March 2026 Funding | $600,000
We're excited to announce two new $300,000 grants supporting organizations transforming food systems and nutrition education, collectively impacting over 15,000 people! Aliados, a new Foundation partner, incubates rural bioeconomy enterprises in Ecuador, helping indigenous smallholder farmers transition to regenerative agriculture while accessing fair markets. PEAS, a long-time Foundation partner, operates school garden programs in Austin, Texas, bringing hands-on outdoor and edible education to students across 25 area schools. Dive into how they plan to use their funding below.
Aliados | Ecuador
Aliados connects small and indigenous smallholder farmers to responsible markets through regenerative agriculture. Aliados will use their Whole Foods Market Foundation $300,000 three-year grant to scale their bioeconomy enterprise incubation model from 1,805 to 3,000 smallholder farmers across Ecuador by 2028. The organization will provide regenerative agriculture training, business development support to farmer-owned bio-enterprises, and capitalize their Revolving Fund with working capital loans that ensure farmers receive immediate payment upon harvest delivery.
PEAS, an Austin-based School Garden Support Organization, has reached over 30,000 students since 2011. They will use their Whole Foods Market Foundation's three-year $300,000 grant to strengthen their capacity and deepen impact across Austin area schools. This grant ensures that at least 70% of programming continues to serve Title I schools, sustaining an organization where 98% of teachers report students are engaged to extremely engaged during lessons and 92% observe students who typically struggle in classrooms engaging meaningfully in the garden.