For more than a decade, the McKnight Foundation has partnered with UVM researchers to co-create solutions that transform food systems for the health of people and the planet. In 2023, with support from McKnight, UVM launched the Institute for Agroecology (IFA)—the first of its kind at a land-grant university in the United States. The IFA aims to advance just and sustainable food systems by focusing on structural change, participatory action research, and centering equity in all its work. IFA engages with McKnight’s Global Collaboration for Resilient Food Systems (CRFS) program through three strategic action areas. A co-learning program offers online courses, workshops, and leadership development on transformative agroecology. Teams engage globally through convenings, advocacy, and narrative-shaping in international spaces. Finally, teams collaborate on regional and programmatic syntheses to systematize and share knowledge across CRFS communities of practice. These efforts aim to deepen understanding of transformative agroecology, strengthen networks, and elevate the visibility and influence of CRFS and its partners globally.

Established in 1953, the McKnight Foundation is a family-run philanthropic organization based in Minneapolis. Guided by its mission to advance a more just, creative, and abundant future where people and planet thrive, McKnight supports partners working on climate solutions, racial equity, arts and culture, global food systems, and more. To date, the Foundation has awarded more than $3.26 billion to strengthen communities and economies locally and globally—supporting vibrant arts and culture in Minnesota, advancing climate action, expanding access to housing and clean water, and funding innovative research in areas ranging from neuroscience to food systems. Through sustained, long-term investments, the McKnight Foundation remains deeply committed to building a future where all people can flourish in harmony with the planet.

Established in 2024, the UVM Foundation’s Transformative Partnership Award is presented to corporations or foundations that have demonstrated their exceptional commitment to the University of Vermont through strategic philanthropic investment, research partnership, and student and alumni engagement.