Imagine if every school, in every community had a school garden, a place where students could access hands-on learning, taste fresh produce, and bring classroom lessons to life. What would the future look like?
At Sprouts, we support school gardens, knowing that children who grow their own fruits and vegetables tend to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, and that when combined with cooking instruction, they’ll incorporate more of these healthy habits into their everyday lives. But school gardens do more than just grow food – they support the entire child, benefitting their physical and mental health. Through hands-on lessons in the garden, students develop leadership and team building skills while also learning about fresh, healthy food.
Announcing Sprouts’ Round Up for Kids’ Nutrition Education
Sprouts is pleased to invite our customers to round up their purchase in store to support kids’ gardening programs!
Since 2015, the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation has contributed over $20 million into advancing children’s nutrition education and access to fresh fruits and vegetables through school gardening programs.
Over 3 million students across the country are actively being reached by programs funded by Sprouts, and with your donation, we can help even more.
What Will Donations Support?
Our foundation is committed to helping build, support, and sustain school gardening programs, while also investing in teacher training and resources to help these programs to thrive.
School gardens are an ideal teaching environment for all subjects, from math, to science, to reading and writing. Simple cooking demos in the garden allow students to sample fresh fruits and vegetables and teach easy ways to bring healthy food into their lives.
Some areas that Round Up funding will support include:
- Garden Supplies (Seeds, Soil, Plant Food, etc.)
- Garden Equipment & Tools
- Educational Materials for Students
- Curriculum Development
- Online Resources for Teachers & Parents
- Staff and Teacher Training
Community Impact
Across the 23 states where Sprouts has stores, over 120 nonprofit organizations are currently running programs funded, in-part, by Sprouts.
Donations raised by the Round Up will be awarded to local school gardening organizations through our annual grant applications. In 2022 alone, we awarded $3 million in to these types of programs, and with your help, we can reach even more. Learn about some of our nonprofit partners doing great work in our communities!
Partner Spotlight
SAN DIEGO
Sage Garden Project
Sage Garden Project works across 46 schools in California, providing hands-on gardening and cooking instructions to elementary students. With Sprouts’ grant support, the organization now has cooking carts in all of its schools, and it has grown its teacher training program to impact dozens of cooking and garden instructors. Through participant surveys, Sage Garden Project has seen an increase in student attendance on days that the children know they’ll be in the garden and an increase in students’ willingness to try fruits and vegetables once they’ve learned about them through the gardening program.
PHOENIX
Blue Watermelon Project
Led by James Beard award-winning chef, Charleen Badman, Blue Watermelon Project delivers interactive cooking and gardening lessons to students across Phoenix and Tucson, enhancing their relationship with food. Serving grades K-12, Blue Watermelon Project ties together culinary and garden-based education while highlighting a food’s history and place in our culture. Through their Chef in The Garden program, Blue Watermelon Project teaches students how to grow and prepare healthy dishes they can easily make at home or share with the community through their annual Feeding the Future cooking competition.
DALLAS
Out Teach
Out Teach
serves elementary students across Texas, as well as in five other states and Washington D.C., transforming under-utilized outdoor spaces into engaging Outdoor Learning Labs. Sprouts has proudly partnered with Out Teach since 2016, supporting the buildout of 14 of their educational gardens. Through their curriculum, Out Teach works to unlock students’ academic performance, seeing an average of 12-15% increase in their standardized test scores as a result. The organization’s STEM and nutrition-focused lessons deliver practical skills to students that they can use every day and carry with them into adulthood.
ORLANDO
IDEAS For Us
IDEAS For Us explores scalable solutions to address food and environmental challenges. Their programs operate at both the school and community level, reaching people of all ages. Through Sprouts’ contributions to their Fleet Farming program, IDEAS For Us is expanding their school garden work, with an emphasis on the Audubon Park K-8 School and surrounding neighborhood. In this area, IDEAS has built out 12 micro-farms and grown the school’s learning garden, producing healthy food for students and the community. Through their work, IDEAS For Us is transforming Orlando’s environmental landscape, benefitting residents for many years to come.
Resources for School Garden Educators
The Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation supports the ongoing professional development of school garden educators through webinars, in-person gatherings, and the sharing of digital resources. Learn about our Growing School Gardens Summit, or access other school gardening resources using the links below.
Round Up for Kids’ Nutrition Education FAQs
Where can I go to learn more about the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation’s grant opportunities?
- Please visit our grant page for more information.
Where are your grant partners located?
- We have grant partners across all 23 states where Sprouts has stores. For a complete list of partners, please visit our grant page for more information.
What types of organizations are eligible to receive grants?
- We provide grant funding to registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and individual schools.