Mission

The Roots to Rise: Indianapolis Food Fund's mission is to expand access to and build an equitable food system that is both nutritious and culturally relevant throughout Indianapolis and Marion County.

Roots to Rise has a three fold approach to it’s work:

  • Build on the $100,000 evergreen fund to ensure fund’s sustainability

  • Support local growers with grant funding to ensure communities have more access to fresh food

  • Center community voice to ensure priorities are realistic and relevant

Transparency statement

We know it seems like every year a new group or initiative pops up trying to center the conversation around food access in Indianapolis. We are not here to pretend the past few years in the Indianapolis food space haven't been fractured. We've been in many of the rooms and still we believe that we can build on what once was while working to do things differently. 

We are not here to recreate the harmful systems that have plagued our city for so long but create support in the arena we can within localizing our food system. By supporting the people that grow our food and ensuring communities garner more access to that food. We all play a role in building new systems and it'll take all of us to make the change we seek.

Roots to Rise: indianapolis Food Fund Catalyst grant opportunities

 

Round 2: June 29- July 31, 2026 Grower Micro-Grants ($25,000 available):

  • Who Can Apply: For community gardens, co-ops, and farms that grow food outside of a for-profit model. Indianapolis has a vast and active network of these spaces — people growing food for their neighbors, not for profit.

  • Grant Amount: Up to $1,000 per applicant

  • Eligible Uses: Equipment for season extension, cleaning stations, lighting, rain barrels, and more, so the communities they serve can continue to benefit from what they grow.

  • Applications window: CLOSED

  • Do not use AI to complete your application. We are seeking honest and individualized answers to our questions. You will not be judged on grammar. We are seeking intentions and impacts. Not how well you answer a question. If you need support in completing the application, please let us know and we'll work with you. 

Apply Now