Danone Institute North America (DINA), a nonprofit foundation managed by Danone North America, has announced a request for proposals for its third DINA Sustainable Food Systems Initiative, formerly known as the “One Planet. One Health” Initiative. The biennial competitive grant is now open for submissions from eligible applicants in the U.S. and Canada. The 2023-2025 initiative will provide $260,000 in funding, its most significant contribution to date, to support up to five transdisciplinary teams committed to actionable projects that intersect community, human health, and environmental health.
Chosen grantees will be tasked with designing, implementing, and evaluating community-based projects that promote sustainable food systems and improve human health and nutrition over two years. Each of the five finalists will receive $50,000 to expand their project, with an additional $10,000 awarded to the team with the most robust communications plan in the fall of 2023.
Leslie Lytle, Ph.D., President of the Board of Directors at Danone Institute North America and Adjunct Professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill's Gillings School of Global Public Health, urged educators, researchers, and activists to submit proposals and share their vision for initiatives that integrate sustainable food systems with human health and nutrition. She emphasized the significance of DINA financing in supporting new initiatives, particularly in underserved regions, and assisting local leaders in transforming individual projects into long-term programs.
Applicant teams must have four individuals from various food-related disciplines: nutrition, health, economics, agriculture, local food access, and social, behavioral, or environmental sciences. No less than one team member is required to be a current academic faculty member.
Jess Haines, Ph.D., MHSc, RD, Associate Professor in the Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition at the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario, applauded the DINA Sustainable Food Systems Initiative for its assistance. Thanks to the financing, they assessed the impact of home food waste and implemented a four-week food waste reduction program in their community. Furthermore, the financial assistance enabled them to develop instructional materials to raise awareness about food waste, minimize spoiling, and encourage a more sustainable approach to healthy eating.
Photo by Scott Warman on Unsplash
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