History & Structure

In the spring and summer of 2007, over 75 people from 26 organizations attended meetings and helped develop the concept, work plan, and agenda of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Food Policy Coalition.  Those individuals represented a wide variety of interests and stakeholders, including hunger advocacy, environmental protection, public health, urban and rural farmers, economic development, community organizing, sustainability, academia, local governments, and more.  This cross-section of our local food system brought the knowledge and experience necessary to develop a comprehensive approach to improving that food system.

This process was initially organized by Steps to a Healthier Cleveland (Steps), a program of the Cleveland Department of Public Health (CDPH).  After the development process was received by area organizations with great enthusiasm and support, Steps awarded grant dollars to the Cuyahoga County branch of Ohio State University Extension (OSUE) and Case Western Reserve University (Case) to assist in the Coalition's staffing and resource development.  The orginal conveners of the organization were Morgan Taggart of OSUE, Matt Russell of Case, Brad Masi of the New Agrarian Center, and Jennifer Scofield of CDPH.

As the Steps program was completed toward the end of 2009, the George Gund Foundation and the Cleveland Foundation awarded the Coalition grant funding to expand its capacity through staff, interns, and other resources.  Taggart and Russell co-convened the organization until Russell's move to Washington, DC in late 2009 to join the USDA's Farm to School program.  Taggart managed the organization by herself for a few months, and in early 2010 David Pearl of Case joined Taggart to resume the co-conveners structure through September 2010.  The foundation funding provided for two part-time paid internships in 2010, which went to Simone Jelks of Case and Todd Alexander of OSUE.  The George Gund Foundation is funding the organization for the 2009-2010 programming year, during which the Coalition's convener is Morgan Taggart.  OSUE and Case continue to convene the Coalition together.

The Advisory Board provides leadership and strategic guidance for the Coalition. Comprised of policy- and decision-makers and non-profit leaders, the Advisory Board meets quarterly to receive updates from working group leaders, commission food policy related activities, and develop policy recommendations.  Advisory Board members present and promote policy recommendations to City and County government.

For more information on the structure of the Coalition, you may be interested to peruse the Action Plan (last revised in 2009).