Whole Cities’ vision, heart, and ethic were born a decade ago in Detroit.
Before building its first store in the Detroit metro area, Whole Foods Market committed to discovering how a presence there could meet the needs and reflect the desires of community-minded residents, be respectful and responsive to local cultures, and increase access to fresh, healthy food for underserved members of the community.
So, Whole Foods Market deeply engaged with the community. Grassroots leaders and neighbors challenged, critiqued, and inspired the project, and Whole Foods Market Team Members listened, adapted, shared, and evolved.
This approach — using a community’s best interest as the lens for examining all significant decisions made there — became the model for Whole Foods Market’s local partnerships. It also led to the founding of Whole Cities as a way to bring Whole Foods Market’s Core Value “We care for our communities and environment” to life.
Whole Cities works to broaden access to fresh, healthy food and nutrition education by supporting grassroots partnerships on the local level. Our commitments look different in each community because different barriers to healthy food access require different solutions. Our Director of Programs, Dianna Purcell, explains, “Since its inception, Whole Cities has believed in the power of homegrown solutions that are tailored to the goals of individual communities.”
We are thrilled to share that since our founding in 2014, Whole Cities has employed this community-first approach to partner with over 332 nonprofits across 169 cities in the U.S. and Canada, contributing more than $5 million to local communities!
And we’re not stopping there.
Announcing the 2024-2025 Community First Grants
Now, we’re awarding 71 Community First Grants to U.S. and British Columbia nonprofit organizations. This year’s grantees will receive an average of $9,000 each for a total investment of over $639,000!
The annual Community First Grant Program supports local partnerships between Team Members and nonprofits that expand long-term access to fresh, healthy food and nutrition education. Team Members nominate eligible, locally led nonprofit organizations for the grant. Throughout the grant year, they participate in opportunities that support their partner’s mission.
The 2024 – 2025 Community First Grant partners span 54 cities in 25 U.S. states and 1 Canadian province and highlight the diversity of approaches to improving access to fresh, healthy food and nutrition education.
The cohort includes:
- 23 nutrition education and healthy cooking classes
- 12 community gardens
- 10 urban farms
- 8 agricultural skills development programs
- 7 special projects
- 5 farmer’s markets, co-ops, and grocery stores
- 3 mobile markets
- 2 SNAP and WIC incentive programs
- 1 pop-up markets and CSAs
Here’s a snapshot of how some of these Community First Grant partners are transforming their local food landscape and advancing community health:
Chef Angels
This nonprofit in San Diego, California has a mission is to uplift, educate, and inspire underserved youth in their community through a culinary education. They offer teens and young adults immediate, short-term support and the tools and resources to develop long-term resilience and improved quality of life.
Food Assistance Match
Based in Bellevue, Pennsylvania, this community partner manages a SNAP incentive program that doubles the value of food assistance benefits at select farmer’s markets to bridge the gap between food-insecure populations and local farmers.
The Food Project
This Lincoln, Massachusetts nonprofit leads agricultural skills development programs that aim to create a productive community of youth and adults from diverse backgrounds who work together to build a sustainable food system.
The Refugee Collective
This 20-acre organic urban farm in Austin, Texas creates livelihood opportunities by reconnecting refugees from traditional farming cultures to land in their new communities and increasing food access through regenerative agriculture.
Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice
This six-time grantee is working to rebuild and improve underserved neighborhoods in the Bronx, New York by empowering individuals through education, advocacy, and community engagement.
Through programs like the Community First Grant, we are able to meet the needs and reflect the desires of the people we serve, be respectful and responsive to different perspectives, and champion locally led solutions — just like we set out to do 10 years ago.
