NoVo Foundation pledges $2 million matching donation to fuel national, international expansion of the Fair Food Program and growth of the Worker-driven Social Responsibility Model
Peter Buffett, Co-President, NoVo Foundation: “The importance of this pivotal moment cannot be overstated. CIW’s transformative model has proven its power to transform the lives of hundreds of thousands of workers in the U.S. and abroad. But they need our help in raising $10 million in the next 24 months to support this exponential increase in demand for their efforts.”
IMMOKALEE, FL — The NoVo Foundation has announced an inspirational $2 million matching pledge to support expansion of the Fair Food Program (FFP) and its innovative Worker-driven Social Responsibility (WSR) model, which is widely regarded as the gold standard for human rights enforcement in corporate supply chains.
Through the NoVo Foundation’s $2 million matching pledge, every dollar donated by supporters will be doubled, amplifying the impact of contributions. The funds will be used both to solidify the Fair Food Program’s expansion into new states and crops in the U.S., including building necessary infrastructure in new parts of the country, and to expand the program and replications of its model internationally. This expansion is expected to deepen protections for workers in agriculture and beyond, including the apparel and seafood sector, while bringing the program’s proven success to new countries where labor exploitation persists.
This generous commitment from the NoVo Foundation will advance the fight for the dignity and rights of low-wage workers both in the United States and abroad, ensuring that fair wages, safe working conditions, and essential protections are upheld for millions of the most vulnerable workers.
The pledge comes at a pivotal moment as the Fair Food Program and broader WSR model have gained recognition for their success in transforming working conditions in industries long plagued by systemic human rights violations. It is a moment of dramatic expansion with the FFP reaching workers in more regions and crops than ever, and WSR programs launching in industries across the world.
The Fair Food Program, which was forged by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers in Florida’s tomato fields as the first implementation of Worker-Driven Social Responsibility, has since been hailed as a global leader in human rights enforcement, receiving recognition from institutions including the United Nations, which called it an “international benchmark” in the fight against modern-day slavery, as well as the White House, the USDA, and the MacArthur Foundation.
By bringing together corporations, consumers, and workers in a collaborative effort, the WSR model creates legally binding agreements that hold participating buyers accountable for labor conditions in the farms, factories, and fisheries from which they source. The program’s market incentives and consequences have successfully eliminated and prevented abuses ranging from wage theft and dangerous working conditions to forced labor and sexual harassment.
While the FFP will soon have expanded to cover farms across half the US, it has also inspired human rights and worker organizations across the globe to adopt the WSR model in their own respective industries including apparel, dairy, construction, and seafood.
“CIW has challenged the food industry — long notorious for gross violations of human rights in its supply chain — and has realized great success. This organization exemplifies the best of stakeholders working together towards a more equitable future,” Peter Buffett, Co-President of the NoVo Foundation said.
“The importance of this pivotal moment cannot be overstated. CIW’s transformative model has proven its power to transform the lives of hundreds of thousands of workers in the U.S. and abroad. But they need our help in raising $10 million in the next 24 months to support this exponential increase in demand for their efforts,” Buffett added.
Mike Rios, Executive Director of the Fair Food Standards Council, which oversees and implements the FFP, praised the NoVo Foundation’s matching gift, stating: “This generous pledge comes at a crucial time. The expansion of the Fair Food Program will not only extend protections to thousands more workers but also send a strong message that consumers and corporations alike have a decisive role in creating fair, just working environments.
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About The NoVo Foundation: Established in 2006, the NoVo Foundation supports initiatives that promote a holistic, interconnected and healing vision for humanity. Visit NoVoFoundation.org for more information and a timeline of the Foundation’s history.
About the Fair Food Program: The Fair Food Program is a partnership among farmers, farmworkers, and corporate buyers of produce that ensures humane wages and working conditions for farmworkers. Based on a unique model of collaboration, the Program has been recognized as one of the most effective human rights programs in the U.S. Harvard Business Review called the FFP “one of the most important social-impact stories of the past century. The FFP is the world’s first iteration of Worker-Driven Social Responsibility.
