Announcing Our 2026 Choice 4 Change Partners
Nuru - Nigeria
Earlier this year, over 45,000 team members across Whole Foods Market used their voice to help determine how our Foundation invests an additional $550,000 to programs enhancing agriculture and food systems through our Choice 4 Change (C4C) program.
The Choice 4 Change program channels Whole Foods Market team member passion into real-world impact. Through an annual vote, over 45,000 team members used their voice to help us determine how to invest in programs enhancing agriculture and food systems. Each of the eligible organizations are existing partners our team identified as strong candidates for additional support. Team members' votes determined how much funding each focus area received.
We're excited to announce this year's Choice 4 Change partners who will help support smallholder farmers' livelihoods, bring fresh food closer to home, and increase salad bars in schools.
Every vote cast this year directed real dollars to real communities — from urban gardens in Detroit to farming families along the Amazon. When we transform food systems together, everyone thrives.
Entrepreneurs du Monde - Guinea
Supporting Smallholder Farmers' Livelihoods
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$55,000
AfricaWorks is helping smallholder farmers and their families rebuild after severe flooding devastated crops, livestock, and productive assets in Mozambique's Gaza, Inhambane, and Tete provinces.
Getting back on their feet takes more than time — it takes access to the financial tools that most of these farmers have never had.
C4C funding supports a targeted recovery and resilience initiative, providing structured financial support that helps farmers recapitalize — restoring the productive assets and income-generating activities that flooding wiped out, and strengthening the surrounding agricultural ecosystem to be more resilient to future climate shocks.
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$55,000
In Guinea, smallholder farmers grow food that feeds their communities — but without reliable market access, their hard work often doesn’t translate into stable income. At the same time, 450 primary school children depend on canteens that struggle to source food locally.
C4C funding connects Entrepreneurs du Monde and their 1,500 smallholder farmers to those locally sourced school canteens — creating guaranteed market access for farmers while ensuring 450 children receive five balanced meals per week. The program pairs that market connection with technical advisory services, credit access, and agroecological training. To date, 70% of participating smallholders have reported increased income, and 90% of school food ingredients are now sourced locally.
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$55,000
In the remote areas along Brazil’s Amazon River, smallholder farmers in the Coopersapó guarana cooperative are doing meaningful work — but staying resilient takes more than determination. Without diversified income sources and food buffers, they’re vulnerable to climate shifts and market swings that can undercut even the best growing seasons.
C4C funding will help NESsT to provide 80 farmers with 4,000 chicks and 10,000 native seedlings — giving them both food and income while reducing dependence on external food purchases and climate-sensitive crops. Roughly 5,000 seeds will yield food and income within 4–18 months, and 5,000 are higher-value commercial species like rosewood. This investment also strengthens the Coopersapó cooperative itself, diversifying its revenue and contributing to its long-term sustainability.
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$55,000
In conflict-affected communities across northeast Nigeria, farmers are trying to build stable livelihoods in one of the world’s most challenging environments. Without timely information about weather, planting conditions, and where to sell their harvests, even a good growing season can turn into a missed opportunity.
C4C funding will help Nuru Nigeria get critical growing advice and weather alerts directly into farmers’ hands — in their own language, no internet required — so they can make better decisions about when to plant, harvest, and sell. This expands the cooperative-led activities that are already strengthening rural resilience and connecting farmers to buyers across the region.
Farmshare Austin
Bringing Fresh Food Closer to Home
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$43,000
On a 13-acre certified organic farm in Central Texas, Farmshare Austin grows food for communities facing geographic and economic barriers through their Fresh for Less program. The program brings fresh, healthy food directly to Travis County neighborhoods through mobile markets and home delivery models.
C4C funding will be used to purchase farm inputs, materials, and infrastructure, as well as support farm team salaries and benefits — sustaining additional seasons of food production and increasing community food access for more customers in Central Texas.
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$44,000
Since 2013, Fresh Truck has been a trusted source of fresh food in Boston, providing a reliable and dignified shopping experience for communities that lack access to affordable, high-quality produce through its mobile market model.
C4C funding will continue supporting Fresh Truck's e-commerce program, allowing them to offer online ordering at more markets, launch additional pick-up sites, and extend access beyond traditional market hours — significantly growing the number of shoppers receiving fresh, high-quality, affordable produce.
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$100,000
Detroit residents are growing their own food sovereignty — literally. Keep Growing Detroit's Garden Resource program provides seeds, transplants, compost, education, and infrastructure to support thousands of Detroit residents growing food for themselves and their community. At the end of 2025, the program supported a network of 2,900 urban gardens and farms in the city
C4C funding will help grow KGD's Garden Resource Program to 3,500 gardens and increase access to fresh, locally grown food for up to 31,500 Detroit residents.
Chef Ann Foundation
Increasing Salad Bars in Schools
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$143,000
Chef Ann Foundation's Salad Bars to Schools program donates salad bar equipment and training to schools participating in the USDA National School Lunch Program. When offered healthy food choices through school salad bars, children respond by trying new items, incorporating greater variety into their diets, and increasing their daily intake of fruits and vegetables.
With the C4C support, CAF will bring 30 new salad bars to 30 schools — putting fresh produce in front of approximately 15,000 students every single day.