Queer Food Foundation

What Queer Food Foundation does

Queer Food Foundation (QFF) is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization founded in 2020 in New York during the COVID-19 pandemic by Vanessa Parish (Executive Director) and Gabrielle Lenart. Its mission is to serve as a nationwide resource and platform for LGBTQIA+ individuals working across the food system, spanning culinary, food justice, community organizing, media, and hospitality. QFF promotes, protects, and funds queer food spaces, and over five years has featured more than 350 LGBTQIA2+ organizations, chefs, and leaders across its platforms.

QFF's product surface consists of seven core programs: the QFF Directory (an Airtable-based public directory of queer food professionals); Queer All Year (a multi-year virtual education panel series with the James Beard Foundation); the Queer Food Fund (a mutual aid resource redistributing donated funds to individuals, community fridges, and food distribution spaces serving Black Queer and Trans communities); the National Food Drive; Shared Space (networking events at the Specialty Food Association's Fancy Food Shows); the Space For Us safety planning zine; and the annual QFF Gift Guide. The organization runs on a donation-based revenue model (individual contributions, in-kind product donations, and mutual aid flows) with all services and resources provided free of charge to users.

The organization operates entirely on volunteer effort with 1-10 staff and plans to bring on its first paid employees as it grows. It is fiscally sponsored by the Alliance for Global Justice (a 501(c)(3)) and has cultivated strategic alliances with the James Beard Foundation, Bon Appétit Management Co., Resy, The Infatuation, MOFAD, MOMA, the Specialty Food Association, and the MORE! Coalition. QFF's go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, leveraging virtual panels, in-person networking, and organic social channels (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn) alongside earned media coverage in outlets including NBC News, TODAY, Plate Magazine, and Food Network.

Name

Queer Food Foundation

Legal name

Queer Food Foundation

Website

https://queerfoodfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Queer Food Foundation is a U.S. nonprofit founded in 2020 that supports LGBTQIA+ individuals in the food industry through a public directory, mutual aid funding, virtual panels, and community events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Community Advocacy Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (624210), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

akta.pro primary industry

LGBTQ+ Rights & Advocacy Organizations (BPAGAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Community mutual aid
• Food industry advocacy
• LGBTQIA+ community support
• Nonprofit community organizing
• Food justice resources

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: QFF accepts individual donations through their online donation platform to support programming, community outreach, and educational events.
2. Product Donations: The organization receives product donations which are used to extend reach and impact, providing assistance to those in need without increasing financial burden.
3. Queer Food Fund (Mutual Aid): Community mutual aid resource designed to provide support to those impacted by food insecurity in the Black Queer and/or Trans community. Funds are redistributed directly to individuals, community fridges, and other food distribution spaces.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Queer Food Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports LGBTQIA+ individuals working across the food system by promoting, funding, and connecting queer food spaces and professionals. It operates multiple free programs including the QFF Directory (community directory), Queer Food Fund (mutual aid for Black Queer and Trans food-insecure individuals), Queer All Year (virtual education panels with the James Beard Foundation), Space For Us zine, National Food Drive, Shared Space networking events, and the QFF Gift Guide.

Product overview

Queer Food Foundation is a nonprofit organization serving as a nationwide resource and platform for LGBTQIA+ individuals in the food industry. The organization operates multiple interconnected programs including the Queer Food Fund (mutual aid for Black queer and trans food insecurity), QFF Directory (community directory for queer food professionals), Queer All Year (virtual education panel series with the James Beard Foundation), Space For Us (safety planning zine), National Food Drive (resource distribution initiative), Shared Space (networking events at Fancy FoodShows), and the QFF Gift Guide. These offerings provide community building, advocacy, mutual aid, educational programming, and networking resources for queer food workers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Queer Food Fund: A community mutual aid resource designed to provide support to those impacted by food insecurity in the Black Queer and/or Trans community.
• Queer All Year
• Queer Food Directory

Products and services

• QFF Directory

Quantifiable outcome

• Featured over 350+ LGBTQIA2+ organizations, chefs, and leaders in food across platforms
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered major, flagship, core and minor.

• Bon Appétit Management Co.majorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Pride partner collaboration. Bon Appétit features QFF in cooking content and 2026 LGBTQ+ Pride Partner program, bringing visibility to queer food professionals and supporting the community through culinary programming.
• MORE! CoalitionflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022First-of-its-kind coalition of organizations with shared vision of a restaurant industry that's thriving, equitable, and enduring. QFF joined as a member alongside other industry changemakers to accelerate collective impact, drive innovative solutions, and advance economic mobility and workplace protections.
• James Beard FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Multi-year collaboration on 'Queer All Year' virtual education panel series celebrating LGBTQIA+ voices in food and hospitality. The partnership emphasizes year-round strategic engagement rather than seasonal Pride partnerships. Panels feature diverse topics including queer farmers, pastry chefs, restaurateurs, and cookbook authors.
• Alliance for Global JusticecoreOthers · 1 January 2020QFF is fiscally sponsored by Alliance for Global Justice, a 501(c)(3) organization. This arrangement allows QFF to accept tax-deductible donations and operate with institutional support while maintaining their programmatic independence.
• MOFAD (Museum of Food and Drink)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for food and queer bodies programming, featuring collaborative events and educational content exploring intersections of food culture and queer identity.
• ResymajorGTM or Marketing PartnerPress and feature partnerships showcasing queer-led restaurants and bars. Resy's editorial content highlights QFF community members and supports Pride programming.
• The InfatuationmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaboration on Pride Bake Sale events in NYC, Los Angeles, and Chicago supporting the queer food community. Multi-city events bring together queer bakers and food professionals.
• Specialty Food AssociationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerShared Space events at Fancy Food Shows, bringing together queer-owned food businesses and allies for networking and collaboration in the specialty food industry.
• Llama InnminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFundraising event collaboration, supporting QFF programming and community initiatives.
• Hop CultureminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for 'Beers Without Beards' virtual cooking class collaboration with New Belgium, featuring queer food content and community building.
• DriveChangeminorOthersListed as community partner supporting QFF initiatives and programming.
• MOMA (Museum of Modern Art)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity project collaboration with Open Art Space at MOMA, creating programming at the intersection of food and art.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stonewall Community Foundation: LGBTQ+-focused grantmaking foundation funding grassroots organizations in New York and beyond. Comparable to QFF as a queer-focused philanthropic intermediary that funder money to community groups, with overlapping funder and board constituencies.
• Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice: Global philanthropic foundation resourcing LGBTQI+ movements, particularly in the Global South and for intersex communities. Comparable to QFF as an LGBTQI+ grantmaking body supporting movement infrastructure, with an intersectional funding approach similar to QFF's Black Queer/Trans mutual aid.
• Food Tank: Nonprofit food systems think tank and advocacy organization focused on sustainable agriculture, food justice, and policy reform. Comparable to QFF as a food-system advocacy nonprofit that convenes communities, produces educational content, and partners with culinary leaders to drive change.
• God's Love We Deliver: New York-based nonprofit that cooks and home-delivers medically tailored meals to people living with serious illness, founded in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Highly comparable to QFF's queer food mission: a food-services nonprofit rooted in LGBTQ+ community history, donor-funded, and dependent on volunteer engagement.
• Food & Friends: Washington, DC-based nonprofit providing nutritious meals and nutrition services to people living with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other serious illnesses. Closely comparable to QFF as a mission-driven nonprofit operating at the intersection of food assistance and a specific affected community, with a similarly volunteer-and-donor-supported operating model.

Broad incumbents

• GLAAD: Largest US LGBTQ+ media advocacy organization. Comparable as a major LGBTQ+ advocacy nonprofit with strong media partnerships and brand recognition, but operates broadly across media and policy rather than within the food industry niche QFF serves.
• Outright International: LGBTQ+ human rights organization supporting advocacy groups worldwide. Comparable as a donor-funded nonprofit advancing LGBTQ+ rights and community resilience through grantmaking and capacity building, though with a global human-rights rather than food-industry focus.
• World Central Kitchen: Global nonprofit providing food relief after disasters and supporting community-led food programs. Comparable as a high-profile, donor-supported food assistance nonprofit with national and global reach, but operates at much larger scale and broader mission than QFF.
• Victory Fund: LGBTQ+ political organization that supports queer candidates and officials. Comparable to QFF as a major LGBTQ+ nonprofit leveraging community networks and donor support to drive representation, though focused on political rather than food-industry outcomes.
• National LGBTQ Task Force: National LGBTQ+ civil rights advocacy organization with a policy, training, and movement-building mandate. Comparable as an established LGBTQ+ advocacy nonprofit pursuing systemic change, but with broader scope and larger institutional footprint than QFF.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/QueerFoodFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/queerfoodfoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/queerfoodfoundation
• Xx.com/queerfood_

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Queer Food Foundation