Dao Foods: Grantee Spotlight (Q3 2026)

The Giving Green Fund is awarding a restricted grant to Dao Foods for its Incubator program and regional ecosystem-building activities, which support alternative protein innovators by helping catalyze funding and resources in five strategic regions across China. 

Dao Foods' work falls within our philanthropic strategy of scaling alternative proteins. Please see Giving Green's strategy report for more information, including potential risks and co-benefits, recommended sub-strategies, theory of change, funding need, and key uncertainties.

Last updated: October 2026

What Is Dao Foods?

Dao Foods was established in 2018 as a cross-border organization working to build a more sustainable food system in China, with staff based across China and North America. Dao Foods works with entrepreneurs and regional ecosystem stakeholders to catalyze private and public resources and investment in alternative protein companies. 

What Are We Funding, and How Could It Help Address Climate Change?

China is the world's largest consumer of meat, but has been historically neglected by funders seeking to reduce food system emissions. The Chinese government has named alternative proteins in its national and provincial plans, and it also has a unique ability to scale industrial production, a key barrier to commercializing alternative proteins.

Dao Foods’ incubator uses a small amount of nonprofit grant funding to catalyze much greater levels of private funding. Its philanthropically funded support team runs an incubator fund that helps mobilize investment in alternative protein companies. It also provides mentorship, training, and connections to support portfolio companies. Dao Foods will focus its efforts on five strategic regions in China for alternative protein development, each with a population of 100 to 200 million people.

Why Do We Think Dao Foods Will Use This Funding Well?

Since launching its Incubator in 2020, Dao Foods has leveraged relatively low philanthropic funds to unlock far greater private and public investment. Through its incubator, it has supported over 20 alternative protein companies, and it reports that these companies have raised over $110 million USD in follow-on private investment. Products of its first incubated company, Starfield Food Science, are now sold in major restaurant chains and retail outlets, like Sam’s Club, across China. To further build the ecosystem, Dao Foods runs alternative protein conferences in its key regions, connecting entrepreneurs, researchers, and investors.

We think Dao Foods' business-led approach makes it a valuable collaborator for local entrepreneurs and other critical stakeholders needed to catalyze alternative proteins. Given its track record of catalyzing private and public investment, and its connections across the ecosystem, we believe it is well positioned to help scale alternative proteins in China.

We publish grant spotlights to offer transparency to Giving Green Fund donors and resources for those interested in the impact strategies each grant supports. Giving Green believes our Top Climate Nonprofits have the greatest impact potential for large, unrestricted gifts. For several reasons, we also disburse and recommend grants to other organizations surfaced through our research process for work that we believe is at least as impactful as grants to our top recommendations.

This is a non-partisan analysis (study or research) and is provided for educational purposes.

Dao Foods International is fiscally sponsored by Players Philanthropy Fund, which is a registered nonprofit in the U.S.