The first call for applications is open Environments

The transformation of our food systems towards more sustainable, fair and healthy models involves, to a large extent, changing the consumption model, something that is currently beyond the control of people as individuals. For this reason, from the Sustainable Food axis of the Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation, we have launched the first Environments call, with which we reaffirm the commitment to transform food systems, focusing on promoting food environments that make it possible.

The food environment comprises the set of physical, economic, political, cultural and social factors that influence the selection of our food, from availability and price to advertising, regulations or social norms. Evidence shows that in neighborhoods with lower socioeconomic status, as well as in rural or peripheral areas, the supply of fresh and healthy foods is more limited, while options associated with unhealthy diets proliferate. These dynamics reinforce social and health inequalities that cannot be addressed solely by appealing to individual responsibility.

All this shows that in order to generate a systemic transformation, it is essential to intervene in structural factors. For this reason, we are opening this call with the aim of supporting proposals that transform demand and consumption patterns in a given territory, contributing to the exception, accessibility to healthy and sustainable food, becoming the norm.

The first call for Environments opens on March 2 and will take place in two phases. The first of them will remain open until March 31, 2026. It is aimed at projects led by non-profit entities committed to the transition to sustainable food systems, which may be presented individually or in partnership. The Foundation will allocate 570,000 euros to support between 6 and 9 initiatives, which will have financial support for a maximum of two years, with the possibility of extension. In addition, a Virtual informative meeting on March 16 at 4:30 p.m . to answer questions and accompany interested organizations in the registration process.

With this call we want to promote projects that transform the contexts in which we eat and make healthy and sustainable food the most available, accessible, affordable and attractive. We look for initiatives that act at different levels, from community and institutional, to commercial, and that have an impact on factors such as, for example, the improvement of the food supply, price and disposable income policies, regulatory and information frameworks or the development of innovative campaigns that influence values and preferences related to food.

The call is aimed at non-profit entities, which are presented individually or through alliances between various actors (social organizations, educational entities, local administrations, cooperatives or impact initiatives) that understand the complexity of the food system and work collaboratively. We want to support ambitious projects, with transformative capacity and commitment to social justice, public health and environmental sustainability.

We believe that intervening in food environments is one of the most powerful levers to improve people’s health, reduce the environmental impact of the food system, and strengthen local economies. Changing the context means transforming the rules of the game and making it easier for millions of daily decisions to be oriented towards more sustainable models. With the Environments call, we are taking another step towards making it possible.