Request for Proposals for Farm to Plate's 2024 Gathering is Live!

Vermont Farm to Plate is excited to welcome you to be a part of its 2024 Annual Gathering on November 20th and 21st at Killington Resort. We invite Farm to Plate network members and non-members involved with Vermont’s food system to propose breakout sessions that align with this year’s theme, “Transformative Action." 

Building on the momentum and insights from our 2023 Gathering, there is a desire among Network members to deepen our commitment to transformative change by moving from personal understanding to collaborative action, from overlapping statewide plans and initiatives to aligned implementation.

To be effective change agents together, we must draw on applied knowledge and skills that lead to demonstrable transformative action. We are seeking proposals for 14 open slots that provide participants with concrete tips, takeaways, tools, and collaborative problem solving to address key food system issues. Submissions should focus on innovative programs, business models, supply chain partnerships and collaborations, financing and funding, coalitions, community and grassroots approaches, and applied cross-cutting skills that relate to the four high-level goal areas of the Strategic Plan: economic development, environmental sustainability, food access and security, and racial equity. 

We are looking for two distinct types of proposals:

• Skill-building sessions that are crosscutting and applicable to different sectors and issue areas of the food system. Priority will be given to sessions addressing consensus building, political and campaign strategy and advocacy, communication and marketing strategy, equitable power and resource sharing or redistribution, alternative and equitable approaches to philanthropy/funding/financing, workplace culture, and models and approaches to cultivating successful community, organizational, and/or business partnerships (including public-private, non-profit, and business-to-business).  

• Interactive and experiential deep dives where facilitators create a framework for attendees to explore substantive food system related issues, conundrums, and opportunities in order to collaboratively co-create solutions, next steps, and partnerships.

   

Each session is estimated to run for 1.5 hours with the possibility of offering a two-part session spanning 3 hours (though we would advise, due to the diversity of options we typically offer and the number of slots available, submitting a proposal that at minimum can be adapted to a 1.5 format). Because we are prioritizing sessions that are interactive and experiential, we encourage you to build movement and hands-on work into your session--be creative and innovative in designing your session and avoid/limit traditional PowerPoint presentations as much as possible. Sessions may be co-facilitated or individually facilitated. Our goal is for attendees to leave with new skills, knowledge, and connections that empower them to act in transformational ways.

Applications will be reviewed by a panel comprised of Farm to Plate Steering Committee members and staff. The deadline for submissions has been extended, and are due by Friday, August 30th. Please reach out to Jessica Poulin, Vermont Farm to Plate Network Assistant, with any questions: jessica@vsjf.org.

Financial Support for Facilitation