Newman’s Own Foundation, Humanitix, The Henry P. Kendall Foundation, and the Hunger to Health Collaboratory are thrilled to announce the recipients of the 2026 Food Justice for Kids Prize!
The Food Justice for Kids Prize will provide up to $1.4M in grant funding to be shared among 14 innovative organizations across the United States.
Each organization will receive up to $100K each, over 2 years to support kids learning about healthy food, eating nutritious school meals, and engaging with Indigenous foods. This year’s recipients are strengthening culturally relevant nutrition education, youth development, local school food procurement, and climate-friendly school meals. From policy and systems change work to community engagement and education, each organization has a unique approach to advance food justice in their communities.
Meet the 2026 Food Justice for Kids Prize recipients!
Indigenous Food Justice
- Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Cooperative Extension Center, Cherokee, NC
- Hoʻokuaʻāina, Kailua, HI
- One Spirit, Pine Ridge Reservation, SD
- Rural Alaska Community Action Program, Anchorage, AK
- Yurok Tribe Environmental Department Food Sovereignty Program, Klamath, CA
Nutrition Education & School Food
- Center for Good Food Purchasing, Berkeley, CA
- ChangeLab Solutions, Oakland, CA
- FoodRight Inc., Milwaukee, WI
- Good Food Collective, Durango, CO
- Green Umbrella, Cincinnati, OH
- Grow Windham, Inc., Willimantic, CT
- La Colaborativa, Chelsea, MA
- Pilot Light, Chicago, IL
- Plant Powered School Meals Coalition, Nationwide
Photo courtesy of La Colaborativa.
“The Food Justice for Kids Prize support innovative leaders and organizations growing the next generation of food citizens. We’re honored Humanitix, The Henry P. Kendall Foundation, and the Hunger to Health Collaboratory joined the Prize to advance food justice and child nutrition for all.”
This year’s recipients represent a diverse group of geographies and focal areas. The breadth of this group is emblematic of the variety of strategies needed to achieve food justice for kids:
- 10 nonprofit organizations; 2 federally recognized Tribes
- 2 organizations working at the national level, 4 organizations working at the state level, and 8 organizations working at the local level
- Organizations from 12 different states
Building on the inaugural 2024 Food Justice for Kids Prize, over 1,000 organizations applied for the 2026 Prize. During the application review process, more than 125 external reviewers representing different communities, lived experiences, issue areas, and sectors helped inform the selection of the new cohort, alongside staff from Newman’s Own Foundation, Humanitix, The Henry P. Kendall Foundation, and the Hunger to Health Collaboratory.
In addition to the grant, Food Justice for Kids Prize recipients will be recognized at the H2HC 2026 Fall Summit in Boston, MA, this November. Organizations will also have the opportunity to participate in Newman’s Own Foundation’s virtual learning sessions and meet periodically throughout the year with fellow nonprofits, Tribes, and schools to network, share best practices, and learn from and with one another.
Photo courtesy of FoodRight
This year’s Food Justice for Kids Prize is a collaboration between Newman’s Own Foundation, Humanitix, a ticketing platform that dedicates 100% of profits to charity, The Henry P. Kendall Foundation, which supports a more resilient and healthy food system in New England, and the Hunger to Health Collaboratory (H2HC), which uplifts innovative food and nutrition work that advances health equity.