Your council identifies the food policy or systems action it wants to pursue.
A food policy council partnership opportunity
Food policy councils and researchers working together
FICAS brings community priorities, local knowledge and relationships, community strengths, and relevant evidence together to support council-selected policy and systems action. We are seeking three food policy councils or other community coalitions in the United States or Canada engaged in food, nutrition, physical activity, childhood obesity prevention, or related policy and systems work to partner in this pilot study.
Explore the map: In FICAS, participating councils use community priorities, local knowledge and relationships, community strengths, and relevant evidence to guide the actions they choose.
Each council brings the knowledge, relationships, and strengths that shape its food system.
Partnership at a glance
What this partnership makes possible
Catalyzing Communities supports local systems mapping, facilitated learning, and action planning.
About 16 months of facilitated sessions and lighter-touch follow-up, with research follow-up through month 24.
Up to $10,000 USD per council can support council-selected action. Individual research compensation is separate.
The pilot will explore how feasible the FICAS model is and what may need adapting across different council contexts.
Who should apply
Food policy councils ready to work together over time
FICAS is seeking active, multisector food policy councils and similarly organized community coalitions in the United States or Canada that serve communities experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage and have a current or planned policy or systems priority related to food, nutrition, physical activity, childhood obesity prevention, or related conditions affecting children or families.
Throughout this site, “food policy council” and “council” include community coalitions engaged in this work. Your group does not need to call itself a food policy council to apply.
Your council does not need to focus exclusively on children. Broader food-system work is welcome when it has meaningful relevance for children or families in the community.
These are the main signals of fit. The application guide will explain the full eligibility criteria and help councils decide whether this partnership is right for them.
- Active membership across at least three sectors
- Clear council leadership and a primary contact
- The ability to convene members during the partnership
- Interest in using community knowledge, strengths, and relevant evidence in decision-making
- Willingness to take part in one of three study conditions, assigned by chance. Learn how the study conditions work.
- A setting in which adult members can decide for themselves whether to take part in research activities
What working together involves
Community priorities guide the work
Partner councils and the research team will map local food-system challenges and opportunities, explore possible responses, and work toward a council-selected food policy or systems action.
The partnership builds on Catalyzing Communities, a community-engaged approach to understanding local systems and planning action together.
Councils will identify a primary contact and coordinate member involvement. Each individual decides whether to join the research and completes an informed consent process before participating.
Partnership length and meetings
The active partnership lasts about 16 months, with research follow-up continuing through month 24 from the start of participation, not for an additional 24 months.
Up to 10 one-hour facilitated sessions are one part of the commitment. Lighter-touch meetings and check-ins follow those sessions. Councils will also spend time coordinating members and planning and carrying out their selected action.
Research activities
Activities vary by role and study condition. They may include four main surveys, eight shorter surveys about council relationships, and an optional 30- to 60-minute interview. The application guide will explain the activities in more detail.
Council seed funding
Up to $10,000 USD per council is available for council-selected action. A plan for using the funds will be requested as part of arranging their distribution. No seed-funding plan is required with the application.
Individual compensation
Individual research payments are separate from council seed funding. Eligible participants may receive $50 for each facilitated mapping session and $20 for each main survey. People invited to participate only in surveys may enter a drawing for $100; this is not a guaranteed payment. Optional interviews are not compensated.
Proposed recruitment timeline
From interest to partnership
Dates and webinar time are tentative until confirmed.
- Applications openRequest for partnerships begins
- Information webinarSee webinar details below
- Applications dueSubmit the application form
- Council conversationsFollow-up interviews with selected applicants
- Councils notifiedPartnership decisions shared privately
- Partnerships beginOrientation, planning, and initial research activities
How the study works
Three councils, three study conditions
All three councils are partners in FICAS. Each council will be assigned by chance to one of the following conditions and cannot choose its assignment. Together, we will learn which approaches are practical and useful for council-led work.
All councils are expected to begin orientation, planning, and initial research activities in January 2027. Facilitated sessions begin at different times depending on study assignment.
Catalyzing Communities
The council begins facilitated sessions to understand local challenges and plan council-selected policy or systems action.
Catalyzing Communities + FICAS
Alongside Catalyzing Communities sessions, the council takes part in added activities to review evidence, compare possible actions, and strengthen shared learning through council relationships.
Delayed start
The council takes part in research during a waiting period, then begins Catalyzing Communities sessions to explore local challenges and plan council-selected action.
How to apply
How to apply
The application will ask about your council, community context, current priorities, leadership and member participation, and interest in the partnership.
- 1Review the detailed guide
- 2Complete the application form
- 3Join a follow-up conversation if invited
Planned application window: October 1–November 13, 2026
Information webinar
Learn about the opportunity and ask questions
The session will cover the partnership, study activities, eligibility, and application process. A recording will be posted for those unable to attend.
Thursday, October 15, 2026 (proposed)
3 p.m. Eastern / noon Pacific (tentative)
Webinar recording
Available after the webinar
Project team and foundation
Built through partnerships, guided by shared expertise
FICAS is led by Travis R. Moore, PhD, at the University of Pittsburgh in partnership with Yuilyn Chang Chusan at Tufts University. A national advisory board provides guidance to the research team. The pilot builds on Catalyzing Communities, with its history of community partnerships, local learning, and action to support child health and wellbeing.
Catalyzing Communities
A shared foundation for local learning and action
All FICAS partner councils build from Catalyzing Communities, a community-engaged approach that brings stakeholders together to understand local systems, identify leverage points, and plan action around council priorities.
Explore Catalyzing CommunitiesA history of partnership
Local work, national learning
Catalyzing Communities builds on more than 20 years of community partnership work. Across that history, the team has worked intensively with more than 30 communities, centering community assets and locally tailored action.
See the partnership historyLearning from communities
Partnerships have taken many forms
Catalyzing Communities has worked with community stakeholders, peer institutions, funders, and implementation partners across the country. Community partners have shared their experiences of building connections and supporting healthier environments.
National Advisory Board
The board brings together academic and community partners to guide the pilot. Academic mentors contribute expertise in community-engaged research, implementation, networks, modeling, and study design.
Academic partners
- Christina D. Economos
- Mark C. Pachucki
- Ross A. Hammond
- Brian Christens
- Fang Fang Zhang
- Adolfo G. Cuevas
- Erin Hennessy
Community partners
- Jennifer ParlinPima County Cooperative Extension and The Garden Kitchen, University of Arizona
- Maydee MoralesWorcester Community Action Council
- Vanessa RodríguezLiveWell Greenville
- L. Denise TurnerYMCA of Metropolitan Chicago
Formative Community Advisory Council
Jennifer Parlin, Maydee Morales, Vanessa Rodríguez, L. Denise Turner, and Cristina Weddle, M.Ed., contributed to the formative CAC. Their experience in food systems, health promotion, and coalition-led action helped shape FICAS. Cristina Weddle, formerly Program Manager of Let’s Get Movin’ at NeighborHealth, is now retired and is acknowledged here for her formative contributions.
Supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development through award HD109456.