Nourishing Power Advisory Council

Advisory Council Banner

The Advisory Council provides leadership to the Nourishing Power Network. The Advisory Council members bring a broad range of experiences and skillsets including:

  • Communications and marketing
  • Community organizing and network weaving
  • Event planning
  • Experiential education and technical assistance
  • Food Entrepreneurship
  • Grant-making and fundraising
  • Nonprofit or small business management
  • Policy Advocacy
  1. Guide. Provide shared leadership to the Nourishing Power Network, a community action research project focused on learning through action to test ways for expanding community ownership of local food justice initiatives and share lessons learned so others can adapt our model. 
  2. Shape. Share in decision-making related to the implementation and sustainability of the nutrition equity fund, policies to create and expand nutrition equity zones, storytelling to spread the word about findings of this community action research project, and planning to expand this work beyond the current 3-year grant cycle.  
  3. Sustain. Create and sustain space for community-driven efforts that lead to a vibrant, engaged, and fair food system resulting in holistic health for people and communities through active engagement in the Policy Action for Nutrition Equity Working Group, Nutrition Equity Fund Working Group, and engagement in other efforts of Nourishing Power Network.
Nutrition Equity Fund

Demonstrate the impact of the existing Nutrition Equity Fund proof of concept and secure ongoing resources and infrastructure to adapt and sustain the Fund beyond March 2025.

  • Amplify lessons learned and stories of impact related to the policy action for the fund justice grant, the nutrition equity innovation prize, and any other awards that emerge from the fund.
  • Select awardees for new RFPs of the existing Nutrition Equity Fund and serve as a Technical Advisor to grantees of the fund.
  • Identify strategies to sustain the fund beyond its initial 3-year proof of concept phase.
 
Policy Action for Food Justice

Establish 2 nutrition equity zones in Cuyahoga County by May 2025 as demonstration sites through policy action.

  • Identify 2 (total) potential demonstration sites on the East and West side of Cuyahoga County.
  • Create a 5-year action plan describing resources needed to achieve nutrition equity impacts with potential sites.
  • Gain support from decision-makers (i.e., organizational leadership, policy makers, business owners, et al.) to secure resources needed to establish the demonstration sites.
Expectations
  1. Integrity. Uphold the NPN values in all activities and interactions related to this role.
  2. Collaborative. Be a team player working closely and supportively with other Investigators, the Advisory Council, and NPN Partners to actively further the mission of the NPN.
  3. Accountable. Adhere to and model in practice the NPN Team Agreements, Norms of Engagement, and Conflict Management Strategy and offer feedback to update these tools, as needed, to support civil engagement within the NPN.
  4. Harmonize. Work to unify rather than divide the NPN by offering reflective and constructive feedback to support movement from problem spaces into solutions spaces.

Spend about 6 hours/month guiding strategic actions of the Nourishing Power Network by:

  1. Attending All Advisory Council Orientation Retreat on Friday, March 15th, 2024.

  2. Actively contributing to 8 Advisory Council meetings (bimonthly).
    • 2024: March*, May, July*, September, November* and 2025: January, March, May*
    • These occur on the 3rd Friday, 9-11:30am, in-person (*) or virtual. (Food will be provided for in-person meetings.)
  3. Participating in monthly Working Group meetings (1-2 meetings/month). The 17-month goals for the working groups include:
    • Policy Action for Nutrition Equity Working Group
    • Nutrition Equity Fund Working Group
  4. Attending and/or facilitating professional development and team-building activities.
  5. Supporting, promoting, and attending Nourishing Power networking events (virtual and in person).
  6. Participating in interviews at the beginning, middle, and end of the experience to evaluate the Nourishing Neighborhoods Empowering Communities Study.

*** Please note: Those selected to serve on the Advisory Council will not be eligible to apply to the Nourishing Power Fellowship or Nutrition Equity Fund during their term on the Council.***

The schedule below provides an overview of full advisory council meetings for the 17 month term. The working groups of the advisory council will also meet monthly and schedule will be determined by the working group lead.

  • January and February 2024 - Baseline Evaluation Interview
  • March 15th, 2024, 9am - 2pm - Advisory Council Full Group Orientation Retreat, Meeting 1 (In Person)
  • May 17th, 2024, 9-11:30 am- Advisory Council Full Group Meeting 2  (via Zoom)
  • July 19th, 2024, 9:00-11:30 am - Advisory Council Full Group Meeting 3 (In Person)
  • September 2024- Mid Point Evaluation Interview*
  • September 20th, 2024, 9:30-11:30 am - Advisory Council Full Group Meeting 4 (via Zoom)
  • November 15th, 2024, 9:00-11:30 am - Advisory Council Full Meeting 5 (In Person)
  • January 17th, 2025, 4, 9:30-11:30 am - Advisory Council Full Group Meeting 6 (via Zoom)
  • March 21st, 2025, 9:00-11:30 am - Advisory Council Full Meeting 7 (via Zoom)
  • May 2nd, 2025 9:00-11:30am - Advisory Council Full Meeting 8 (In Person)
  • May 2025- Final Evaluation Interview*

*To be scheduled based on Advisory Council members' schedule with the evaluation team. 

Questions?

Contact us: nourishingpower@case.edu

This Advisory Council is part of the Nourishing Neighborhoods, Empowering Communities study conducted by Case Western Reserve University in partnership with Neighborhood Connections and The FARE Project.