Building Stronger Pathways to Food System Investment

In May, New England Food System Planners Partnership (NEFSPP) collaborated with the Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA) to host a New England Food Finance Forum in Boston. More than 65 funders, lenders, investors, economic development professionals, and food system leaders from across New England attended the day-long session to discuss one of the region's most pressing challenges: how to better finance the businesses and infrastructure needed to strengthen New England's food system.

Through two real-world case studies, participants explored how capital stacks (a hierarchy of debt and equity financing that companies use to fund their growth) can combine grants, loans, tax credits, and other financing tools to support projects ranging from food infrastructure facilities to growing food businesses. The programming featured an example of a complicated capital stack for a major infrastructure project in Massachusetts held by CommonWealth Kitchen, and an example of a complicated capital stack to help an individual business scale in Maine featuring Maine Grains. In addition, Flexible Capital Fund President Janice St. Onge gave a brief overview of the capital continuum and Toby Rittner from CDFA spoke about a variety of additional financing instruments that can help fund food infrastructure projects. As part of their coordination on this event, CDFA created a New England dashboard designed to help food system businesses, producers, processors, distributors, and community organizations identify financing opportunities across the six New England states, including grants, loans, and other funding tools that support growth, innovation, and resilience in the regional food system.

The event helped participants build relationships, expand their understanding of innovative financing strategies, and identify opportunities for collaboration across sectors and state lines. Attendees reported that the forum provided valuable connections and practical tools they could apply in their own work, helping lay the groundwork for future investment in a more resilient regional food economy. The Partnership intends to host a second forum in Spring 2027.

About The New England Food System Planners Partnership 

The New England Food System Planners Partnership (NEFSPP) is a collaboration amongst seven state- level food system organizations and representatives from the six-state agricultural, economic and environmental departments in New England. New England Feeding New England (NEFNE) is the Partnership’s primary initiative and aims to have 30% of the food produced in New England consumed in the region by 2030. The Local Food Count is a cornerstone project of NEFSPP’s Feeding New England campaign, designed to increase local food sourcing and build resilience across the region. nefoodsystemplanners.org