Exclusive: The Good Food Institute Lays Off US Staff Amid Funding Challenges

The Good Food Institute, a global future-food think tank, has laid off six employees and eliminated a further seven roles in its US team after its revenues fell short of expenses for several years.

Alternative protein think tank the Good Food Institute, which works to transform the food system by advancing plant-based, fermentation-derived, and cultivated alternatives to conventional meat, has made several staff redundant in its US entity, Green Queen has learned.

On Thursday (November 5), the Washington, DC-based organisation laid off six employees without notice, with their access terminated in the middle of the day, according to a source familiar with the situation, speaking on condition of anonymity. The affected employees then received a text message instructing them to check their personal email for further details about their termination.

GFI’s US team was notified about the cutbacks in an email by interim CEO Rachel Lichte, who also announced that senior VP of communications Sheila Voss was resigning after six years at the non-profit. Additionally, seven roles left vacant by former staffers have been eliminated, rather than backfilled.

Voss is staying on for a few weeks to help with the transition associated with the workforce changes. The source suggested that Voss’s resignation was related to the layoffs, which Voss disputed. She confirmed her role would be filled.

“The news of my departure is separate and unrelated to these staff reductions,” Voss told Green Queen in an email. “My decision was made independent of these reductions and is simply about me moving on after a fulfilling six years at GFI.”

The source also indicated that there was another resignation on Thursday, but Voss told us that this wasn’t the case: “Other than my news, there are no other resignations.”

In a statement sent to Green Queen, Lichte said: “This was not a choice we took lightly. The people affected are talented, committed colleagues who have helped advance GFI’s mission in meaningful ways, and we’re deeply grateful for their work. We are doing everything we can to help them move forward.”

GFI confirmed that it isn’t planning any further redundancies for now, as the cutbacks and other internal expense reductions put it on a “more sustainable financial footing”. GFI’s US team most recently had 110 employees, according to Voss; the layoffs affect about 5% of them.

The layoffs are also limited to the US team, as each of GFI’s six affiliate offices in Europe, Brazil, India, Israel, APAC, and Japan makes its own personnel decisions.

Voss said affiliates’ dollar funding is expected to stay flat: “At this time, we expect the USD budget allocations to remain static compared to the prior year. Fluctuations in currency exchange rates, however, may affect the exact local currency amount, their budgets, and thus their decisions.”

The timeline behind GFI’s redundancies

In a September email, Lichte noted that the US team was entering the 2027 budgeting and planning cycle in a resource-constrained environment.

In response to an anticipated question about employee reductions or furloughs, she wrote that the organisation was exploring multiple paths with substantial uncertainty. She added that without a change in GFI’s financial outlook, redundancies may be necessary.

According to the source, the affected employees did not receive updates or clear communication that their team roles might be affected.

GFI disputes this, telling Green Queen that Lichte shared regular updates with the team, usually on a weekly or biweekly basis. It says the week before last, she announced that layoffs would indeed be required to meet budget targets, adding that further decisions were still being made.

Each affected employee was notified on November 5, along with detailed information about their severance packages and other support from GFI’s People Operations team.

Explaining how the organisation decided which roles would be affected, Voss said GFI considered its budget goals, 2027 priorities and the staffing needed to deliver on them. “Our impact framework guided this review, with a sharper focus on the technical barriers to alternative proteins,” she noted.

“As the sector has evolved, we have adapted as well, moving toward more hands-on approaches, including market-shaping efforts, focusing research and student groups on technical bottlenecks, and purchasing cell lines from companies going through insolvency, in order to catalyse the sector.

“We also considered how responsibilities could be organised more efficiently across the team. Together, these considerations informed the decision to eliminate six current roles.”

Addressing the sudden nature of the events, Voss explained: “Given the complexities of operating across a primarily remote organisation across multiple time zones with no standard working hours, it is challenging to ensure people receive this news when intended to be delivered, and that confidentiality is respected throughout.”

She added: “As is standard in the US, we did remove access to email and to other platforms with sensitive GFI information, with the exception of one employee who will remain with GFI through the end of next week.

“A great deal of care and thought went into the process of notifying people, and our People Operations team continue to be in close touch with affected employees to walk them through the transition. Of course, we acknowledge that this news was difficult to receive.”

GFI has been highly ranked in the past for its organisational transparency, earning a 99% accountability and finance score from independent nonprofit evaluator Charity Navigator. Additionally, independent climate charity evaluator Giving Green named GFI a Top Climate Nonprofit every year from 2022 to 2026.

How did we get here?

GFI says it has spent more than it raised for several years, drawing on reserves to cover the gap.

The US think tank is supported by a global community of donors from over 60 countries, roughly 80% of whom give between $1 and $1,000 each year. Between 2022 and 2025, 52% of donations came from individuals, 46% from foundations, 1% from corporations, and less than 1% from non-US government grants.

“While our annual revenue has remained at roughly $32 million, our budgets have continued to grow. We drew on reserves to invest in advancing our mission through those years, and, more recently, they gave us time to make thoughtful decisions about how we need to adjust,” Lichte said in the email announcing the layoffs.

“We cannot continue drawing down our reserves at the current rate. While we may receive additional gifts in the future that change our revenue picture, we have to act on the information available to us now,” she added.

The source said it was surprising to see GFI hire “more and more people” over the last few years even as “revenues were unsustainable”.

‘Every year is a challenging funding environment’

GFI said there are challenges across the fundraising environment, particularly in growing philanthropic support at the pace it had hoped for.

“Because we believe alternative proteins can transform the global food system if they are as affordable and delicious as conventional meat, our fundraising team works around the world to raise funds for the global mission, and not specifically from or for the US team,” said Voss.

The revenue growth that the organisation expected in recent years didn’t materialise. While there is meaningful interest in its mission, that takes time to translate into funding commitments. “We continue to communicate with prospective donors and the public about the neglected and impactful potential of our work,” said Voss.

Globally, funding for alternative protein companies fell to a seven-year low in 2025, going below the billion-dollar mark for the first time since 2018. Sales of plant-based food in the US also dipped by 2% last year. GFI doesn’t believe that decline is linked to its fundraising challenges, but acknowledged that the sector’s ongoing events are complicated.

“Challenges in the field could dampen donor enthusiasm, but there are many reasons donors give to GFI,” said Voss. These include satisfying rising food demand in ways that accelerate climate progress, protecting animals and ecosystems, and strengthening public health.

“Every year is a challenging funding environment,” she stated when asked if GFI expects similar headwinds in 2027. “And amid those challenges, GFI raises millions to support its critically needed mission around the world. There is no easy way to do that work, and we’re fortunate to have thousands of dedicated supporters who help us realise our impact.”

Tech philanthropy and US midterm elections causes for optimism, says GFI

“Even as the private sector experiences a market correction, we see a bigger picture and envision a roadmap to market growth,” said Voss.

She noted how there are “incredible strides” being made around the taste, pricing, research and policy in the alternative protein sector: “As in any emerging industry, the barriers and bottlenecks shine a light on where more focus may be needed. For us and many donors, these are exactly the reasons to be in and stay in this work.”

Voss cited two reasons for optimism. “One, new philanthropists may soon emerge from the tech sector with unprecedented philanthropic capacity to help solve some of the world’s biggest problems. Two, the blue wave that swept the US midterm elections will likely result in powerful shifts in policy and investment strategies,” she argued.

“Philanthropists and impact investors alike will have fresh opportunities to join GFI in our mission to build a thriving world, fed sustainably. Additional funding in 2027 could enable us to deepen or expand high-impact work, but we would evaluate those opportunities against our sharpened strategic priorities and long-term financial commitments.”

GFI will now hold an all-staff meeting on Monday (November 9) for its US team to discuss what’s ahead. “Like many organisations across the nonprofit sector, we are navigating an unpredictable funding environment,” Lichte told Green Queen.

“These changes allow us to remain financially sustainable and channel increased focus on accelerating scientific innovation, shaping a favourable policy environment, and building the investment and institutional support necessary for advancing alternative proteins.

“The global challenges alternative proteins are designed to help solve are only intensifying. The stakes are high, and we remain committed to driving progress forward.”