Looking Back on 2023 and Ahead to 2024

By Alex Amouyel

8 months since I had the honor of joining Newman’s Own Foundation as President and CEO—wow, time has flown by!

The question I have continually asked myself since joining, one I invite all social impact leaders to reflect on: How can we have the most impact, using the resources that we have, in service of our mission? 

I have 8 highlights to share: 4 looking back on 2023, and 4 looking ahead to 2024. 

Let’s start with the look back:

1. Meeting our incredible grantee partners, whether in-person or virtually, and hearing more about their incredible work, how Newman’s Own Foundation has helped, and what more we could do going forward. Particular shout out to the Native American Nutrition Conference, which brought together 600+ Indigenous food justice leaders from many tribes and communities across the US.
2. Volunteering with Harlem Grown, The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, and my Foundation and food company colleagues!
3. Reviewing our Nutritious Food in Schools and Indigenous Food Justice renewal proposals and renewing over 50+ organizations’ grants in the process!
4. Launching our first Newman’s Own $100k Community Giveaway, as part of the Newman’s Own Community Fund, which is now 550+ members strong!

And what I am excited about for 2024:

5. Opening up applications for new grantee partners starting in Q1 2024—stay tuned for more information. We will want your help, including through the Newman’s Own Community Fund, to apply for your organization, to nominate your favorite nonprofits, to spread the word, and more!
6. Partnering with like-minded funders and strategic partners who can support our grantee partners and amplify their impact. Get in touch if you are interested in supporting organizations that align to our mission and program areas.
7. Deepening our work in Indigenous Food Justice and Nutritious Food in Schools through both renewals and new grants, doing so in a way that is open, transparent, fair, and impactful, and that aligns to our values.
8. Onboarding three new team members to support the incredible work above, bringing us to 7 full-time staff in total:

• Emily Yu, Chief Partnerships and Program Officer, who will build out partnerships and oversee our program team
• Jackie Blackbird, Indigenous Communities Officer, who will broaden and deepen our commitment to Indigenous Food Justice
• Christina Chauvenet, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Officer, who will work with our grantee partners to develop an impact measurement system for mutual accountability and learning

In looking back and forward, I want to thank all of those who make our mission and our work possible. We cannot do this work without the community around us:

• First and foremost, our grantee partners, who sit at the forefront of our work in communities across the United States
• Our ‘donors’—aka those who purchase Newman’s Own products—given that 100% of the profits and royalties go to the Foundation to help kids
• The incredible staff from the Foundation and the food company, as well as our vendors, distributors, Board, and more 

Wishing you all the very best for this holiday season, and looking forward to 2024 as a year of impact, innovation, and radical goodness in service of our mission to nourish and transform the lives of children who face adversity.