In fall 2024, Newman’s Own Foundation awarded the inaugural Food Justice for Kids Prize to innovative nonprofits and Tribes working across the country to ensure all children can access, learn about, and engage with nutritious, culturally relevant food at school and in communities. We’re looking back at some of the inaugural recipients’ remarkable accomplishments—from securing historic state funding for farm-to-school programs to helping Indigenous youth engage and learn about ancestral food practices.
Now in its second cohort, the Food Justice for Kids Prize is back and accepting applications through April 28, 2026! Powered by Newman’s Own Foundation, Humanitix, The Henry P. Kendall Foundation, and the Hunger to Health Collaboratory, the Prize has grown from $1.2M in grants to now $1.4M with the goal of supporting projects working to grow the next generation of food citizens.
Photo courtesy of Intertribal Agriculture Council.
Nutrition Education & School Food Highlights
FRESHFARM FoodPrints: Building Food Literacy Through Hands-On Learning
Photo courtesy of FRESHFARM.
FRESHFARM FoodPrints: Building Food Literacy Through Hands-On Learning
FoodPrints integrates gardening and cooking into the school day at 21 Washington, D.C. elementary schools. In 2025, over 8,000 students cooked and enjoyed more than 30,000 pounds of local produce. In partnership with George Washington University, they co-developed the first-of-its-kind Building Informed Thoughtful Eaters tool to measure elementary food literacy.
Photo courtesy of FRESHFARM.
Montana Partnership to End Childhood Hunger: Land to Lunch Trainings Get Bison on School Lunch Trays in Tribal Communities
Photo courtesy of The Montana Partnership to End Childhood Hunger.
Montana Partnership to End Childhood Hunger: Land to Lunch Trainings Get Bison on School Lunch Trays in Tribal Communities
Montana Partnership to End Childhood Hunger is dedicated to changing the food system to improve and increase nutrition security for Montana’s children and their families. In 2025, they launched a Land to Lunch training series in partnership with fellow Newman’s Own Foundation grantee partner North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NATIFS). These trainings allowed school food professionals to visit local farms and learn how to prepare and integrate local Indigenous foods into schools. For example, following the training, at Rocky Boy School District, food service staff served culturally rooted recipes like bison chili, baked bannock prepared with locally grown grain, and a traditional berry soup.
Photo courtesy of The Montana Partnership to End Childhood Hunger.
Urban School Food Alliance: Building Bridges Between Local Farms and 3.8 Million Students
Photo courtesy of Urban School Food Alliance.
Urban School Food Alliance: Building Bridges Between Local Farms and 3.8 Million Students
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. Their “Team Up” trainings teach essential procurement steps and RFP fundamentals, building capacity across their alliance of districts serving 3.8 million students. In 2025, they hosted five Local Producer Webinars in 2025, connecting 62 districts with 247 producers.
Photo courtesy of Urban School Food Alliance.
Indigenous Food Justice Highlights
Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska: Integrating Alaskan Cultural Traditions in School Meals
Photo courtesy of Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska.
Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska: Integrating Alaskan Cultural Traditions in School Meals
The Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska’s Traditional Food Security program bridges the knowledge gap between elders and youth by replacing processed foods with Indigenous proteins. In 2025, more than 180 children ages 3-5 engaged in hands-on nutrition education, with 2,300 pounds of traditional foods integrated into 14 classrooms across Southeast Alaska.
Photo courtesy of Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska.
Keres Children’s Learning Center: Connecting Children to Traditional Foods Through Planting, Harvesting, and Cooking
Photo courtesy of Keres Children's Learning Center.
Keres Children’s Learning Center: Connecting Children to Traditional Foods Through Planting, Harvesting, and Cooking
Keres Children’s Learning Center creates a field-to-kitchen loop where students ages 1-13 plant corn, beans, squash, and green chile—then harvest and cook what they grow for meals. An outdoor educator embeds intergenerational Keres language exchange throughout planting, harvesting, and cooking.
Photo courtesy of Keres Children's Learning Center.
Partnership With Native Americans: Nurturing Youth Food Sovereignty Leadership
Photo courtesy of Partnership With Native Americans.
Partnership With Native Americans: Nurturing Youth Food Sovereignty Leadership
Partnership With Native Americans works with Tribal communities to improve the quality of life for Native Americans living on reservations. In 2025, they supported 14 new greenhouse and garden sites developed by 8 Native partner organizations, creating vibrant spaces where youth could learn to grow food and reconnect with traditional foodways. More than 30 youth completed the Four Directions Youth Food Sovereignty Leadership program, building practical skills and stepping into their roles as emerging leaders in Tribal food systems.
Photo courtesy of Partnership With Native Americans.
2024-2026 Food Justice for Kids Prize Recipients
Meet all the inaugural recipients
Photo courtesy of Black Girls Cook.