Let's Eat Healthy Community Grants

Igniting sustainable solutions to champion healthier communities through the Let’s Eat Healthy Initiative

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The Let’s Eat Healthy Community Grant program advances the activation of Dairy Council of California’s Let’s Eat Healthy Initiative, engaging champions to empower healthier children, families and communities through a myriad of strategies and partnerships to meet the needs of local communities.

This funding program advances innovative and collaborative solutions to improve nutrition education and access to nutritious foods that include milk and dairy, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins.

Applications are now being accepted for 2023-2024 Let's Eat Healthy Community Grants

Application Period September 25, 2023 – October 23, 2023

Criteria

• Proposals must be consistent with the values of Let’s Eat Healthy and align to at least one Let’s Eat Healthy Strategic Framework goal and objective. 
• Projects must address at least one of the following focus areas: 
  
  • Advance nutrition security by increasing access to healthy, wholesome foods, including milk and dairy foods, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins. 
  • Advance equitable access to science-based nutrition education
  • Enhance food and agricultural literacy that encompasses the role of dairy in local sustainable food systems
• Projects must be implemented and evaluated by June 30, 2024.

Proposal areas of particular interest include:

• Nutrition education projects that focus on cultural foods, traditions, and recipes that include milk and dairy foods in school and/or community settings. 
• Nutrition security and food access projects that make milk and dairy foods more accessible in school and/or community settings. 
• Youth ambassadors leading nutrition education, agricultural literacy, and/or sustainable food system projects that include dairy.

Eligibility 

• Applicants must represent an entity in California (school, district, nonprofit/community organization, etc.). 
• Applicants must be registered members of Let’s Eat Healthy. Register to join and commit to building healthier communities here.

Funding Availability

• Total of $30,000 is available to be awarded
• Request for application will accept a range of funding valued up to $8,000 per proposed project.

To view the application for planning, click here.

Join us on Thursday, October 5th from 2:00 – 2:30 pm to present an overview of the grant program, application process and share  tips for aligning proposals to activate Let’s Eat Healthy. Register for the webinar here.

Learn more about the projects funded by Let’s Eat Healthy and the impacts of community partners! 

Centennial Farm, OC Fair & Event Center
Orange County
$5,000

Project: Enhancing Milk and Dairy Education to the Community at Centennial Farm

Centennial Farm’s update of dairy ag literacy and education resources enhances the health benefits of milk and dairy foods within its messaging and positions milk, yogurt and cheese as daily food choices in a healthy, sustainable eating pattern. Resource updates include the milk processing module video shown during farm tours.

Dairy Council of California provided Centennial Farm, farm field trip docents with professional development on the sustainability of dairy and the functional health benefits dairy foods provide to equip docents with the latest agriculture and nutrition research and messaging. Docents educated participating classrooms on the production, sustainability and nutritional benefits of dairy.

To expand opportunities for dairy ag literacy, Dairy Council of California’s Mobile Dairy Classroom collaborated with Centennial Farm to educate approximately 10,000 participants attending the Imaginology weekend event in April 2023. Lastly, funding supported National Nutrition Month activities. Centennial Farm hosted a dairy nutrition segment through its Ranch After School Program targeting 4th and 5th grade students and offered experiential activities to learn about the importance of dairy.

Centennial Farm, OC Fair & Event Center

Enhancing Milk and Dairy Education to the Community at Centennial Farm

Watch here

North Valley Military Institute & Chef Gaby Schuster 
Los Angeles County
$5,000

Project: Cooking with Families: A Creative Twist on Familiar Foods

Through a collaboration with North Valley Military Institute and Chef Gaby, funding provided a cooking series for families of North Valley Military Institute. The cooking series fostered opportunities to empower families to recognize how culturally diverse foods contribute to making healthy food choices to support building lifelong healthy eating patterns.

The series featured creative twists on familiar foods and meals with an emphasis on simplicity, access, and availability. The four-week series was delivered in March 2023 virtually by Chef Gaby and implemented by North Valley Military Institute's Community Schools Manager. Chef Gaby conducted a series of live Q&A sessions and provided nutrition education through the resources offered by Dairy Council of California.

North Valley Military Institute & Chef Gaby Schuster

Cooking with Families: A Creative Twist on Familiar Foods

Watch here

City of Rancho Cucamonga, Healthy RC Program 
San Bernardino County
$5,000

Project: Empowering Healthy Choices: Cooking with Rancho Cucamonga Teens

City of Rancho Cucamonga, Healthy RC Youth Leaders program engaged teens through a youth empowerment project. Youth leaders enhanced their food literacy skills and knowledge about nutrition and healthy eating patterns through the project. They collaborated with a local chef to develop three dairy and culturally inclusive recipes that are budget and teen friendly.

Chef and youth leaders engaged and educated peers by hosting a cooking workshop at the 5th annual Teen Summit hosted by City of Rancho Cucamonga, Healthy RC in March 2023. Youth leaders delivered a demonstration of the developed recipes and provide nutrition messaging to attendees.

City of Rancho Cucamonga, Healthy RC Program

Empowering Healthy Choices: Cooking with Rancho Cucamonga Teens

Watch here