Food Research & Action Center

About Food Research & Action Center

Food Research & Action Center’s grantmaking is built around federal nutrition programs, with recent awards aimed at implementation work rather than direct food distribution. The largest recent grant in the data is $941,763 to Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, followed by $779,614 to the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition in Omaha, Nebraska. Those awards fit a broader pattern of funding research, advocacy, and public education tied to programs such as SNAP, WIC, school meals, and child nutrition services. The foundation’s portfolio also shows repeated support for organizations working on access and delivery. UnidosUS in Washington, DC received $503,475 in 2025 and $269,014 in 2024, while the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, South Dakota received $642,347 in 2025 and $227,442 in 2024. Across the recent-grants table, recipients include tribal, academic, public health, legal, and community-based organizations, all tied to federal nutrition implementation. A separate active program, the Equitable Access in Child Nutrition Programs Subgrant, is USDA Food and Nutrition Service-funded and focuses on identifying barriers to equitable access in child nutrition programs and strategies to improve participation and service quality.

What Food Research & Action Center Funds

In federal nutrition implementation, the foundation backs organizations working at the point where policy becomes participation. It awarded $569,927 to the Rhode Island Department of Health in Providence, Rhode Island, and $401,392 to the Tennessee Justice Center in Nashville, Tennessee, both under the federal nutrition implementation theme. Child nutrition access is another clear emphasis. The Praxis Project in Oakland, California received $305,748, and Northeast Valley Health Corporation in San Fernando, California received $236,070, showing support for organizations working on access and service delivery in California. The grant list also includes tribal and community-centered work. Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona Inc in Phoenix received $344,429, while Hawai'i Children's Action Network in Honolulu received $395,840. Those awards align with the foundation’s focus on equitable access, program participation, and implementation support across child nutrition and other federal nutrition programs.

How Food Research & Action Center Gives