Cultivating Innovation to Create Local, Nourishing and Loved School Meals

The Illinois Public Health Institute (IPHI) secured a $16 million USDA grant to leverage innovation to benefit school meals across Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. IPHI established the Lake Michigan School Food Innovation Hub as a grantmaking entity and partnered with Invisible Engines for strategic communication and design support throughout the grant’s duration.

IPHI and its partners sought to attract diverse applicants for the grants. Invisible Engines developed a communication strategy prioritizing equity and accessibility, departing from traditional institutional approaches. We created a welcoming visual identity and messaging rooted in community values, avoiding conventional governmental or institutional aesthetics.

Invisible Engines developed a multifaceted approach that includes:

• Brand Development: We created brand guidelines and a logo for the Innovation Hub, establishing a cohesive visual identity.
• Website Design: The website was designed to be informative, user-friendly, and compliant with federal accessibility standards, including an integrated grants management portal. We created a Spanish and English version of the site.
• Multi-format Content Creation: We developed various media tools, including infographics, flyers, videos, and social media posts, to support outreach efforts in Spanish and English.
• Storytelling: As the project progresses, Invisible Engines will support IPHI in showcasing the stories and impacts of the grantees.

“I cannot speak highly enough about the entire Invisible Engines team! They have brought so much vision, creativity, talent, professionalism, flexibility, and kindness to our Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub (Innovation Hub) project. The Innovation Hub project has been incredibly fast-paced, complicated, and involves many moving parts and partners. The Invisible Engines Team skillfully brought everyone together, synthesized their ideas and insights, and used the collective vision to map out and execute a thoughtful and engaging communications plan. They adapted to a changing timeline and scope to produce products beyond our expectations. We hope to work with the Invisible Engines team for years to come!

-Kathryn Bernstein, Program Director
Food Systems and Nutrition Policy, Illinois Public Health Institute