This case study examines the development and implementation of the California FreshWorks program, a $273 million healthy food financing initiative launched in July 2011 by a broad coalition of public and private partners led by the California Endowment. As part of an evaluation team commissioned by the California Endowment, PCV InSight and the Sarah Samuels Center for Public Health Research and Evaluation conducted interviews with FreshWorks investors, advisors, and other key stakeholders in order to document FreshWorks’ origins and implementation. In addition, the case study examines key challenges and lessons learned during the program’s first years of operation that can inform others in the healthy food financing and impact investing communities. The case study also describes future directions for the FreshWorks program.
This case study is one of three reports released as part of the evaluation of the California FreshWorks program. The other two reports, The Social and Economic Impacts of FreshWorks and California FreshWorks Food Access Report can be found here.