Food

Overview

The State of Affairs

We all deserve healthy, nutritious food that is grown sustainably.

While our food system delivers extraordinary benefits, it’s also one of the largest contributors to environmental destruction today.

At the same time, people are becoming sicker from what they eat or from not having enough food, while the people who grow the food we eat face increasing challenges from extreme weather events, water availability, and food insecurity.

We need a food system that benefits all consumers, producers, and the planet on which we all depend. We know this is possible by evolving how we produce, purchase, distribute, and consume food.

Why It Matters

The way food is grown, distributed, and consumed has direct consequences for human health, farmer livelihoods, and the planet’s ability to sustain us.

0YearsYears
in increased life expectancy from healthy eating
0%%
return on investment for farmers transitioning to regenerative agriculture
0TonsTons
of CO2 can be sequestered through improved farming practices

The health of people and planet are linked

When food systems fail, the consequences are felt first by people — especially those most vulnerable to climate change and food insecurity.

What We Eat
Food has the power to cure, improve health, and increase education and financial opportunities. By supporting access to healthy, nourishing food, especially for the most vulnerable people, we can address diet-related conditions while also supporting the next generation.

How We Grow It
The health of people and planet are linked. By improving topsoil, limiting water use, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels, we can reverse the effects of climate change and build the resilience of our planet. Through adaptation, innovation, and improved agricultural practices grounded in modern science, indigenous knowledge and community expertise we can turn the tide.

Who Benefits
Everyone benefits — the 70% of farmers who are impacted by climate change, the hundreds of millions of children who go without school meals, the millions of people struggling with health conditions related to diet, as well as every human relying on a livable planet where they can thrive.

How We Respond

Our Strategy

1 Innovative Research: We support pioneering research in food science including, nutrition access, and agricultural practices informed by communities and tested with academic rigor to improve the quality of foods we eat and how we grow them. Read more about The Periodic Table of Food Initiative.
2 Evidence-Informed Approaches: We work to advance solutions that support farmers, reduce the burden of diet-related disease, and enable communities to thrive. Read more about our Food is Medicine Big Bet.
3 Scalable Solutions: We invest in solutions that connect and support regenerative food suppliers with sustainable markets, reaching the most vulnerable people in the U.S., Africa, South America and around the world. Read more about our Regenerative School Meals Big Bet.

Our Commitment

We have committed more than US$220 million to nutrition initiatives inspired by the food system visionaries, benefiting people, the planet, markets, jobs, and beyond.

This includes a ‘Big Bet’ of US$100 million to advance universal locally grown and regenerative school meals both in the United States and around the world; a ‘Big Bet’ of US$100 million to advance Food is Medicine solutions in the United States; and more than US$20 million for the Periodic Table of Food Initiative, which is providing standardized tools, data, and training to map food quality of the world’s edible biodiversity.

Current Actions

Initiatives

Food is Medicine

Unlocking the power and potential of good food to improve health outcomes

Food United States

Food System Vision Prize

An invitation to envision regenerative and nourishing food futures for 2050

Food Global

Regenerative School Meals

Putting children and farmers at the center of our food system

Food Africa

The Periodic Table of Food Initiative (PTFI)

Empowering data-driven solutions to food system challenges

Food United States

All food Initiatives

Related Grants

We’re committed to supporting a wide range of efforts across the globe in the area of food. Explore both current food-focused grants and those from within the past five years.

View Food Focused Grants

News from the Frontlines