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Community Innovation Grants Program

Purpose: The Community Innovation Grants Program  has been designed to allow the United Fresh Start Foundation to collaborate with like-minded stakeholders to increase children’s access, selection, and consumption of fresh produce while they are outside of school.

The 2020 program is focused on supporting visionary initiatives and research that not only increases children and families’ access to fresh produce, but also broadens selection and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, whether at home, on weekends, during the summer, while out to eat, or any other time outside the traditional school day.

For the purpose of the grant:

  • Access is defined as creating opportunity where it may not otherwise exist.
  • Selection indicates that fresh fruits and vegetables are chosen over less nutritious options.
  • Consumption focuses on the goal of increasing intake once access is established.
Receipt Date: Expires: December 1, 2019
Total Awards: A total of $50,000 in funds through the Community Innovation Grants Program will be awarded this year. A minimum of five grants will be awarded, in amounts warranted by applicants.

To date, we have collectively granted $100,000 to support programs for over 40 non-profit partners.
Eligibility: Eligible organizations can include not-for-profit 501 (c) 3 organizations, schools, universities, small businesses, and others with innovative projects that align with our mission and the Community Innovation Grants objectives to increase access, selection and consumption outside the school day.

Applicants should present projects designed to be sustainable beyond the duration of the 2020 grant, and serve as a model or be able to scale-up following the initial investment.

Special consideration will be given to projects that work to address barriers to fresh produce access, selection and consumption in retail and foodservice/restaurant environments.
Link: https://www.unitedfreshstart.org/what-we-do-in-communities/?utm_campaign=Community%20Grants%20Foundation&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8EgGXUPHWOUEkEoUn3TwQFpdh7etNgwENTX7BoTIiD8BiK2A7gmC3C4u9EROCALuHqIPqGd6p5Dd2o6Hw0L2ctdq4SqA&_hsmi=77622751&utm_content=77622751&utm_source=hs_email&hsCtaTracking=00038c06-eb98-4cd6-86e5-6a7392266e3b%7C15c1b40a-ab7a-40b1-8f7a-e30e91887209