The T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies (CNS) is committed to increasing awareness of the extraordinary impact that food has on the health of our bodies, our communities, and our planet. In support of this commitment, CNS is creating a Community Leads service initiative to empower sustainable food-based initiatives around the world. We'll do this by providing grants to enable innovative start-ups and to propel the growth of existing initiatives.
Community education and food literacy
Access to healthy, affordable food
Sustainable and equitable food systems
Columbus, Ohio
The Bronzeville Agricademy is creating a cadre of urban farmers by teaching about agricultural production, agricultural/food literacy, and farm operation to ethnic communities, women, veterans, and inexperienced food producers on the Near East Side of Columbus, Ohio. Read more
Dominican Republic
The VIDA Land Program, located in a rural village in the mountains of the Dominican Republic, addresses several of the world's most critical environmental challenges tied to food systems—land use, water scarcity, deforestation, the destabilization of communities, and world hunger.
Baltimore, Maryland
The Healthy Foods for Healthy Families Project is designed to improve food literacy through hands-on, food-based classes for families at Hampstead Hill Academy (HHA), a Baltimore City Public Charter School serving over 800 primarily low-income and minority students in PreK-8th grade. Read more
New York City
Aaya's Table is a Community Culinary Rehabilitation Program located in New York City that bridges the gap between healthcare and the food we eat at home by providing personalized meal plans and kitchen skills so that a WFPB lifestyle change is more convenient, enjoyable and long-lasting. Read more
Chapel Hill, NC
Transplanting Traditions Community Farm is striving to create year round income and healthy food access for refugee farmers in Chapel Hill, NC, providing farm business development, a hunger relief program, a youth education program and a community education program. Read more
Puerto Rico
Casa Vegana de La Comunidad, located in Puerto Rico offers workshops, events, and community support to cultivate a strong plant-based community that is well informed, united, and inclusive. Currently they offer three virtual workshops a week, accessible to all Spanish speaking countries. Read more
Become a Sustainer
The T Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies is a tax-exempt public nonprofit (federal tax ID #161500454). All contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowable by law. No goods or services are provided in exchange for your generous financial donation.
The T Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies is a tax-exempt public nonprofit (federal tax ID #161500454). All contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowable by law. No goods or services are provided in exchange for your generous financial donation.
The T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies is committed to increasing awareness of the extraordinary impact that food has on the health of our bodies, our communities, and our planet. Our Community Leads initiative was created to foster solutions around some of the greatest challenges currently impeding total health:
Personal health: Never before has such a large percentage of the US population suffered from obesity and chronic diseases. And never before has the financial strain of health care so overwhelmed every other sector of our society, from business to education to government to everyday families with inadequate insurance.
Communal health: Despite increased food production, there are many social and structural challenges within the food system that limit access to healthy, affordable food, particularly in low-income communities and rural communities. Many low-income families have access to only processed and packaged unhealthy foods grown and distributed with a myriad of negative environmental impacts, including climate degradation and destruction. So limits to food access contribute not only to poor health outcomes, but also climate change.
Environment health: We are losing healthy topsoil, depleting and polluting water resources, destroying our world's rainforests, and endangering plant and animal species at an alarming rate. And never before have we introduced on such a large scale genetically altered varieties of plants, requiring the use of heavy doses of pesticides that affect other vital life forms.
From the microscopic to the macroscopic, from individuals to their societies and the ecosystems that support them—the health of each depends on the health of all. Community Leads allows us to support individuals and organizations that are creating solutions and making real change in each of these areas.
We offer both micro grants and larger, multiple year grants. Grants range from $500 to $50,000 and will be awarded to projects that show evidence of: 1) community education and food literacy, 2) increasing access to healthy, affordable food and 3) promoting sustainable and equitable food systems. Announcements for upcoming Requests for Proposals (RFPs) will be made via our website, newsletters and social media channels. Applications that include all proposal requirements and that align with the CNS mission are reviewed by the CNS staff and an advisory team.
For more information contact us at service@nutritionstudies.org, or sign up for our monthly newsletter to receive updates on our grant program.