Since 2005, Whole Foods Market Foundation has been at the forefront of creating lasting change to help transform communities by increasing access to healthy food, educating kids about nutrition, and building pathways to financial stability in 81 countries.
Our journey has impacted millions of lives, from smallholder farmers in Tanzania to urban farmers in Kentucky, proving that when we nourish our communities, we cultivate prosperity for generations to come.
Join in the celebration by entering for a chance to win a $500 USD Whole Foods Market gift card!
To celebrate your support and our mission of expanding healthy food access, we’re giving away a $500 USD Whole Foods Market gift card to 20 winners - that’s $10,000 in prizes!
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Ends October 31, 2025. See full rules here.
Watch Our Work In Action
20 Years of Impact
Our History Highlights
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2005
Whole Planet Foundation launched with a nationwide 5% day in all Whole Foods Market stores, raising $525,000 in initial seed funds to fund microcredit for entrepreneurs in global communities where Whole Foods Market sourced products.
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2011
Started as a grassroots fundraising movement, Whole Kids Foundation was created after funding $700,000 for the LunchBox.org and $1M to support the Let’s Move Salad Bars initiative.
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2014
Whole Cities Foundation was created as a way to expand healthy food access beyond Whole Foods Market stores emphasizing grassroots partnerships and community-led initiatives to build thriving local food systems.
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2024
At the beginning of 2024, Whole Cities, Whole Kids and Whole Planet united to form Whole Foods Market Foundation. The strategic integration of these three nonprofits creates a powerful Foundation that expands access to resources across multiple contexts and generations, leveraging shared knowledge and networks to build long-term solutions.
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2025
Whole Foods Market Foundation celebrates 20 years of supporting healthy food access and economic opportunities in local and global communities!
Recipient Success Stories
Bogota High School | Bogota, NJ
At Bogota Junior and Senior High School, students and staff have used their Garden Grant to create a hydroponic system that produces a whopping 50 pounds of leafy greens a month. Through their partnership with the school’s cafeteria, they have established food storage systems and supply salad greens for food service. The collaboration between kitchen staff, teachers, and students has resulted in a coordinated schedule for seeding, transplanting, maintenance, harvesting, and storage. During the growing cycle, students have learned the fundamentals of hydroponic growing and developed skills in measuring and adjusting conditions to create optimal growing environments.
Regional Environmental Council | Worcester, MA
Regional Environmental Council (REC) is a grassroots food justice organization that was founded in 1971 and has been dedicated to building healthy, sustainable and just communities in Worcester, MA for more than 50 years. This year they received Choice 4 Change funds to support continued operations and expand efforts to increase food access through their Mobile Farmers Markets. Funding will also support increased outreach and access points for community members to use the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) leading to an increase in overall community food security.
Environomica | Colombia
Environomica is a nonprofit that provides agroforestry kits (which include farming tools, seedlings, and irrigation systems), technical assistance, result-based payments, and market access to indigenous communities living in the forests of Colombia’s Sierra Nevada mountains. With their funding from the Foundation, Environomica will expand its core agroforestry program by engaging more families to plant 15,000 native fruit and timber trees, with the aim of enhancing their food security.
