December 2025 Funding | $1,916,128
The Whole Foods Market Foundation is proud to announce another round of funding, just under 2 million dollars and reaching communities across three continents! These organizations are transforming food systems by empowering smallholder farmers and nourishing students through innovative, community-centered approaches. From Kenya to the United Kingdom to Guatemala, our partners are addressing critical gaps in childhood nutrition, food systems education, and agricultural resilience.
Food4Education | Kenya
Food4Education (F4E) is a non-profit organization delivering hot, nutritious meals to nearly 1,650 primary schools and Early Childhood Development centers across Kenya. With support from the Whole Foods Market Foundation’s 3-year $600,000 grant, F4E is expanding its reach to rural communities in Western Kenya while enhancing the nutritional quality of meals nationwide. The Foundation's grant will provide 687,600 subsidized lunches to 1,200 students over three years in the expansion region, and will introduce nutritional supplements—including kale for iron, vitamin C, and fiber—across the broader program, benefiting over 30,000 students annually by year three.
School Food Matters | United Kingdom
School Food Matters (SFM) is a national UK charity and leader in transforming school food, working with policymakers, local authorities, schools, and the children they serve to create a happier, healthier future for every child. With support from Whole Foods Market Foundation’s 3-year, $746,128 grant SFM will expand its impact through 120 School Garden Grants and innovative programs including Schools to Market, which engages 1,440 students in growing, harvesting, and selling their own jams and chutneys at Whole Foods Market stores alongside London-based WFM team members. For the first time, the Foundation's grant will also enable SFM to extend garden grants beyond London to areas of high need and demand. Together, these initiatives will provide 25,000 children with hands-on learning experiences that build essential knowledge about food systems and nutrition, fostering the next generation of informed food citizens.
Semilla Nueva | Guatemala
Semilla Nueva uses a systems-level approach to promote the widespread adoption of biofortified maize seeds that are affordable, nutritious, high-yielding, and climate-resilient, increasing farmers' incomes while improving nutrition for communities that consume this maize. With support from the Whole Foods Market Foundation’s 3-year, $570,000 grant, Semilla Nueva is scaling its core programs in seed production, farmer training, and seed company capacity building. The Foundation's grant will fund the production and donation of maize seeds to farmers identified for state support, support key personnel and updated training materials for both farmer and seed company training programs, and strengthen monitoring and evaluation systems. This funding will directly reach 9,375 farmers and train 12 seed companies, with Semilla Nueva projecting a dramatic expansion of its impact—from reaching 60,672 people annually to 270,924 people per year—multiplying its reach across Guatemala and beyond.