Eat the Change™ Impact Announces Grants to National Changemakers Promoting Climate-Friendly Foods

National Grant Recipients

 

Social entrepreneurs Seth Goldman and Julie Farkas announced today the selection of 11 national nonprofit organizations as grant recipients of the inaugural Eat the Change™ Impact program.

Eat the Change™ Impact launched in March 2020 and will award $1 million (approximately $335,000 per year) over the next three years to national and community-based nonprofits working to empower individuals to choose and enjoy climate-friendly eating. Specific focus areas of the initiative include plant-based foods, reduced food waste, organic agriculture, biodiversity, sustainable packaging, and democratizing access to sustainable foods.

“There needs to be an urgency around climate and public health issues. The food we eat every day is our most powerful tool for addressing both challenges and the National Changemakers we are supporting are working to drive change at the individual, organizational, and systemic levels,” said Seth Goldman.

National grants range in size from $10,000 - $20,000. The first round of Community Changemakers was announced in July, with grants to 21 local and state-level groups.

Eat the Change™ Impact is dedicated to shifting the conversation around the link between food and climate change, a mission shared by the Changemakers. Eve Turow-Paul, Executive Director of Food for Climate League, explained the importance of a more optimistic narrative for the movement:

 

"All too often, climate-related initiatives try to motivate behavior change through statistics, fearmongering, and a focus on the things we shouldn't eat. Because a food-obsessed global culture with a passion for diverse flavors, textures, and nutrient-rich foods has the power to literally save humankind, we need to re-frame what climate-beneficial eating is, make it easy to partake in, and make these habits relevant to all people.”

This call to democratize the relevance of climate-friendly eating is the focus of another Changemaker, La Raza for Liberation. Noting the necessity of inclusive conversations around climate-friendly foods, Executive Director KR Vargas added:

“The whole concept of plant-based and sustainable eating is very much rooted in an Indigenous value system and diverse cultural traditions, but that isn’t frequently discussed in the mainstream movement. At the same time, Black and Indigenous communities are often most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, so it is crucial to create space for these broader conversations and bring in vital questions around access and equity.”

This year, Eat the Change™ Impact received more than 120 applications from 34 states and 3 countries. Final selections were made based on each proposal’s alignment with and potential to promote four core values: Eating with Intention, Fact-Based Science, Democratizing Access to Planet-Friendly Foods, and Innovation.

 
 

National Changemakers:

  • A Well-Fed World on behalf of By Any Greens Necessary, Inc. — Empowering 10,000 Black women to go vegan to live longer, healthier lives ($15,000)

  • CCOF Foundation — Envisions a world where organic agriculture is the norm; funds will support the education and empowerment of organic farmer leaders ($10,000)

  • Center for World Indigenous Studies — Developing an online educational curriculum about the application of Kálhaculture, food production from the natural environment that balances the relationship between human need and the Earth’s capacity to restore natural life ($15,000)

  • Factory Farming Awareness Coalition — Inspiring and empowering individuals and institutions to create a more just, compassionate, and sustainable food system; funds will support internships for students from underrepresented groups ($20,000)

  • Food for Climate League — Launching a research and communications collaborative to create new food and climate narratives that democratize sustainable eating and allow humanity to tackle the climate crisis bite by bite ($20,000)

  • La Raza for Liberation — Providing culturally mindful education and support to people of color who are plant-based, transitioning, or curious through the Veggie Mijas program ($20,000)

  • Partnership for a Healthier America — Transforming the food landscape in pursuit of health equity; funds will support creative content to accompany the COVID-19 Fresh Food Fund ($10,000)

  • Sustainable Food Lab on behalf of The Climate Collaborative — Inspiring and supporting unprecedented action on climate change within the natural products industry; funds will support collaborative industry initiatives to reduce food waste ($15,000)

  • The Plantrician Project — Educating, equipping, and empowering healthcare practitioners with knowledge about the indisputable benefits of whole food, plant- based nutrition for the regeneration of human health, health care, and the food ecosystem ($10,000)

  • UPSTREAM — Sparking innovative solutions to plastic pollution through business innovation, policy, and culture change ($15,000)

  • World Resources Institute: Cool Food Pledge — Operating a global platform through which institutions commit to a science-based pledge to reduce food-related greenhouse gas emissions ($15,000)