Danone Institute North America (DINA) has announced its fourth Sustainable Food Systems Initiative, offering its largest funding contribution of USD $410,000 split across eight grants. The nonprofit foundation is now accepting proposals from eligible applicants in the United States and Canada through February 14, 2025.
Danone North America, which manages DINA, stands as a leading purpose-driven food and beverage consumer packaged goods (CPG) company and Certified B Corporation. The company has established itself as a significant player in promoting sustainable food systems and nutritional health across North America.
Five grants will support transdisciplinary teams focused on improving adult population nutritional health. Through a new partnership with the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), an additional three grants will specifically target projects benefiting agricultural communities. Each team will receive $50,000 to support their initiatives.
“We encourage educators, researchers and activists interested in sparking innovation to apply and share their vision for actionable, transdisciplinary, community-based efforts that promote the nutritional health of populations across the adult lifespan,” says Leslie Lytle, PhD, President, Board of Directors, Danone Institute North America.
Danone: Project requirements and support
Prospective teams must include four members representing diverse disciplines related to food systems, including nutrition, health, economics, agriculture, community food access, and social, behavioral, or environmental sciences. At least one team member must be a current academic faculty member.
Beyond financial support, grantees will participate in a communications training workshop to effectively share their work across North America. An additional $10,000 will be awarded to the team presenting the strongest communications plan in fall 2025.
The initiative has already demonstrated impact through various projects since its 2019 launch. “The support we received from the DINA Sustainable Food Systems Initiative enabled our dedicated team to conduct real-world testing on the impact of household food waste and pilot a four-week food waste reduction program in our local community,” says Jess Haines, PhD, MHSc, RD, Associate Professor at the University of Guelph.
Past grants have funded innovative projects including food-upcycling programs for colleges, nutrition kits for food-insecure post-partum mothers, energy-efficient food production, and support for local food growers and farmers.
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