EFOD Playbook

The EFOD Playbook distills a living model of community-controlled finance in the food system.

It traces how the Equitable Food Oriented Development Fund has already moved more than $8.3 million into forty grassroots, Black, Brown, Indigenous, and AAPI-led projects—while keeping ownership, profits, and decision-making power rooted where the work happens. You’ll see why EFOD’s capital is intentionally non-extractive: early-stage grants, practitioner-guided technical assistance, and 0 %-interest, fee-free loans up to $250,000 designed to let communities build wealth on their own timelines.

Inside, the playbook breaks down the “anatomy of non-extractive finance,” the values that guide every dollar, and the criteria funders can adopt to replicate this approach. It also maps a national network of farms, food hubs, co-ops, and cultural spaces, complete with a directory of member organizations and case stories that show what liberation looks like on the ground. Read it to gather practical frameworks, proven terms, and real-world examples that challenge conventional capital and offer a blueprint for building resilient, community-owned food systems.