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Whole Cities Foundation grants $200,000 towards access to fresh food and nutrition education



01/25/2023


Whole Cities Foundation grants $200,000 towards access to fresh food and nutrition education
Whole Cities Foundation, a nonprofit that collaborates with community-based organisations to improve neighbourhood health through increased access to fresh food and nutrition education, announced today that Newark-based organisations can apply for $200,000 in grants through the Newark Fresh, Healthy Food Access Grant from January 23 to February 23, 2023. The grant kicks off the Foundation's three-year, $780,000 commitment to continue building a thriving local food system in collaboration with the Newark community.

Grant applications are encouraged from Newark-based organizations with projects that support long-term healthy food access solutions and nutrition education. Ten organisations will receive funding ranging from $5,000 to $20,000, for a total of $200,000. Applications must be submitted online by February 23 at 11:59 p.m. Central Standard Time at wholecitiesfoundation.org.

“Whole Cities Foundation is committed to offering responsive support, so we listen and seek to understand our partners’ challenges and goals and then provide resources, information and grant programs like the Newark Fresh, Healthy Food Access Grant that meet these priorities,” said Dianna Purcell, Senior Grant Programs Manager at Whole Cities Foundation.

“We are honored to continue amplifying the innovative efforts of organizations across Newark that are expanding their community’s access to fresh, healthy food and nutrition education.”
With the assistance of its founder, Whole Foods Market, the Whole Cities Foundation launched the Newark Fresh, Healthy Food Access Grant program in 2017.

Since then, the Foundation has awarded grants to 29 organizations across Newark's five wards, as well as provided financial support for additional opportunities shaped by the grant partners' goals and requests. Over the last six years, Newark's total investment in food access and health initiatives has surpassed $1 million.

Community gardens, urban farms, farmers' markets, mobile markets, healthy cooking classes, SNAP incentives, and other solutions advancing long-term healthy food access and community health have been grant partners.

Whole Cities Foundation committed to a three-year, $780,000 investment starting in January 2023 in 2022, and surveyed community partners to help shape the next stage of support. The Newark Fresh, Healthy Food Access Grant program has been updated in response to survey results, with the maximum grant size increasing from $15,000 to $20,000 per year while still providing unrestricted grants, which allow funds to be used for overhead, infrastructure, and ongoing expenses.

Whole Cities Foundation is committed to empowering communities and reviews applications in collaboration with the Newark Community Advisory Council, a group of engaged Newark leaders. The sustainability of their projects and their alignment with the Foundation's mission determine grantees.

Apiary in the Sky, a first-time grantee during the 2022 Newark Fresh, Healthy Food Access Grant cycle, offers skills and resources to local residents as land stewards, beekeepers, and innovators, with the goal of advancing direct access to affordable, nutritious food and creating safe, green spaces for the community.

“Often smaller, grassroot organizations with the ability to create localized impact are overlooked when it comes to larger-scale funding. The Newark Fresh, Healthy Food Access Grant is ideal for organizations who may fall into that category because they are reviewed by various community members who are passionate about the health and wellness of Newark residents,” said Marcellis Counts, Founder of Apiary in the Sky.

“For Apiary in the Sky, receiving the grant symbolized hope—hope that we can work together to impact these important issues around education and food access in Newark.”

Previously, Whole Cities Foundation supported deep community engagement through grants for healthy food access in four more cities: Detroit, Mich.; New Orleans, La. ; Jackson, Miss. ; and Greater Englewood, a Chicago neighbourhood. These pledges were in addition to the Foundation's Community First Grant program, which has reached over 125 cities in the United States and Canada.

If you like to know more about Whole Cities Foundation’s Newark Fresh, Healthy Food Access Grant  program, click here.