Four Phoenix District 4 Projects Receive $76,000 in Food Systems Grants

By Habari News

PHOENIX — Four organizations serving Phoenix’s District 4 will receive a combined $76,000 through the city’s 2027 Food Systems Grant cycle, supporting projects ranging from school-based farming to Indigenous cooking workshops and free produce markets.

The District 4 recipients account for four of the six projects selected citywide, according to a city announcement. The Phoenix Office of Environmental Programs awarded $116,000 overall.

Demand rose sharply: the office received 90 proposals requesting $1.65 million, compared with 49 applications seeking more than $900,000 during the 2026 cycle.

“District 4 families know that good food is about more than a meal. It’s about health, culture and community,” Councilwoman Laura Pastor said. She praised the organizations’ existing neighborhood work and said the investment would help them reach more residents.

Osborn Students Will Grow Food and Bring Produce Home

The Osborn School District received $20,000 for From Seed to Student: A Replicable Farm-to-School Food Systems Education Model.

The year-long project is expected to reach 300 to 360 students in grades three through five. Students will grow and harvest food using hydroponic Flex Farms, participate in cooking and nutrition lessons centered on Arizona-grown foods, and bring produce home through student-run farmers’ markets.

The program also includes purchasing from local farmers and developing a curriculum other schools can adopt after the grant year.

Phoenix Indian Center Connects Cooking With Culture

The Phoenix Indian Center received $20,000 for Cooking with Culture: Urban American Indian Food Demonstration and Education.

The project will offer six interactive cooking-demonstration workshops designed to reconnect urban American Indian community members with Indigenous foodways and support food sovereignty.

Each workshop is expected to serve approximately 50 people, for a projected total of 300 participants.

The effort will expand access to nutrition education grounded in participants’ cultural traditions.

Recovery Empowerment Network Expands Meals and Cooking Education

The Recovery Empowerment Network, also known as REN, received $16,000 for its Nourishing Recovery project.

REN plans to expand Hope’s Door Café to provide more reliable, nutritious meals for members experiencing food insecurity. It will also increase its Cooking Up Confidence program to two days per week.

Together, the programs aim to strengthen cooking skills, nutrition knowledge, and independence as part of members’ recovery.

Rooted in Grace Plans Markets, Workshops and Garden Kits

The Rooted in Grace Foundation (West Valley Health Equity) received $20,000 for Rooted Table: Grow, Cook, and Share in Central Phoenix.

The food-as-medicine project serves two federally designated low-access neighborhoods in central Phoenix.

The organization plans to hold two free public produce markets each month: one at a City of Phoenix community center, followed by a bilingual cooking and nutrition workshop, and another at its integrated health clinic.

Four times a year, households will receive container garden kits and training to help them continue growing food through Phoenix’s summer conditions.

Clinic patients who screen positive for food insecurity will be referred directly to the market. Through a partnership with Wildfire, on-site assistance with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, applications will connect residents with longer-term support.

Grant Program Supports Phoenix Food Access Goals

The Office of Environmental Programs Food Systems Grant provides up to $20,000 per award to nonprofits, small businesses, educational institutions, and other organizations working within Phoenix’s food system.

Projects are selected to provide direct community benefits by addressing inequity, responding to local needs, and expanding food access.

The program supports the Phoenix 2030 Food Action Plan, which calls for a just, equitable, and resilient local food system.

The supplied announcement does not identify the other two citywide awardees or provide project enrollment details.

Source: City of Phoenix District 4 announcement supplied to Habari News.