The Food Waste Funder Circle
Help fund the fight against food waste.
The Food Waste Funder Circle (FWFC) is a special network designed for private, public, and philanthropic funders interested in using their capital to solve food waste challenges. Co-founded by ReFED and the Upcycled Food Association, the FWFC offers a curated platform for funder education, collaboration, and investment to help drive the capital flow needed to reach national and international goals to reduce food waste by 50% by the year 2030.
Membership in the FWFC is free and open to both individual investors and representatives from funder organizations.
As a member of the FWFC, you’ll get access to regular programming about investing in food waste innovations; deal flow reports and pitches from solution providers that are actively fundraising; opportunities to work with like-minded funders on industry challenges; and more.
Are you a solution provider actively fundraising?
Share your funding needs with us so we can continue to support food waste solution providers like you with access to the capital needed to drive impact!
Member Benefits
Education
Learn more about investment opportunities and innovation in the food waste sector through webinars and panel events featuring experts and funders.
Get sector trends and insights via our monthly Capital & Innovation Market Update.
Collaboration
Connect with like-minded funders to share success stories and lessons learned.
Co-create and participate in FWFC working groups focused on specific opportunities or challenge areas.
Investing
Get to know innovative companies operating in the food waste space through pitch events and demo days.
Access a wide set of funding opportunities with regularly compiled deal flow reports.
Why fund solutions to food waste?
Food waste is a major driver of climate change, which is affecting the ability of cropland and water resources to produce the amount of food needed to feed our growing population. It’s also a major drag on our economy, and food that’s currently being wasted could go to support the more than 40 million Americans struggling with food insecurity. (Learn more about the impact of food waste here.)
By reducing food waste, we can cut greenhouse gas emissions, save water, create jobs, and recover food for those in need.
Importantly, that reduction comes with a significant financial benefit too. ReFED estimates that an annual investment of $14 billion over the next ten years can not only reduce food waste by more than 50% each year but also result in an annual net financial benefit of $73 billion – a five-to-one return.
With the Food Waste Funder Circle, ReFED is partnering with funders to accelerate the flow of capital to reach our 2030 food waste reduction target and attain the resulting financial, social, and environmental benefits.
Detailed Member Offerings
Membership in the FWFC is free. All members receive at no cost:
Market update newsletters highlighting industry updates and events
A monthly Deal Flow Report, which lists active investment opportunities in the sector
Quarterly educational events with like-minded funders from across the capital spectrum
Access to bi-weekly pitch events, as well as a repository of recorded pitch events and company profiles
Opportunities to participate in bespoke “deep dives” on particular issues through special working groups
Access to one (1) dedicated “office hour” session with ReFED and/or its program partners
For members seeking a greater level of involvement in the FWFC in addition to the above offerings, the following benefits are also available* :
Receive Deal Flow Reports in real time, in addition to the monthly consolidated report
Participate in closed-door Q&A sessions after each pitch event to build direct connections with innovative solution providers
Provide input on topic areas and design of the working groups, which will focus the efforts of FWFC members on key areas of concern or interest
Access in-depth strategic advisory sessions on solution, technology, and market opportunities through up to six (6) office hours with ReFED and/or our program partners
Gain early access and/or discounts to in-person events, such as ReFED’s Food Waste Solutions Summit (May 10-12, 2022 in Minneapolis, MN)
* Access to these additional benefits requires an annual fee of $1,500 for organizations with assets or AUM under $20 million and $3,000 for organizations with assets or AUM of $20 million or more.
Sponsorship Opportunities
The following opportunities are available for members and others who are interested in sponsoring elements of the FWFC
Educational Event Sponsorship
Logo and name acknowledgment in outreach and on the webinar presentation slides, an optional opportunity to make 1-2 minutes of remarks during the event, option to collaborate with ReFED to determine speakers and content.
Pitch Event Sponsorship
Logo and name acknowledgment in outreach and on the pitch slides, an optional opportunity to make 1-2 minutes of remarks at the beginning of the pitch event.
Working Group Sponsorship
The sponsor has a role in defining the scope of the working group(s) and facilitating the meetings.
Member Events
We’re curating a series of special events specifically for FWFC members, who can participate in real time or by viewing videos after each event. Learn from leaders and experts across the food system on various food waste topics such as the climate/food waste connection; how policy and infrastructure plans under the new administration can open up food waste solutions funding opportunities; the role of blended finance vehicles in scaling innovation in food waste solutions; and more.
Upcoming Events
We’re curating a series of special events specifically for FWFC members, who can participate in real time or by viewing videos after each event. Learn from leaders and experts across the food system on various food waste topics such as the climate/food waste connection; how policy and infrastructure plans under the new administration can open up food waste solutions funding opportunities; the role of blended finance vehicles in scaling innovation in food waste solutions; and more.
COMING SOON!
Past Member Events
December 8, 2021
The Food Waste Funder Circle: Special Launch Event
Learn more about the enormous investment and impact potential to be had in the food waste sector by joining us on December 8 as we introduce the new nationwide Food Waste Funder Circle. The Food Waste Funder Circle is a network for private, public and philanthropic funders that will build the ecosystem required to fight food waste by creating a platform for funder education, collaboration, and investment.
Pitch Sessions
Starting in early 2022, we’ll be hosting bi-weekly pitch events where you’ll hear from high-impact food waste solution providers who are seeking funding to grow scalable and effective technologies and services in the sector. Recordings of pitch events are available to all members of the FWFC and will be sent out by email on a monthly basis. Once a quarter, in lieu of a pitch event, we will hold an Innovation Demo Day, which will feature solution providers that are demonstrating their innovations, organized around a particular thematic area, like compostable packaging or waste-derived products.
Food Waste Funder Circle Public Members
The following individuals and organizations are public members of the Food Waste Funder Circle. We’re excited to have you join them.
Join the Food Waste Funder Circle.
Contact invest@upcycledfood.org with questions about FWFC membership and sponsorship.
Dan McSpirit
Investment Advisor
Dan brings his passion to improve today's food system and decades of experience in the US capital markets to the position of Investment Program Advisor at UFA while also serving as Board Member of UFF. He is currently the Chief Financial Officer of Harvestly, an early-stage B2C-B2B hyperlocal marketplace in the food sector. Dan was last Director, Energy Equity Research at BMO Capital Markets, Bank of Montreal. He recently assisted in the revision of the curriculum and examination for the SASB FSA Credential (ESG) as a Level II Subject Matter Expert. Today his volunteer commitment takes the form of mentor to Wharton undergraduate students. He and his wife, Nicole, are proud parents of two daughters, one a PhD student in mathematics and the other an undergraduate studying agribusiness.
Food Waste Funder Circle FAQ
Who is the ReFED Food Waste Funder Circle for?
The Food Waste Funders Circle (FWFC) is a special network designed for private, public, and philanthropic funders interested in using their capital to solve food waste challenges. Membership in the FWFC is free and open to both individual investors and representatives from funder organizations. The FWFC offers a curated platform for funder education, collaboration, and investment to help drive the capital flow needed to reach national and international goals to reduce food waste by 50% by the year 2030.
Why become a member of the Food Waste Funder Circle?
The FWFC is the only funder network focused exclusively on opportunities within the food waste space. As a member of the FWFC, you’ll benefit from:
Education - Learn more about investment opportunities and innovation in the food waste sector through webinars and panel events featuring experts and funders Get sector trends and insights via monthly newsletters
Collaboration - Connect with like-minded funders to share success stories and lessons learned Co-create and participate in FWFC working groups focused on specific opportunities or challenge areas
Investing - Get to know innovative companies operating in the food waste space through pitch events and demo days Access a wide set of funding opportunities with a regularly compiled deal flow report
How much does it cost to join?
The Food Waste Funder Circle is free to join.
All members receive benefits including market update newsletters highlighting industry updates and events; monthly deal flow reports listing active investment opportunities in the sector; quarterly educational events with like-minded funders from across the capital spectrum; access to bi-weekly pitch events, plus a repository of recorded pitch events and company profiles; opportunities to participate in bespoke “deep dives” on particular issues through special working groups; and access to one (1) dedicated “office hour” session with ReFED and/or its program partners.
For an additional annual fee ($1,500 for organizations with assets or AUM under $20 million and $3,000 for organizations with assets or AUM of $20 million or more), members can receive deal flow reports in real time, in addition to the monthly consolidated report; participate in closed-door Q&A sessions after each pitch event to build direct connections with innovative solution providers; provide input on topic areas and design of the working groups, which will focus the efforts of FWFC members on key areas of concern or interest; access in-depth strategic advisory sessions on solution, technology, and market opportunities through up to six (6) office hours with ReFED and/or our program partners; and gain early access and/or discounts to in-person events, such as ReFED’s Food Waste Solutions Summit (May 10-12, 2022 in Minneapolis, MN).
How is the Food Waste Funder Circle different from the ReFED Food Waste Action Network?
The Food Waste Funder Circle is dedicated exclusively to supporting capital providers of all types who are interested in funding solutions to food waste challenges. It provides a distinct set of offerings than the ReFED Food Waste Action Network (FWAN), which covers a broader range of food waste topics. FWFC members are encouraged to participate in FWAN activities (which are open to the public), but FWAN members need to also be FWFC members to participate in FWFC activities.
Who is managing the FWFC?
ReFED and Upcycled Food Association are co-founders of the Food Waste Funder Circle. ReFED serves as the managing partner for the network.
Who can I contact for more information?
If you have any questions, please contact Arpan Soparkar at arpan@upcycledfood.org
How do I sign up?
Click here to fill out the short application form.
