Calling Food Systems Builders: Building our Food Security and Nutrition Solutions Index
Important information about our March 9 deadline, selection criteria, and what happens next
Dear Unlock Aid community,
If you are building solutions in food security, agriculture, nutrition, or food distribution, this message is for you.
We are set to launch the next iteration of our Solutions Index, with our next edition focused on food security and nutrition solutions.
We’re inviting leading food systems innovators to apply for consideration by Monday, March 9.
Eligibility is open to any organization working across food systems and nutrition solutions. Potential inclusion is not restricted to organizations affiliated with Unlock Aid.
Launching the Food Security and Nutrition Solutions Index: Background
Last year, we launched the Solutions Index to identify proven, high-impact solutions that governments, investors, and philanthropic leaders can work with today to deliver measurable results at scale.
Our first edition of the Solutions Index focused on global health and health supply chains.
Now we’re launching the next edition of the Solutions Index, this time to identify pacesetting innovators working in the fields of food security and nutrition.
Our goal is to spotlight partners that are:
Delivering measurable results at scale
Can show business model sustainability through diversified revenue sources
Demonstrate local buy-in and endorsement from the communities they serve
Able to deliver impact more cost-effectively than traditional aid models
We are particularly interested in soliciting applications from organizations with a clear ability to absorb $5M–$50M+ in catalytic capital to scale proven models.
Note on Humanitarian Contexts: We recognize that operating a sustainable business model in acute humanitarian settings presents unique challenges, especially where markets or governments may be unstable or not exist. We encourage organizations in these contexts to still apply; these factors will be weighted during our holistic review process.
Why this matters now
We’re in the midst of a once-in-a-generation shift in global development systems.
Governments, donors, and philanthropists are reassessing how they deploy funding, wanting to deliver high levels of impact but with access to fewer resources. Decision makers also want to work with a new generation of partners that are not wholly dependent on aid.
At the same time, decision makers need to know who the pacesetters are.
The Food Security and Nutrition Solutions Index is designed to close that visibility gap.
Inclusion does not guarantee funding from the U.S. State Department or any other donor institution. But as funders are actively landscaping new potential partners to work with – being visible right now matters.
Here’s why food systems builders should consider applying:
We will publish the names and mission statements of selected organizations, creating a curated list of top innovators in food security and nutrition.
We’ll share the Index with policymakers and funders actively seeking scalable food systems solutions.
When policymakers and donors ask for our help to meet the next generation of food security and nutrition-focused organizations, we’ll turn first to organizations on this Index.
See our most recent Solutions Index: Health Edition to see how we’re highlighting leading health sector innovators.
If you’re a food systems innovator, click here to apply.
What we’re looking for
The Food Security and Nutrition Solutions Index will spotlight organizations operating across five core food system categories:
Agricultural productivity, inputs, and farmer livelihoods (e.g., smallholder farmer support, improved seeds and climate-appropriate inputs, soil health, crop resilience, mechanization, extension services, on-farm value addition)
Nutrition, school feeding, and malnutrition (e.g., prevention and treatment of acute and chronic malnutrition, fortified foods, maternal and child nutrition, school feeding programs, community-based nutrition delivery models)
Food supply chains, storage, and distribution (e.g., post-harvest loss reduction, cold chains, logistics, aggregation, wholesale platforms, last-mile distribution models)
Market access, finance, and risk mitigation (e.g., offtake models, buyer linkages, embedded finance, input financing, insurance, blended finance structures, public-private procurement models)
Digital and data-enabled food systems (e.g., farmer platforms, pricing transparency, traceability, advisory tools, payments infrastructure, data systems supporting targeting and system coordination)
Organizations will be evaluated based on:
Demonstrated impact and measurable outcomes
Organizational maturity and absorptive capacity
Financial sustainability and revenue diversification
Local endorsement and country alignment
Clear pathway to scaling cost-effectively
We welcome applications from those fixing broken market systems or serving acute humanitarian zones. As noted, we will calibrate our financial sustainability criteria to reflect these unique operating contexts.
Expert Review Committee
To bring independence and expertise to the review process, an expert review committee will review all applying organizations:
John R. Tyson, Board Member and Strategy Committee Chair, Tyson Foods
Amit Paley, CEO of the Malnutrition Advocacy Fund and President for Global Advocacy and Philanthropy, Eleanor Crook Foundation
Sam Thevasagayam, Director, Livestock Systems, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Euler Bropleh, Founder & Managing Partner, VestedWorld
All individuals are advising in their personal capacities.
How to participate
If you are building a scalable food system solution and want to be considered for inclusion in the Solutions Index, please complete our intake form by Monday, March 9 at 23:59 Pacific Time.
We strongly encourage organizations with demonstrated traction and clear scaling pathways to apply.
If you have questions about the process, please reach out to us at hello [at] unlockaid.org.
The global conversation on food security and nutrition solutions is shifting. Countries, donors, and investors are increasingly looking for a new generation of innovators to work with.
The Food Security and Nutrition Solutions Index exists to highlight leading innovators building the future.
To Progress,
Unlock Aid
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