Roots of hawaii

What Roots of hawaii does

Roots of Change is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating as a program of the Public Health Institute, headquartered in Oakland, California. Founded approximately in 2000 and now in its third decade of operation, the organization functions as a California-focused "think and do tank" on food and agriculture systems, combining policy advocacy with direct program implementation. Its stakeholder base spans state and local policymakers, farmers and ranchers, anti-hunger and nutrition advocates, low-income consumers, and philanthropic funders.

The organization's core programmatic assets include the Flipping The Table Podcast, the Pulse of the Food Movement Newsletter, the Vote for Your Food Campaign (a civic engagement initiative), and the Market Match Nutrition Incentive Program, which doubles SNAP benefits at participating California farmers markets. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Roots of Change scaled Market Match into the Let's Feed LA initiative, distributing $21.7 million in nutrition benefits to 29,500 Los Angeles families. The organization also operates newer initiatives including the San Joaquin Valley Heat project (SJV Heat) and a USDA-funded Growing GRASS program, indicating expansion into climate-resilient agriculture and farm viability work.

The business model is nonprofit: revenue is generated through donations, foundation grants, corporate partnerships (notably Whole Foods Market's 5% Day), and government funding from agencies including the USDA and California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). The organization does not charge for its media products and does not sell the Market Match program as a commercial service; it operates as a convening and grant-recipient intermediary. Leadership is provided by President Michael R. Dimock, and Roots of Change maintains institutional partnerships with the Public Health Institute, Wholesome Wave, and the LA Food Policy Council, among others.

Name

Roots of hawaii

Legal name

Roots of Change

Website

https://rootsofchange.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Roots of Change is a nonprofit program of the Public Health Institute that operates as a California food system "think and do tank," combining policy advocacy, coalition building, and nutrition incentive programs serving policymakers, farmers, and food-insecure families.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Policy Advocacy

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Community Food Services (624210)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Change Management & Transformation Consulting (BPAHAGAC), Community Health, Health Promotion & Behavior Change (SBCC) (BPADAIAL)

Keywords

• Food policy advocacy
• Nonprofit policy research
• Regenerative agriculture
• Nutrition incentive programs
• Food system consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland Mills

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: As a nonprofit organization under the Public Health Institute, Roots of Change relies on donations and grants to fund its operations. The organization accepts tax-deductible contributions and has received support from partners like Whole Foods Market's 5% Day program.
2. Whole Foods Market 5% Day Partnership: Whole Foods Market's quarterly Community Giving Day Program donates 5% of net sales to support Roots of Change's Healthy California Campaign and programs improving healthy food access.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Roots of Change is a nonprofit think and do tank that advances food system transformation in California through policy advocacy, coalition building, and program implementation. Its core offerings include the Flipping The Table podcast, the Pulse of the Food Movement newsletter, the Market Match Nutrition Incentive Program that makes fresh produce affordable for low-income families, and strategic planning consultation services for organizations developing food system strategies.

Product overview

Roots of Change is a nonprofit think-and-do tank that offers a portfolio of advocacy programs, communications platforms, and policy services focused on transforming California's food system. Core offerings include the Flipping The Table podcast (a long-running interview series on food and farming topics), the Pulse of the Food Movement newsletter, and the Vote for Your Food advocacy campaign. The organization also provides food system policy research and strategic planning consultation services, and created the Market Match Nutrition Incentive Program to improve access to fresh produce for low-income families.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Flipping The Table Podcast: A podcast about the future of food and farming, hosted by Michael R. Dimock and Coco Sanabria

Products and services

• Flipping The Table Podcast

Quantifiable outcome

• Delivered $21.7 million in nutrition benefits to 29,500 families during COVID-19 pandemic response
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wholesome WavecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2020ROC partnered with Wholesome Wave to bring nutrition incentive technology to under-resourced families in Los Angeles and Sacramento counties. Together they implemented the Let's Feed LA emergency food access program during COVID-19.
• Center for Wellness and NutritioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2020ROC partnered with the Center for Wellness and Nutrition (a PHI colleague) to undertake a major CARES Act funded COVID emergency food access program delivering $21.7 million in nutrition benefits.
• Whole Foods MarketminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 4 October 2018Whole Foods Market selected Roots of Change as beneficiary of their 5% Day quarterly Community Giving Day Program. The funds support ROC's Healthy California Campaign improving healthy food access and economic opportunities for small-scale organic producers.
• Public Health InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoots of Change is a program of the Public Health Institute (PHI), one of the largest global public health organizations, founded in 1964. PHI oversees projects ranging from individual grants to large multi-year, multi-site programs with national and international impact.
• Los Angeles Food Policy CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerROC was a close ally during the founding of the LA Food Policy Council in 2009-10, facilitating meetings and helping define the vision. ROC hosted the kickoff celebration and continues collaborative work.
• California Food Policy CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerROC supports and collaborates with the California Food Policy Council which released reports evaluating California's legislative record related to food and farming.
• California Department of Food and AgriculturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerROC leads the Resilient Food System Infrastructure Project in collaboration with CDFA to strengthen California's food system infrastructure.
• San Joaquin Valley CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerROC leads the San Joaquin Valley Collaborative to Protect Vulnerable Workers and Families from Extreme Heat Events (SJV Heat), addressing climate impacts on farmworkers.
• California Food Policy CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerROC co-hosts the annual Food & Farm Scorecard release with the California Food & Farming Network, tracking legislative voting records and honoring policy champions.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• ReFED: Data and policy nonprofit focused on food waste reduction and food system transformation; partial overlap with ROC's broader food system transformation remit, particularly around policy and coalition building.

Broad incumbents

• Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI): Long-established consumer advocacy and food policy nonprofit operating at national scale. Overlaps with ROC's policy and advocacy remit but at much broader scope and with longer operational history.
• Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): Major environmental advocacy organisation with significant work on sustainable agriculture, food waste, and climate-smart farming. Comparable to ROC's regenerative agriculture and food system agenda but at global scale and institutional depth.

Direct peers

• Center for Good Food Purchasing: Operates institutional food procurement standards used by schools, hospitals, and municipalities — closely aligned with ROC's policy-driven approach to transforming food systems from the institutional buyer side.
• Food Tank: A food policy-focused think tank that combines policy research with content and convening, mirroring ROC's 'think and do tank' positioning and long-form thought leadership content model.
• Fair Food Network: National nonprofit that operates the Double Up Food Bucks nutrition incentive programme, structurally analogous to ROC's Market Match programme, with both organisations working on SNAP produce incentives and federal nutrition policy.
• Wholesome Wave: Direct partner of ROC on Let's Feed LA and nutrition incentive technology delivery; Wholesome Wave operates similar produce incentive programmes nationally, making it a directly comparable nutrition access nonprofit.
• The Food Trust: Established food access nonprofit combining nutrition incentives, federal advocacy, and on-the-ground programmes; directly comparable mission scope on healthy food access with multi-state reach.

Regional players

• LA Food Policy Council: Regional food policy council co-founded with ROC's support that operates convening and policy advocacy functions in Los Angeles County — comparable niche player with overlapping stakeholder base.
• California Food and Farming Network: Coalition organisation co-hosting the Food & Farm Scorecard with ROC; provides comparable California-focused food policy convening and legislative accountability.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xbsky.app/profile/rootsofchange.bsky.social
• Facebookfacebook.com/rootsofchange
• Instagraminstagram.com/carootsofchange
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/roots-of-chage

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Roots of hawaii