Our Work
At the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation, we believe all children deserve access to fresh, healthy food. From school garden support organizations to school-based food pantries, or youth cooking programs to youth farmers markets, our partners provide the access, as well as the tools, knowledge and resources, to start kids on a path of healthy living.
Through Seed to Table programming, our partners lead students through the plant life cycle, culminating in the tasting and cooking of garden-fresh produce. Science, math, and writing lessons come to life in the garden as students observe the plants, and important topics, like nutrition, are woven into the curriculum, too. When garden education is then coupled with culinary training, and kids are taught how to prepare healthy meals on their own, they are empowered with the tools needed to encourage lifelong healthy eating habits.
Timeline
January 2015
The Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation was established to empower individuals to live healthier lives.
March 2015
The Foundation donated $50,000 to No Kid Left Behind, funding a school breakfast program for low-income students in California and healthy cooking classes for families in Colorado. 
October 2015
The Foundation raised $430,000 for Vitamin Angels to help combat childhood malnutrition around the world through vitamin supplementation. 
November 2015
The first learning garden with REAL School Gardens was built at Jerry Junkins Elementary School in Dallas, Texas with the support of funding from the Foundation. 
March 2016
The first Visionary Partners golf tournament was held with Sprouts' vendors and partners participating to raise funds to help shift the landscape of health in our society. 
April 2016
The Neighborhood Grants program launched, donating more than $400,000 to 54 local nonprofit organizations that directly benefit the neighborhoods where Sprouts team members and shoppers live, work and play. 
June 2016
The Foundation awarded $500,000 to REAL School Gardens to fund 13 new learning gardens and the creation of a nutrition curriculum for students. 
November 2016
REAL School Gardens built its second learning garden at Regan Elementary School in Dallas, Texas with funding from the Foundation. 
June 2017
The Foundation awarded $225,000 to Soil Born Farms in Sacramento, Calif. to support school-based nutrition education and gardening programs at 10 low-income schools. 
June 2017
Denver Urban Gardens received $500,000 from the Foundation to create 10 new community gardens and Youth Farm Stands at multiple schools in Denver, Colo. 
August 2017
Teachers in North Carolina began piloting the Foundation's and REAL School Gardens' nutrition curriculum with students at seven elementary schools. 
September 2017
The Foundation awarded $430,000 in Neighborhood Grants to 58 local nonprofit organizations. 
October 2017
The Foundation awarded $150,000 to support Spaces of Opportunity, an 18-acre community farm in Phoenix, Ariz. 
April 2018
The Foundation’s annual in-store Round Up for Children’s Health & Nutrition Education raises a record-setting $315,000. Proceeds from the round up helped fund local Neighborhood Grants in the states where the dollars were raised. 
June 2018
The Foundation announces a three-year partnership with the College of Natural Sciences at University of Texas at Austin to support hands-on cooking and nutrition curriculum as an intervention for childhood obesity. 
October 2018
The Foundation announces $2.2 million in donations to 130 organizations specializing in children’s health and nutrition. 
November 2018
Sprouts hosts its first Day of Service uniting more than 500 team members in 28 communities to volunteer. 
January 2019
The Foundation awarded Life Lab, a pioneer in school gardening, with a multi-year gift of $650,000 to increase organizational capacity and enhance in-person learning opportunities for school garden support organizations. 
March 2019
The Healthy Communities Grant launched, providing $50,000 to $100,000 grants to four leading school garden support organizations. The recipients, located in Baltimore, Tampa, Oklahoma City and Los Angeles, offer hands-on garden education to children. 
April 2019
The in-store Round Up for Children’s Health and Nutrition campaign raised $422,490, exceeding the previous record by more than $100,000. All donations were awarded back into the community where they were raised through the Neighborhood Grant program. 
May 2019
Foundation Impact Partners, Out Teach and UT Austin, collaborate on their first outdoor learning garden with the help of Sprouts Team Members at Casey Elementary School in Austin, Texas. 
June 2019
Sage Garden Project was awarded a $375,000 Impact Grant to expand their mobile cooking cart program, bringing nutrition education to 38 Title I schools across San Diego. Each student receives lessons in gardening, harvesting and preparing simple, healthy meals. 
September 2019
The Foundation awarded $720,000 in Neighborhood Grants to 120 nonprofit partners. This included six organizations in new states for Sprouts, in Louisiana, New Jersey and Virginia. 
November 2019
More than 650 team members volunteered at the second annual Sprouts Day of Service. A total of 2,600 volunteer hours were donated in just one morning! 
April 2020
In response to COVID-19, the Foundation supports Resiliency Garden efforts in cities across the US. In Colorado, Sprouts funds the creation of 500 home gardening kits with Denver Urban Gardens, enabling families to grow their own food through the summer and fall. Our Grants
The Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation supports a variety of nonprofit partners, from those working at the community level to those operating nationwide. With the size and scope of programs varying widely, we offer three levels of grants to meet our partners’ unique needs.
Neighborhood Grant: A one-year grant up to $10,000. Recipients often support a single community, and funding is allocated to one program.
Healthy Communities Grant: A two-year grant, between $50,000 and $100,000. Funding supports the development and implementation of new programs, allowing organizations to serve a greater number of people.
Impact Grant: Three-year grants of varying amounts, determined by the scale of our partners’ programs. Recipients are considered experts in their field, and their programs often span across cities and states, uplifting entire communities, providing nutrition education and food access programs, or producing critical research on these important topics.
Learn more about our grant opportunities here.
Knowledge Network
As we all work towards a common goal, of increasing nutrition education and fresh food access, it is our collective impact producing the greatest results. With this in mind, the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation aims to connect nonprofit partners sharing in this work, exchanging best practices and resources to empower us all.
Through in-person and virtual events, we are creating a Knowledge Network, bringing experts in the field of school and community gardening together to help advance the movement. With years of experience, these organizations build upon each other’s great work, taking the most effective programming and bringing it to their own communities.
Community Service
Our team members at Sprouts Farmers Market love serving their customers and community, and for many of them, their desire to give back extends beyond the store. That’s why we launched the Sprouts Annual Day of Service. On the first Saturday of November, team members nationwide partner with local nonprofits to give back, cleaning up parks and gardens, packing emergency food bags, and showing that “goodness grows” in their community.
See Pictures from Our 2021 Day of Service
The 2021 Day of Service brought together 700 Sprouts team members in 50 events, donating 2,500 service hours in just one day!
Learn More