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Qachuu AloomcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 November 2025Partner spotlight featured in Food First's November 2025 newsletter. Qachuu Aloom is a partner organization working on food sovereignty initiatives.
• Planting JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlanting Justice is an abolitionist organization in East Oakland that has created 250 jobs and employed 140 formerly incarcerated people. Food First collaborated with Planting Justice on the 'Amplifying Grassroots Voices in Food Justice' graphic novel project and ongoing partnership.
• La Via CampesinacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational peasant movement whose call for Food Sovereignty has captured the political imagination of peasants, family farmers, indigenous people, gardeners, food activists and academics around the world. Food First's program 'Building the Global Movement for Food Sovereignty' analyzes and amplifies the food sovereignty movement.
• Climate Justice AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition building for Just Transition. Food First's work supports the movement for Just Transition which centers those most impacted by climate change as leaders in shifting from extractive economy to regenerative one.
• US Food Sovereignty Alliance (USFSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of organizations working on food sovereignty. Food First participates in statements and initiatives through this alliance.
• SOCLA North AmericaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific society for agroecology (Soci Latino Americana de Agroecologia) - North America chapter. Food First engages with this academic network for agroecology research and knowledge sharing.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Heifer International: Heifer International is a large, established nonprofit working globally on hunger and sustainable agriculture. Comparable broad food systems focus but operates at much greater scale via direct programmatic interventions rather than research/advocacy.
• Oxfam America: Oxfam America addresses hunger and inequality as part of a broader global poverty and justice mandate. Comparable in food justice advocacy and systemic-change framing, but operates at far larger scale with broader portfolios.

Direct peers

• ETC Group: ETC Group is an international advocacy organization addressing the socio-economic and ecological impacts of new technologies, including agroecology and corporate food system concentration. Comparable in its research-advocacy mix and critique of corporate food power.
• WhyHunger: WhyHunger is a U.S. nonprofit focused on ending hunger and poverty by supporting grassroots movements and advocating for systemic change in the food system. Directly comparable mission and movement-oriented advocacy model.
• Food Tank: Food Tank is a nonprofit food policy and research organization that produces research, articles, and events on food systems, sustainability, and justice. Highly comparable as a think tank-style advocacy organization focused on global food issues.
• Bread for the World: Bread for the World is a faith-based advocacy nonprofit focused on ending hunger through U.S. policy change. Comparable as a hunger-focused advocacy organization, though more policy-lobby oriented than Food First's research frame.
• ActionAid USA: ActionAid USA is part of an international federation focused on poverty and food justice with movement-supporting programs in the Global South. Comparable international food justice advocacy footprint and community-led model.
• Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP): IATP is a nonprofit policy think tank working on fair food systems, trade policy, and agroecology. Comparable as a research and advocacy organization with overlapping priorities in food sovereignty and corporate accountability.
• GRAIN: GRAIN is an international nonprofit supporting small farmers and social movements for community-controlled, biodiversity-based food systems. Directly comparable in its focus on food sovereignty and grassroots movement support.

Regional players

• Community Food Advocates: Community Food Advocates is a New York-based nonprofit focused on city-level food policy and anti-hunger advocacy. Comparable advocacy approach but primarily regional in scope rather than global.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/foodfirstorg
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/FoodFirstVideo
• Facebookfacebook.com/FoodFirst
• Instagraminstagram.com/foodfirstorg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Food First