Welcome participants, introduce CDFA, and set the stage for the course.

• Angela Blatt, Director, Research & Technical Assistance, Council of Development Finance Agencies

The opening session of the course will define a food system and provide an overview of the variety of ways that a food system can operate. Also included in the discussion is a look at the different types of businesses involved in a food system, including farmers, grocers, small businesses, food artisans, etc., and the partners involved in helping to finance a healthy food system.

• Samantha Gibb, Senior Associate, The Food Trust
• Rita Ouimet, Project Coordinator, The Food Trust

A food system has many different stakeholders and partners represented from the government, private sector, and non-profit fields. This session will explain who these partners are and how they work together. Strategies will be presented for identifying and connecting these partners in your local region.

• Anna Aspenson, Associate, Croatan Institute
• Joseph Bute, President, Food21
• Vince Mangini, Capital Development, Food21

Food systems and food hubs are integral parts of community infrastructure and sustainably financing them remains challenging at times. Infusion of public and private capital can grow and develop these complex systems. This session will examine innovative approaches to financing these systems using a variety of capital sources through real-world examples of recent projects.

• Jen Faigel, Executive Director, CommonWealth Kitchen

A variety of development finance tools exist to support a food system, including federal, state, local, foundation, and non-profit sources. The session will introduce sources of capital and how they can be used to restore local and regional food systems.

• Carmel Deane, Senior Loan Officer, PIDC (Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation)
• Jared Grissinger, Project Manager, Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development
• Molly Hartman, Program Director, Healthy Food Financing Initiative, Reinvestment Fund

Foundations and Program Related Investments (PRI) have played an important role in many of the regions that are experiencing successful implementations of their food system. This session will explain the concept of PRI, the types of foundations active in this area, how they are making an impact, and the characteristics of successfully funded projects.

• Linda Jo Doctor, Program Officer, W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Several specialized programs are available through the federal government to help support a local food system. This session will present programs available through federal agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and how organizations are using these support tools.

• Rachel Bridenstine, Vice President, Development Finance Authority of Summit County
• Gray Harris, Senior Advisor, Food System Finance, U.S. Department of Agriculture