Meet the Recipients of our Inaugural Food Justice for Kids Prize!

The Prize grants up to $1.2M to 12 nonprofits and tribes working to advance Indigenous food justice, nutrition education, and school food programs for children across the country.

We are thrilled to announce the 12 recipients of our 2024 Food Justice for Kids Prize. The Food Justice for Kids Prize will provide up to $1.2M in grant funding over the next 2 years to these 12 nonprofits and tribes working to advance Indigenous food justice, nutrition education, and school food programs for children across the United States. 

While we had originally planned to select 10 grantees total (five per category), the quality and impact of these organizations led us to increase the grants from 10 to 12, and the total grant pool from $1M to $1.2M over 2 years. Each Food Justice for Kids Prize recipient will receive $50,000 for 2024, and will have the opportunity to receive an additional $50,000 grant in 2025. 

Meet the 2024 Food Justice for Kids Prize recipients!

Our Six Food Justice for Kids Prize Grant Recipients for Indigenous Food Justice:

• Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (Tlingit and Haida Tribes, Alaska) is a tribal government working to preserve sovereignty, enhance economic and cultural resources, and promote self-sufficiency and self-governance for over 37,000 Tlingit and Haida Indians. 
• Intertribal Agriculture Council (Various Tribes, Montana) is a Billings-based organization that conducts a wide range of programs designed to improve Indian Agriculture and provide a unified effort to promote change for the benefit of Indian people. 
• Iwikua (Hawaii) serves as an educational resource to benefit the wellness of west Kaua’i and future generations through sustainable food production, physical fitness, and cultural exchange.
• Keres Children’s Learning Center (Cochiti Tribe, New Mexico) strives to reclaim Keres children’s education and honor their heritage by using a comprehensive cultural and academic curriculum to assist families in nurturing healthy students. 
• Partnerships with Native Americans (Texas) is a nonprofit organization that works with tribal communities to improve the quality of life for Native Americans living on reservations. 
• Snoqualmie Indian Tribe (Snoqualmie Tribe, Washington)is a sovereign tribal nation provides health and wellness services and education benefits to its people. 

Our Six Food Justice for Kids Prize Grant Recipients for Nutrition Education and School Food:

• 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.
• Center for Ecoliteracy (California) advances change in TK–12 schools with California Food for California Kids® — a network of school districts committed to serving more fresh and local school meals and educating students about the food system.
• Detroit Food & Entrepreneurship Academy (Michigan) is a non-profit that works to inspire young Detroiters (ages 10-24) through culinary arts and food entrepreneurship. 
• FRESHFARM (DC) works to create a more resilient, equitable, and sustainable food future.
• The Montana Partnership to End Childhood Hunger (Montana) is a public non-profit dedicated to changing our food system to improve and increase nutrition security for Montana’s children and their families.
• Urban School Food Alliance (DC) 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.

Additionally, Intertribal Agriculture Council and The Montana Partnership to End Childhood Hunger received the most votes in the Community Choice Awards, and each will receive a $10,000 grant from Newman’s Own Foundation, as well as just under $3,000 in additional funds generously contributed by members of our Community Fund.  

“Nearly 1 in 5 children in the U.S. live in households without consistent access to nutritious food, or do not know where their next meal will come from–and Native and tribal communities often experience even higher levels of food insecurity,” said Alex Amouyel, President and CEO of Newman’s Own Foundation. “Our vision is for all children to have access to nutritious, culturally relevant foods, and to be nourished physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We’re honored to have the opportunity to support these incredible purpose-driven organizations that are working to improve the lives of children.”

Close to 500 organizations submitted applications for this year’s Food Justice for Kids Prize. In order to make the grantmaking process as open and transparent as possible, members of Newman’s Own Foundation Advisory Council, Foundation staff, and more than 50 external reviewers representing different communities, issue areas, and sectors participated in selecting the awardees. 

“Being involved in this process has been a powerful reminder of the incredible work being done across our country to combat hunger. It gives me great hope for the future. I firmly believe that business has the potential to be a force for good. But that good becomes even stronger when we bring people together—when we invite the community to join in, to vote, to engage, and to play a part in shaping the change we want to see.” – Nishant Roy, Chief Impact Officer at Chobani and member of Newman’s Own Foundation’s Advisory Board

We can’t wait to share more about these inspiring organizations in the months ahead, and see the impact of their work amplified by the Food Justice for Kids Prize.