Meet the Changemakers
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Select allIndigenous Food Justice
Nutrition Education & School Food
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Food Justice for Kids Prize Recipient
36 results
Black Girls Cook
Nutrition Education & School Food
Florida & Maryland
Center for Ecoliteracy
Nutrition Education & School Food
California
Center for Good Food Purchasing
Nutrition Education & School Food
California
ChangeLab Solutions
Nutrition Education & School Food
California
Chef Ann Foundation
Nutrition Education & School Food
Colorado
Community Food Advocates
Nutrition Education & School Food
New York
Detroit Food & Entrepreneurship Academy
Nutrition Education & School Food
Michigan
End Hunger Connecticut!
Nutrition Education & School Food
Connecticut
Food Research and Action Center (FRAC)
Nutrition Education & School Food
Washington, D.C.
FoodCorps
Nutrition Education & School Food
New York
FoodRight Inc.
Nutrition Education & School Food
Wisconsin
FoodWhat?!
Nutrition Education & School Food
California
FRESHFARM
Nutrition Education & School Food
Washington, D.C.
Georgia Organics
Nutrition Education & School Food
Georgia
Good Food Collective
Nutrition Education & School Food
Colorado
Greater Newark Conservancy
Nutrition Education & School Food
New Jersey
Photo courtesy of Good Food Collective.
Good Food Collective
The Good Food Collective catalyzes & supports stakeholders across Southwest Colorado to transform their regional food system so it is more just, resilient, and vibrant. Along with over 180 partners, they are working towards a reality in which farmers, ranchers, & food makers can thrive, all residents are able to access to the food that supports their well-being, and those impacted by the food system are the leaders of its transformation.
This Food Justice for Kids Prize grant recipient is funded by Humanitix. Learn more about the Food Justice for Kids Prize at foodjusticeforkids.org.
Photo courtesy of Good Food Collective.
Photo courtesy of Pilot Light.
Pilot Light
Pilot Light advances food justice through innovative, school-based programs that center youth as informed decision-makers and advocates. They prioritize serving students in historically under-resourced communities, ensuring all young people—regardless of background—have the knowledge and skills to navigate and challenge food system inequities.
This Food Justice for Kids Prize grant recipient is funded by Humanitix. Learn more about the Food Justice for Kids Prize at foodjusticeforkids.org.
Photo courtesy of Pilot Light.
Photo by USDA, Lance Cheung.
ChangeLab Solutions
ChangeLab Solutions is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that uses the tools of law and policy to advance health equity. They partner with communities across the nation to improve health and opportunity by changing harmful laws, policies, and systems. ChangeLab Solutions envisions healthy, equitable communities where every person can attain their full health potential.
This Food Justice for Kids Prize grant recipient is funded by the Hunger to Health Collaboratory. Learn more about the Food Justice for Kids Prize at foodjusticeforkids.org.
Photo by USDA, Lance Cheung.
Photo courtesy of Grow Windham.
Grow Windham, Inc.
Grow Windham cultivates intergenerational spaces that center youth to grow and build their power to problem solve and create new opportunities in Windham. They using the garden as a hub to address systemic barriers, where youth are responsible for building community, leading projects, and taking action to accomplish their visions.
This Food Justice for Kids Prize grant recipient is funded by the Henry P. Kendall Foundation. Learn more about the Food Justice for Kids Prize at foodjusticeforkids.org.
Photo courtesy of Grow Windham.
FoodRight students cooking soup. Photo by FoodRight staff.
FoodRight Inc.
FoodRight works to ensure Milwaukee youth have the skills and opportunity to build lifelong healthy habits. Their mission is to empower young people to choose foods that sustain lifelong health while transforming the systems that shape what they eat every day. Through hands-on culinary education, community cooking programs, and systems-level advocacy, FoodRight helps youth, families, and schools build lifelong habits that nourish both bodies and communities.
FoodRight students cooking soup. Photo by FoodRight staff.
Photo courtesy of Lake Travis ISD.
Center for Good Food Purchasing
The Center for Good Food Purchasing uses the nationwide deployment and scaling of our Good Food Purchasing Program as a catalyst for accelerating the transformation of our food system in ways that empower equitable, community-based solutions through the lever of public food procurement.
By aligning, connecting, and aggregating local and regional Good Food Purchasing efforts across the country, the Center for Good Food Purchasing is laying a foundation for food system transformation at scale, with benefits accruing to people and planet. The Center offers communities tools and support to help make values-based procurement work.
This Food Justice for Kids Prize grant recipient is funded by the Hunger to Health Collaboratory. Learn more about the Food Justice for Kids Prize at foodjusticeforkids.org.
Photo courtesy of Lake Travis ISD.
La Colaborativa youth. Photo by Anna Hadingham.
La Colaborativa
La Colaborativa’s mission is to empower Latinx immigrants to enhance the social and economic health of the community and their people, and to hold institutional decision-makers accountable to the community.
For over 35 years, they have worked in true partnership with community members to design and deliver programs, initiatives, and community organizing campaigns that serve, protect, celebrate, and uplift their people.
This Food Justice for Kids Prize grant recipient is funded by the Henry P. Kendall Foundation. Learn more about the Food Justice for Kids Prize at foodjusticeforkids.org.
La Colaborativa youth. Photo by Anna Hadingham.
Photo courtesy of Green Umbrella.
Green Umbrella
The mission of Green Umbrella is to lead cross-sector collaboration to accelerate climate change across Greater Cincinnati.
Green Umbrella envisions a vibrant region where climate planning is regional, collaborative, and guided by community voice, where education and resources are accessible and equitably distributed, and where out people, communities, and environments are interconnected and thriving.
Photo courtesy of Green Umbrella.
Photo courtesy of Plant Powered School Meals Coalition.
Plant Powered School Meals Coalition
The Plant Powered School Meals Coalition is the only national coalition focused specifically on expanding nutritious and delicious plant-based, culturally relevant meals and beverages in U.S. K-12 schools while centering students as leaders, strategists, and advocates for change. The Coalition’s work is grounded in the belief that school meals cannot be truly just, inclusive, nor nutritious unless the voices of the students most impacted by them are at the center of decision-making and those meals meet the needs of every student.
Photo courtesy of Plant Powered School Meals Coalition.
Wellness in the Schools
Wellness in the Schools (WITS) is a national nonprofit that teaches public school students healthy habits to learn, live, and thrive. WITS partners with public schools, chefs, and coaches to expand access to nourishing food and active play.
Wellness in the Schools teaches children healthy habits to learn, live, and thrive. For over 20 years, they have partnered with public schools, chefs, and coaches to expand access to nourishing food and active play through three core programs: Cook for Kids, Coach for Kids, and Green for Kids. Wellness in the Schools programs now reach more than one million students across six states and the District of Columbia.
The results:
- 82% of participants tried a new fruit or vegetable during Cook for Kids programming; 86% said they would try it again.
- Program participants eat 40% more fruits and vegetables compared to non-participants.
- Schools participating in Wellness in the Schools programming offer and serve 76% more whole foods entrees at lunch compared to non-participating schools.
“Some type of miracle happened at PS41 yesterday. My son (who spent 5 years from ages 1-6 in feeding therapy) went directly from pickup to the market where he chose the ingredients and then went straight home to make potato salad where he then gobbled it up for dinner. This is a miracle for so many reasons… THANK YOU.”
—Parent of a 3rd grader at PS41
Photo courtesy of Urban School Food Alliance.
Urban School Food Alliance
Urban School Food Alliance addresses the unique needs of the nation’s largest school districts and shares best practices, develops procurement standards, and advocates for the wellness of students.
Photo courtesy of Urban School Food Alliance.
Photo courtesy of Southwest Organizing Project.
Southwest Organizing Project
SWOP is a membership-based organization with a mission to work with communities in the Southwest to realize racial and gender equality and social and economic change. SWOP has a core of over 2,000 members and a supporting base of over 30,000 people in New Mexico. It regularly brings dozens of members to community meetings and hundreds of community members to large-scale events, and it engages with thousands of active users online through its many platforms and campaign areas. SWOP works in campaign areas related to youth empowerment, juvenile justice, civic engagement, gender justice and reproductive rights, food justice, and environmental justice.
Photo courtesy of Southwest Organizing Project.
Photo courtesy of Soul Fire Farm.
Soul Fire Farm
Soul Fire Farm is an Afro-Indigenous centered community farm and training center committed to uprooting racism and seeding sovereignty in the food system. Based in Petersburg, NY, the organization brings diverse communities together on this healing land to share skills on sustainable agriculture, natural building, spiritual activism, health, and environmental justice. Through one-day workshops, youth can learn about food systems, food justice, and how to be agents of change in society.
Photo courtesy of Soul Fire Farm.
Photo courtesy of National Farm to School Network.
National Farm to School Network
The mission of the National Farm to School Network (NFSN) is to increase access to local food, gardens, and nutrition and agriculture education to improve children’s health, strengthen family farms, and cultivate vibrant communities. NFSN envisions a nation in which farm to school and farm to early care and education are essential components of strong and just local and regional food systems. NFSN works to develop a strong network of partners across sectors, build awareness about farm to school, and increase activities at the state and regional levels through training, capacity building, and policy advocacy.
Photo courtesy of National Farm to School Network.
Photo courtesy of Mississippi Farm to School Network.
Mississippi Farm to School Network
The Mississippi Farm to School Network builds strong connections within Mississippi communities by promoting healthy, locally grown foods and supporting local producers. By implementing changes in food purchasing and education practices at schools and early childcare institutions, students can access nutrient-dense locally grown foods and educational opportunities, such as school gardens, cooking demos, and farm field trips.
Photo courtesy of Mississippi Farm to School Network.
Photo courtesy of The Montana Partnership to End Childhood Hunger.
The Montana Partnership to End Childhood Hunger
The Montana Partnership to End Childhood Hunger is a public non-profit dedicated to changing our food system to improve and increase nutrition security for Montana’s children and their families.
Photo courtesy of The Montana Partnership to End Childhood Hunger.
Massachusetts Farm to School
Massachusetts Farm to School works to strengthen local farms and fisheries and promote healthy communities by increasing local food purchasing and education at schools.
Photo courtesy of Healthy Harvest of North Iowa.
Healthy Harvest of North Iowa
Healthy Harvest of North Iowa connects and educates in support of the local food system. The nonprofit partners with regional school districts, early care centers, local food hubs, extension offices, and more to increase the procurement of local foods into cafeterias for the youth of North Iowa, school garden and greenhouse activities, and related nutrition education in the classroom.
Photo courtesy of Healthy Harvest of North Iowa.
Photo courtesy of Harlem Grown.
Harlem Grown
Healthy habits start young, which is why Harlem Grown’s programs target elementary-aged students. Urban farms become living classrooms and facilitate hands-on lessons. Children from urban settings are introduced to sustainable growing practices, as well as farm-based education programming. The result is a sense of membership in an environmentally conscious, sustainable community. Harlem Grown’s programming empowers children to be community leaders with the skills and agency to maintain their well-being and succeed in their careers.
Photo courtesy of Harlem Grown.
Photo courtesy of Groundwork Center.
Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities
Founded in 1995, Groundwork develops sustainable local-based solutions in local food, clean energy, and livable towns. Groundwork supports the outreach, advocacy, and policy engagement on the 10 Cents a Meal for Michigan’s Kids & Farms, a state program implemented by the Michigan Department of Education, that provides schools and early childhood education centers with up to 10 cents per meal in match funding to purchase and serve Michigan-grown fruits, vegetables, and dry beans.
Photo courtesy of Groundwork Center.
Photo courtesy of Green Village Initiative.
Green Village Initiative
Green Village Initiative (GVI) is an urban agriculture and food justice organization in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Its mission is to grow food, knowledge, leadership, and community through urban gardening and farming, to create a more just food system in Bridgeport. The GVI Youth Leadership Program cultivates leaders in agricultural, food justice, career readiness, and leadership knowledge skills through the Summer Farm Crew and Food Leader Advisory Group (FLAG) programs. Youth not only develop an understanding of our food system, but they also forge meaningful connections with their neighbors, land, and city as they grow.
Photo courtesy of Green Village Initiative.
Photo courtesy of Green Bronx Machine.
Green Bronx Machine
Green Bronx Machine (GBM) builds healthy, equitable, and resilient communities through inspired education, local food systems, and 21st century workforce development. Dedicated to cultivating minds and harvesting hope, GBM’s school-based model, using urban agriculture aligned to key school performance indicators, grows healthy students and high-performing schools to transform communities that are fragmented and marginalized into neighborhoods that are inclusive and thriving. GBM grows vegetables, the vegetables grow students, and the students grow happy, healthy, and thriving classrooms, schools, and communities en-route to better health outcomes.
Photo courtesy of Green Bronx Machine.
Photo courtesy of Greater Newark Conservancy.
Greater Newark Conservancy
Greater Newark Conservancy fosters collaboration in its community at the intersection of environmental, food, and racial justice to promote the health and wellbeing of Newark, NJ, residents. The Conservancy engages with thousands of schoolchildren and adults each year, by promoting good nutrition, healthy eating, and how to grow one’s own fresh food, and by forming a coalition of local stakeholders to advocate for healthy meals being served in school cafeterias.
Photo courtesy of Greater Newark Conservancy.
Photo courtesy of Georgia Organics.
Georgia Organics
The Georgia Organics Farm to School Innovation Mini Grant provides local school districts with the opportunity to expand their farm to school programming based on their needs and goals. The purpose of this program is to strengthen the community of Georgia farm to school champions, to gather data and best practices, to advance health equity and to overall encourage innovative nutrition and gardening education efforts.
Photo courtesy of Georgia Organics.
Photo courtesy of FRESHFARM.
FRESHFARM
FRESHFARM’s FoodPrints program integrates gardening and cooking into the school curriculum at 21 public elementary schools across Washington, DC—providing joyful experiences growing, cooking, and eating nutritious food together in lessons tied to academics.
The results:
- 8,000+ elementary school students participated in FoodPrints sessions, cooking and enjoying over 30,000 pounds of produce from local farmers.
- In partnership with George Washington University, developed and validated the Building Informed Thoughtful Eaters food literacy questionnaire, the first tool to measure four dimensions of food literacy from the perspective of elementary students.
- 86% of 4th and 5th graders (of more than 375 surveyed) said they “loved” or “liked” participating in FoodPrints.
“Some kids think that only sweets are good, but FoodPrints shows you that healthy food can be delicious too!”
—5th grader, John Francis Education Campus
Photo courtesy of FRESHFARM.
Photo courtesy of End Hunger Connecticut!
End Hunger Connecticut!
End Hunger Connecticut! is a statewide anti-hunger nonprofit in Connecticut dedicated to eliminating hunger and promoting healthy nutrition through outreach, public education, and legislative and administrative advocacy. As part of its work, the nonprofit seeks permanent legislative funding for free, nutritious school meals for all K-12 students in Connecticut.
Photo courtesy of End Hunger Connecticut!
Photo courtesy of Detroit Food Academy.
Detroit Food & Entrepreneurship Academy
Detroit Food & Entrepreneurship Academy (Michigan) is a non-profit that works to inspire young Detroiters (ages 10-24) through culinary arts and food entrepreneurship.
Photo courtesy of Detroit Food Academy.
Photo courtesy of Community Food Advocates.
Community Food Advocates
The mission of Community Food Advocates (CFA) is to ensure all New Yorkers have access to healthy, affordable, culturally appropriate foods through equity-centered, high impact public policy. CFA builds creative, strategic coalitions—engaging those directly impacted—to leverage the strength of collective power, experiences, and knowledge to achieve policy change. Through its Youth Food Advocates program, CFA is growing the next generation of food justice leaders by doing a deep dive into the policies that shape our food system, and providing experiential learning opportunities where young people develop the skills to fully engage in the policy making process and create systemic change in the nation’s largest school system.
Photo courtesy of Community Food Advocates.
Photo courtesy of Center for Ecoliteracy.
Center for Ecoliteracy
The Center for Ecoliteracy’s core initiative, California Food for California Kids®, inspires schools to serve fresh, locally-sourced meals and engage students in the connections between food, culture, health, and the environment.
The results:
- The California Food for California Kids Network grew to 160+ school districts serving over 40% of the state’s 5.8 million public school students.
- $1.93B secured to provide free breakfast and lunch at school through California’s School Meals for All program.
- $24.9M secured in California’s 2025–2026 state budget for farm-to-school programs, the largest state investment in the country connecting local farmers with schools.
“Before the pandemic, it wasn’t the norm to eat school meals. Now, it’s expected for everyone to go to the cafeteria to eat… More people are getting school lunches—the lines were never this packed last year! The taste and the quality have drastically improved.”
—High school student, Mt. Diablo Unified School District
Photo courtesy of Center for Ecoliteracy.
Photo courtesy of Black Girls Cook
Black Girls Cook
Black Girls Cook (Florida and Maryland) is a Miami and Baltimore-based nonprofit helping young girls embrace the farm-to-table concept while also learning about Black Diaspora history.
Photo courtesy of Black Girls Cook
Photo courtesy of Oregon Farm to School Network.
Oregon Farm to School Network
The Oregon Farm to School Network unites farmers, educators, and nutrition professionals to transform school food systems, making local food more accessible in schools statewide. Their collaborative approach bridges the gap between Oregon’s agricultural community and school nutrition programs.
2024 impact:
- Secured $10.9M in state funding for Farm to School programs, exceeded funding goal by $700K
- Supported the development of a robust and diverse School Meals for All Coalition, which successfully advocated for the adoption of free school meals in 95% of Oregon schools
Photo courtesy of Oregon Farm to School Network.
Photo courtesy of Food What?!
FoodWhat?!
“Food, What?!” is a youth empowerment and food justice organization. At FoodWhat, youth engage in relationships with land, food, and each other in ways that are grounded in love and rooted in justice. The organization provides meaningful space where youth from the Santa Cruz, CA, region define and cultivate their empowerment, liberation, and well-being.
2024 impact:
- In 2024, more than 90 youth participated in FoodWhat?!’s programming
- 95% of youth reported that they gained useful job skills
- 86% of participants reported that they were eating healthier as a result of the program
Photo courtesy of Food What?!
Photo courtesy of FRAC.
Food Research and Action Center (FRAC)
Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) leads a nationwide movement to ensure all students have access to free school meals. By convening local, state, and national partners, they help states adopt policies that provide free, healthy school meals for all children.
2024 impact:
- > 3M children received free breakfast and > 6M children received free lunch on an average day across the eight states with Healthy School Meals for All policies during the ‘23-24 school year
- 11 additional states and D.C. have active coalitions working towards healthy school meals for all
Photo courtesy of FRAC.
Photo courtesy of Grow Dat Youth Farm.
Grow Dat Youth Farm
The mission of Grow Dat Youth Farm is to nurture a diverse group of young leaders through the meaningful work of growing food. Since 2010, Grow Dat has graduated over 600 youth participants with hands-on work experience, harvested about 383,325 pounds of food for the New Orleans community, and donated about 76,665 pounds of that food to other food-insecure residents.
2025 impact:
In 2025, 43 youth under 18 participated in Grow Dat’s immersive food leadership development and gardening education programs. After participating in Grow Dat programs in 2025:
- 87% of youth stated they have the skills needed to grow their own food in the future after participating in Grow Dat programs.
- 71% of youth understood the impact of their eating choices on the environment.
- Youth grew 51,500 pounds of food for the New Orleans community.
“Grow Dat has taught me that I am always growing as a person and nothing is set in stone. I feel way more sure of myself than I did before, and especially when it involves food systems or farming in general. I now realize that my words and thoughts have value and people will actually listen to me if I talk.” —Reid, Grow Dat Participant, 2021-2024
Photo courtesy of Grow Dat Youth Farm.
FoodCorps member with children.
FoodCorps
FoodCorps places AmeriCorps members in schools nationwide to transform how children experience food through hands-on education, nourishing meals, and culturally-rooted food experiences. Building on school programming, FoodCorps develops leaders, grows networks, and advocates for policy change in service of every child’s health and well-being.
2024 impact:
- 528K students engaged across 220 schools in 18 states and D.C.
- Students eat up to 3x more fruits and vegetables after participating in FoodCorps programming
- 70% of states with Foodcorps programming made progress toward policies that support expanded access to nourishing school meals and/or food education
“I never knew cooking could be so fun! Now I can help make dinner at home and choose healthier foods.” —Foodcorps participant, Alanson School District (Michigan)
FoodCorps member with children.
Photo courtesy of Chef Ann Foundation.
Chef Ann Foundation
The Chef Ann Foundation ensures that school food professionals have the resources, funding, and support they need to provide fresh, healthy, delicious, cooked-from-scratch meals that support the health of children and the planet.
2024 impact:
- 419K students from 396 districts and 370 schools have benefitted from Get Schools Cooking and Healthy School Food Pathway since 2016
- 145K+ nutrition professionals used The LunchBox in 2024 to access recipes, support meal planning, and learn new ideas to implement in their classroom
- 800 new schools and districts used The LunchBox for the first time.
“Great tips and recommendations here to help implement change in our public schools. I have been searching for ways to help implement change for increasing plant-based foods in school lunches. This is a little slice of gold I have found on your site. Thank you very much.” —School Nurse in New Jersey
Photo courtesy of Chef Ann Foundation.
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