CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute

What CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute does

The CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute (CUFPI) is a nonprofit research and policy organization founded in 2016 and housed within the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy at 55 West 125th Street, New York. It produces evidence-based research, policy briefs, and program evaluations aimed at advancing just, healthy, and resilient urban food systems, with a focus on reducing food insecurity, diet-related disease, and structural inequities in NYC. The institute engages government agencies (NYC Mayor's Office of Food Policy, NYC DOHMH, USDA), community organizations (City Harvest, GrowNYC, Hunger Free America), labor unions (32BJ SEIU, 1199SEIU), and academic partners (Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center, Teachers College Columbia) through research, advocacy, convenings, and workforce development initiatives.

Its core outputs include the CUNY Urban Food Policy Monitor newsletter, scholarly reports and policy briefs, Urban Food Policy Forums, the Doctoral Student Fellowship Program, a Student Internship Program, and the Good Food Jobs Project. The institute employs approximately 7 core staff (Director Nevin Cohen, Senior Faculty Fellow Nick Freudenberg, Managing Director Craig Willingham, Director of Policy Rositsa Ilieva, Director of Evaluation Katy Tomaino Fraser, plus research and communications staff) alongside roughly 17 faculty fellows spanning CUNY and external institutions. Its underlying technology stack is conventional research tooling — policy analysis, geospatial analysis (GIS), program evaluation, and community-based participatory research — rather than proprietary platforms.

The institute's revenue model is grant-funded philanthropy and government awards; it does not charge for publications, events, or fellowship participation. Funding flows from approximately 40+ sources including the USDA, NSF, NYC DOHMH, Robin Hood Foundation, New York State Health Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and William T. Grant Foundation, among others. As a public university-affiliated nonprofit, the institute operates under the State of New York through the CUNY Board of Trustees and is not subject to private equity or venture capital ownership.

Name

CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute

Legal name

CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute

Website

https://cunyurbanfoodpolicy.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute is a New York-based nonprofit research organization that produces evidence-based policy research, briefs, and program evaluations to advance equitable urban food systems, serving NYC government agencies, community organizations, labor unions, and academic partners through grant-funded work.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Policy Research

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421)

akta.pro primary industry

Nutrition & Food Security (Global Health) NGOs (HLAJAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nutrition Policy, Dietary Guidelines & Fortification Programs (HLAJAEAC), Nutrition & Population Health Integration (MCH Nutrition, Micronutrients) (BPADAIAF)

Keywords

• Food policy research
• Public health research
• Policy advocacy services
• Food security programs
• Research publications

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Institutional & Foundation Funding: The institute is funded through grants and donations from foundations, government agencies, and the host institution (CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy). Funders include Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, ASPCA, Fund for Public Health in NY, National Science Foundation, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York State Health Foundation, Robin Hood Foundation, United States Department of Agriculture, William T. Grant Foundation, and approximately 30 other organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CUFPI conducts research, produces policy briefs and reports, hosts public forums, and runs fellowship and internship programs focused on urban food policy. Its work addresses food insecurity, diet-related health disparities, food worker conditions, school food, and predatory food marketing in New York City and comparable urban contexts. Offerings are delivered free of charge to the public and made available through open-access publications and convenings.

Product overview

The CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute is a research and policy organization (not a commercial product company) that operates as a unified research institute focused on food policy. Its portfolio consists of publications including the CUNY Urban Food Policy Monitor newsletter and various research reports and policy briefs; educational programs including a Doctoral Student Fellowship Program and Student Internship Program; convening services through Urban Food Policy Forums and public events; and workforce development initiatives such as the Good Food Jobs Project. The institute also provides research and advocacy services to communities, governments, businesses, and social movements to address food insecurity and promote just, healthy, and resilient urban food systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CUNY Urban Food Policy Monitor Regular newsletter publication providing news, research highlights, policy analysis, and commentary on urban food policy issues affecting New York City and beyond. Includes editorials, research summaries, event announcements, and food policy advocacy updates; distributed to subscribers.
• Reports and Policy Briefs Scholarly reports and policy briefs documenting research findings on food policy, food security, nutrition equity, and urban food systems, including works such as 'Making CUNY a Place to Educate and Organize New York City Food Workers,' 'West Side Campaign Against Hunger: Digital Choice Online Ordering,' and 'Protecting Those Who Feed Us.' Available open-access on the institute's website for policymakers, advocates, journalists, and the public.
• Urban Food Policy Forums Public forum events bringing together researchers, policymakers, advocates, and community members to discuss food policy topics including municipal grocery stores, school food systems, diabetes prevention, and commercial determinants of health. Open to the public and free of charge.
• Doctoral Student Fellowship Program Fellowship program providing stipends for CUNY doctoral students to participate in institute research projects or develop dissertation projects with support from institute faculty and staff. Launched in Fall 2016.
• Student Internship Program Internship opportunities for students in areas including Food Equity Data and Dashboards, Food Labor and Workforce Development, Food Security, Food Advocacy, Food Policy Communications, and Food Program Evaluation, offered for Spring, Summer, and Fall terms; internships may carry academic credit through CUNY.
• Good Food Jobs Project Collaborative project focused on strengthening New York City's food workforce and empowering student food workers, including research on food worker wages, conditions, and training pathways, and assisting community development organizations to integrate workforce development and food programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Conducted research cited in major national and international media outlets including CNN, Washington Post, The Atlantic, NBC, and The Guardian on public supermarkets, food insecurity, and urban agriculture.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health PolicycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe institute is housed within the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, using its institutional infrastructure, faculty, and student body as a primary platform for conducting research and education on urban food policy.
• The Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education & Policy (Teachers College, Columbia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-develops the 'New York Food 2025' policy vision with the CUNY institute and other partners, producing joint reports and policy recommendations for NYC food system transformation.
• Hunter College NYC Food Policy CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates on the 'New York Food 2025' initiative and joint research projects examining urban food systems, food insecurity, and food policy governance in NYC.
• 32BJ / Service Employees International UnionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLabor union partner working with the institute on research and advocacy to support food worker rights and labor protections in NYC.
• City HarvestmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading food rescue organization partnering on evaluations of food access and security programming for NYC communities.
• Hunger Free AmericamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational anti-hunger advocacy organization co-producing reports on SNAP enrollment, pandemic EBT, and food insecurity with the institute.
• 1199SEIU Benefit FundsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on research evaluating a fully subsidized behavioral weight management program for healthcare workers, examining diabetes and obesity outcomes.
• The Brotherhood Sister SolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth organization collaborating on the Food Empowerment cookbook and community-based food justice initiatives.
• NYC Mayor's Office of Food PolicymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity government office working with the institute on data, research, and policy analysis to advance equitable food systems in New York City.
• NYC Department of Health and Mental HygienemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary government health agency funder and collaborator on food policy research, food environment analysis, and health equity initiatives.
• GrowNYCmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental and food access organization partnered on evaluations of food access and farmers market programming.
• Wellness in the Schools (WITS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit partner on the Chefs in the Schools (CITS) initiative, a public-private partnership advancing scratch cooking and healthy school meals in NYC public schools.
• Center for Science in the Public InterestmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational public health advocacy organization collaborating on food marketing research, ultra-processed food regulation, and federal child nutrition program policy.
• Community Food AdvocatesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNYC-based advocacy organization working on school food and anti-hunger policy, with board participation from institute faculty.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI): National nutrition and food safety advocacy organization; CUFPI collaborates with CSPI on food marketing research and federal child nutrition programs, reflecting overlapping mission.
• The Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education & Policy (Columbia University): Teachers College food policy center that co-produces NYC food system research and the "NYC Food 2025" agenda with CUFPI, sharing an NYC focus on food education and policy advocacy.
• UC Berkeley Food Policy Institute: Academic institute conducting food system and policy research with a strong urban planning and equity orientation, paralleling CUFPI's research approach.
• Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future: Academic center conducting food system research, policy analysis, and training from a public health lens; comparable mission, methods, and university-housed structure.
• World Food Policy Center at Duke University: University-based center producing independent policy research on global food systems; comparable academic food-policy research and convening model.
• Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic: University clinic producing research and policy recommendations on US food law and policy; comparable food-policy research and advocacy mission.
• Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center: NYC-based food policy research and education center within CUNY, co-founded by Nick Freudenberg; co-develops the "NYC Food 2025" initiative with CUFPI and pursues overlapping grants and policy influence.
• The Food Trust: Nonprofit focused on food access, nutrition education, and policy advocacy; shares CUFPI's focus on healthy food access for underserved urban populations.

Emerging players

• City Harvest: NYC food rescue and anti-hunger nonprofit for which CUFPI conducts program evaluations; an implementation partner rather than a research peer, but materially comparable on NYC food access and food security work.

Broad incumbents

• Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy: Large established nutrition policy school with deep government ties; operates at a much larger scale but covers overlapping territory on nutrition policy research and advocacy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cunyurbanfood
• Facebookfacebook.com/cunyurbanfoodpolicy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cufpi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute