ReFED is a U.S.-based nonprofit working to catalyze the food system toward evidence-based action to stop wasting food. We serve as a driver and connector for the movement and a central resource on the topic, working with businesses, policymakers, researchers, funders, and more to increase the adoption of food waste solutions.
Refed Inc. concentrates its grantmaking on food waste solutions that can be tested, improved, and scaled in the U.S. food system. Its largest recent award in the provided record was $300,000 to Afterlife Ag to expand capacity for processing meat, seafood, and dairy waste and to improve mushroom production through additional automation. Another large award went to Food Rescue US for a data-sharing feature in its food rescue app, showing the funder’s interest in tools that make restaurant donations easier to move through existing systems. The foundation’s recent grants also show support for practical infrastructure and implementation work rather than broad general operating support. It backed Center for Ecotechnology to build a train-the-trainer model for technical assistance to restaurants, and it funded Connectedfresh Company to expand 24/7 monitoring with inventory management and waste tracking. Across the record, Refed Inc. appears to favor solutions that link research, technology, and frontline adoption, with grants aimed at de-risking innovations and helping organizations increase impact in the food waste sector.
Refed Inc. supports a mix of food waste reduction technologies, research, and field-facing training. In technology development, it gave $187,750 to Transparent Path Spc to support novel food waste reduction technologies and processes, and $160,000 to Wisely to produce and launch a smart food storage container. The foundation also funds measurement and behavior research. It awarded $150,000 to Uc Agriculture & Natural Resources for research on household food waste reduction knowledge, attitudes, barriers, motivators, and practices among consumers in federally funded nutrition education programs. In school-based and community implementation work, Refed Inc. gave $100,000 to Blue Earth Compost to bring share tables and composting to Connecticut public schools and develop a toolkit and curriculum. It also funded Earthday365 Dba Green Dining Alliance with $100,000 to develop a food waste track within a certification program that gives restaurants direct support from a food waste coach.
Typical awards sit in a mid-six-figure range, with the reported quartiles at $104,750 for p25, a median of $134,500, and $157,500 at p75. The recent record includes both larger catalytic grants and smaller project awards, suggesting a mix of scale-up funding and targeted product or program development. The pattern also points to repeat, mission-specific grantmaking rather than one-off topic shifts. The foundation operates a catalytic grant fund and a related Food Waste Funder Circle mechanism; one of those programs explicitly accepts unsolicited funding requests. Refed Inc. does not fund individuals and is not making program-related investments in the data provided.
$1M
$15.2M
$13.2M
$8.6M
Most grants fall between $105K and $158K, with a median of $135K.
25th Percentile
$105K
Median
$135K
75th Percentile
$158K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in CA.
DANA GUNDERS RIVERO
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Refed Inc. gives nationally, and all listed recent grants went to U.S. recipients. California is the top state by grant count, even though the foundation itself is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Recent grantees include Davis, Berkeley, and Gardena in California, along with recipients in Brooklyn, Stamford, Seattle, Wilmington, and Dalton. No grants in the provided sample went to Illinois recipients.
Its grants center on food waste reduction, research and data analytics, technology development, and scaling solutions. Recent awards include funding for food rescue app integration, restaurant technical assistance, smart food storage, school composting, and household food waste research.
The reported grant-size distribution is $104,750 at the 25th percentile, $134,500 at the median, and $157,500 at the 75th percentile. The recent record also includes awards ranging from $50,000 to $300,000.
Its geographic scope is national. In the recent grants provided, recipients are all in the United States, and California is the top state by grant count.
Yes, through the Food Waste Funder Circle mechanism. That program includes a way for solution providers and nonprofits to submit funding requests for consideration by member funders, and it is marked as accepting unsolicited requests.
The recent grants list includes food rescue organizations, research institutions, composting groups, technology companies, and restaurant-support organizations. Examples include a food rescue app developer, a university-based research unit, and several groups building tools for restaurants and schools.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from Refed that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Not explicitly stated in scraped content. Applicants are solution providers or organizations seeking funding for food waste reduction; membership is free for funders. Specific eligibility for funding consideration likely detailed during submission or member diligence.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFTERLIFE AG | BROOKLYN, NY | $300,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT THEIR CAPACITY TO PROCESS MEAT, SEAFOOD, AND DAIRY WASTE WITH BETTER EQUIPMENT, IMPROVE YIELDS WITH ADDITIONAL AUTOMATION, AND GROW NEW TYPES OF MUSHROOMS SUCH AS MAITAKE AND ROYAL TRUMPETS. |
| CENTER FOR ECOTECHNOLOGY | DALTON, MA | $250,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF A TRAIN-THE-TRAINER PROGRAM TO ENABLE LIKE-MINDED ORGANIZATIONS TO OFFER TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO RESTAURANTS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. |
| FOOD RESCUE US | STAMFORD, CT | $200,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A DATA-SHARING FEATURE WITHIN THEIR EXISTING FOOD RESCUE WEB-BASED APP TO BOLSTER RESTAURANT FOOD DONATIONS BY CREATING A DEDICATED API ENDPOINT THAT WILL INTEGRATE WITH THE POS AND/OR INVENTORY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS COMMONLY USED BY RESTAURANT PARTNERS. |
| CONNECTEDFRESH COMPANY | GARDENA, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT THE ENHANCEMENT AND EXPANSION OF ITS 24/7 MONITORING SOLUTIONS TO INCLUDE ADVANCED INVENTORY MANAGEMENT AND WASTE TRACKING. |
| EARTHDAY365 DBA GREEN DINING ALLIANCE | ST LOUIS, MT | $100,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF A FOOD WASTE TRACK AS PART OF THEIR CERTIFICATION PROGRAM THROUGH WHICH RESTAURANTS WILL RECEIVE DIRECT SUPPORT FROM A FOOD WASTE COACH. |
| PRISM | PLEASANT GROVE, UT | $60,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT THE TESTING OF AS WELL AS PROTOTYPE ENHANCEMENTS AND PRODUCTION OF THEIR STORAGE SYSTEM DESIGNED FOR RESTAURANTS TO EXTEND THE LIFESPAN OF FRESH PRODUCE. |
| TRANSPARENT PATH SPC | SEATTLE, WA | $187,750 | 2024 | SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL FOOD WASTE REDUCTION TECHNOLOGIES AND PROCESSES |
| WISELY | WILMINGTON, NC | $160,000 | 2024 | SUPPORT THE PRODUCTION AND LAUNCH OF ITS FOOD WASTE REDUCTION SMART FOOD STORAGE CONTAINER |
| UC AGRICULTURE & NATURAL RESOURCES | DAVIS, CA | $150,000 | 2024 | SUPPORT ITS RESEARCH TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE CURRENT LEVEL OF HOUSEHOLD FOOD WASTE REDUCTION KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, BARRIERS, MOTIVATORS, AND PRACTICES OF CONSUMERS WHO PARTICIPATE IN FEDERALLY FUNDED NUTRITION EDUCATION PROGRAMS |
| GROWING PLACES GARDEN PROJECT | LEOMINSTER, MA | $119,000 | 2024 | SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF ITS FRESH CHEF KIT PROTOTYPE AND COMPOSTING AT NCMAS NEW REGIONAL FOOD CENTER |
| BLUE EARTH COMPOST | WINDSOR, CT | $100,000 | 2024 | SUPPORT ITS INITIATIVE TO BRING SHARE TABLES AND COMPOSTING TO CONNECTICUT PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND DEVELOP A RELATED TOOLKIT AND CURRICULUM |
| EARTH ISLAND INSTITUTE | BERKELEY, CA | $50,000 | 2024 | SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE FOOD SHIFT KITCHEN GUIDE, A WASTE REDUCTION RESOURCE |
| UPCYCLED FOOD FOUNDATION | DENVER, CO | $100,000 | 2023 | ADVANCE UPCYCLED MARKETING STRATEGIES |
| FOOD RECOVERY NETWORK | WASHINGTON, DC | $100,000 | 2023 | EXPANSION OF THE FOOD RECOVERY NETWORK |
| HIDDEN GEMS BEVERAGE COMPANY | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $50,000 | 2023 | ADVANCE THE UPCYCLED USE OF THE AVOCADO SEED |
| CAVA MEZZE GRILL | WASHINGTON, DC | $15,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT HOSTING OF EDFCC SUMMER FELLOW |
AFTERLIFE AG
$300,000TO SUPPORT THEIR CAPACITY TO PROCESS MEAT, SEAFOOD, AND DAIRY WASTE WITH BETTER EQUIPMENT, IMPROVE YIELDS WITH ADDITIONAL AUTOMATION, AND GROW NEW TYPES OF MUSHROOMS SUCH AS MAITAKE AND ROYAL TRUMPETS.
CENTER FOR ECOTECHNOLOGY
$250,000TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF A TRAIN-THE-TRAINER PROGRAM TO ENABLE LIKE-MINDED ORGANIZATIONS TO OFFER TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO RESTAURANTS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES.
TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A DATA-SHARING FEATURE WITHIN THEIR EXISTING FOOD RESCUE WEB-BASED APP TO BOLSTER RESTAURANT FOOD DONATIONS BY CREATING A DEDICATED API ENDPOINT THAT WILL INTEGRATE WITH THE POS AND/OR INVENTORY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS COMMONLY USED BY RESTAURANT PARTNERS.
CONNECTEDFRESH COMPANY
$100,000TO SUPPORT THE ENHANCEMENT AND EXPANSION OF ITS 24/7 MONITORING SOLUTIONS TO INCLUDE ADVANCED INVENTORY MANAGEMENT AND WASTE TRACKING.
EARTHDAY365 DBA GREEN DINING ALLIANCE
$100,000TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF A FOOD WASTE TRACK AS PART OF THEIR CERTIFICATION PROGRAM THROUGH WHICH RESTAURANTS WILL RECEIVE DIRECT SUPPORT FROM A FOOD WASTE COACH.
PRISM
$60,000TO SUPPORT THE TESTING OF AS WELL AS PROTOTYPE ENHANCEMENTS AND PRODUCTION OF THEIR STORAGE SYSTEM DESIGNED FOR RESTAURANTS TO EXTEND THE LIFESPAN OF FRESH PRODUCE.
TRANSPARENT PATH SPC
$187,750SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL FOOD WASTE REDUCTION TECHNOLOGIES AND PROCESSES
WISELY
$160,000SUPPORT THE PRODUCTION AND LAUNCH OF ITS FOOD WASTE REDUCTION SMART FOOD STORAGE CONTAINER
UC AGRICULTURE & NATURAL RESOURCES
$150,000SUPPORT ITS RESEARCH TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE CURRENT LEVEL OF HOUSEHOLD FOOD WASTE REDUCTION KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, BARRIERS, MOTIVATORS, AND PRACTICES OF CONSUMERS WHO PARTICIPATE IN FEDERALLY FUNDED NUTRITION EDUCATION PROGRAMS
SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF ITS FRESH CHEF KIT PROTOTYPE AND COMPOSTING AT NCMAS NEW REGIONAL FOOD CENTER
BLUE EARTH COMPOST
$100,000SUPPORT ITS INITIATIVE TO BRING SHARE TABLES AND COMPOSTING TO CONNECTICUT PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND DEVELOP A RELATED TOOLKIT AND CURRICULUM
SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE FOOD SHIFT KITCHEN GUIDE, A WASTE REDUCTION RESOURCE
UPCYCLED FOOD FOUNDATION
$100,000ADVANCE UPCYCLED MARKETING STRATEGIES
HIDDEN GEMS BEVERAGE COMPANY
$50,000ADVANCE THE UPCYCLED USE OF THE AVOCADO SEED
CAVA MEZZE GRILL
$15,000SUPPORT HOSTING OF EDFCC SUMMER FELLOW
