The Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge, hosted by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) and funded by the Seeding The Future Foundation, invitations scientists, engineers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and multidisciplinary groups to submit transformative improvements that tackle vital challenges within the international meals system. The Challenge seeks to encourage developments in three intersecting domains:
- Nutritious Food for a Healthy Diet
- Sustainably Produced Food
- Accessible, Affordable, and Trusted Food for Consumers
With a mission to speed up the tempo of innovation, the Challenge envisions a worldwide meals system that ensures equitable entry to secure, nutritious, inexpensive, and interesting meals whereas enhancing planetary well being.
Key Information
Eligibility
Eligible candidates embrace:
- Non-profits globally
- Academic or analysis establishments
- Small or rising for-profit firms
Note: Individuals can’t apply straight. However, groups of scholars or researchers could take part as a part of their college or analysis establishment’s submission. Organizations forming groups should designate one as the first applicant.
Excluded candidates embrace:
- Large for-profit entities with important monetary property
- Organizations situated in nations underneath U.S. sanctions (e.g., Cuba, Iran, Syria, North Korea)
Awards Overview and Timeline
The Challenge awards Seed Grants, Growth Grants, and Grand Prizes based mostly on the innovation’s growth stage, impression potential, and alignment with the mission.
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Seed Grants
- Application Deadline: January 6, 2025
- Recipients Announced: February 2025
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Growth Grants & Grand Prizes
- Application Deadline: January 6, 2025
- Finalists Announced: March 2025
- Finalist Interviews: May 2025
- Winners Announced: June 2025
Funding Levels and Awards
- Seed Grants ($25,000 every) might be awarded to organizations which are planting and nurturing high-potential, progressive concepts and have developed a prototype and/or preliminary proof of idea demonstrating feasibility. Innovation should profit no less than one, ideally two domains of the Innovation Focus Area with out negatively impacting the others.
- Growth Grants ($100,000 every) might be awarded to organizations which have demonstrated that their innovation is doable and have projected each financial feasibility at scale and high-impact potential to rework the meals system. The innovation should profit no less than two, ideally three domains with no damaging impression on the others.
- Seeding The Future Grand Prizes ($250,000 every) might be awarded to organizations which have created improvements which are scalable, economically possible at scale, trusted, and compelling to customers, and have demonstrated main impression potential to rework the meals system. The innovation should profit no less than two, ideally three domains with no damaging impression on the others.
Application Requirements
To guarantee fairness and equity, all purposes have to be submitted in full by January 6, 2025. Late or incomplete purposes won’t be thought-about.
Applicants should present:
- Responses to all utility questions
- An in depth venture timeline and finances
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Organizational and Financial Documentation:
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For-Profit Organizations:
- Recent monetary statements
- Articles of incorporation
- Federal Tax ID (US) or equal tax documentation
- Certificate of fine standing
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Non-Profits (U.S.):
- Recent monetary statements
- IRS dedication letter or Form 990
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Non-Profits (Outside U.S.):
- Recent monetary statements
- Proof of registration as a non-profit within the respective nation
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For-Profit Organizations:
IFT could request further documentation for verification as wanted.
Evaluation and Review Process
The Challenge includes a rigorous multi-stage assessment course of:
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Eligibility Screening:
- Ensures fundamental necessities are met, together with full purposes and mandatory documentation.
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Initial Content Review:
- Proposals are evaluated by material specialists based mostly on:
- Innovation Quality: Novelty and sensible implementation
- Impact Potential: Scale and sustainability of advantages
- Alignment: Relevance to focus areas
- Plan Strength: Feasibility of finances and timeline
- Multidisciplinarity and DEI: Inclusion of numerous experience and views
- Proposals are evaluated by material specialists based mostly on:
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Selection Committee Review:
- Semi-finalists and finalists endure additional analysis by worldwide specialists, with standards together with:
- Scalability and Economic Feasibility
- Alignment with Mission and Vision
- Risk Assessment and Challenges
- Semi-finalists and finalists endure additional analysis by worldwide specialists, with standards together with:
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Finalist Interviews (Growth Grants and Grand Prizes solely):
- Finalists current their improvements through pre-recorded video and stay Q&A periods with the Selection Committee.
What the Challenge Won’t Fund
Projects are ineligible in the event that they:
- Negatively impression meals security, sustainability, or shopper belief
- Lack experimental validation or sensible implementation
- Support massive for-profit entities
- Focus on political campaigns or lobbying
- Have restricted scalability or impression potential
How to Apply
To apply, submit your proposal and all required paperwork by January 6, 2025. Detailed tips, choice standards, and utility questions can be found on the Challenge web site.
📩 Contact: foodsystemchallenge@ift.org
🌐 Learn More and Apply Here: Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge
Take this chance to contribute to a sustainable and equitable international meals future!
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