Whole Kids Foundation Grants $33,000 to Young Entrepreneurs

AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 17, 2020 /3BL Media/ – Today, Whole Kids Foundation unveiled the recipients of its first Young Entrepreneurs Pilot Grants aimed at supporting youth-led business programs that are improving the way kids eat through gardening, plant-forward cooking or nutrition education. The two grant recipients received a combined total of $33,000 from the foundation to help grow their programs. The recipients include:

• Rebel Ventures - A high-school student-run nonprofit food enterprise based in Philadelphia that creates affordable, healthy and delicious options for kids in schools and in their communities.

• Growing Leaders – As part of The Berkeley Technology Academy Entrepreneurship Program, Growing Leaders works with high school students to develop job readiness skills through the development and testing of their own food businesses. 

Whole Kids Foundation, a nonprofit focused on children’s nutrition and wellness, launched this pilot program after recognizing the strong and growing kids’ interest in entrepreneurship. In the U.S., 8 in 10 students (77%) in grades 5 – 12 say they want to be their own boss, 45% say they plan to start their own business, and 42% say they will invent something that changes the world, according to the Gallup-HOPE Index. 

To celebrate these young entrepreneurs and help other kids follow in their footsteps, the foundation is teaming up with business sensation Mikaila Ulmer, 16-year-old founder and CEO of Me & the Bees Lemonade, author of the new book Bee Fearless: Dream Like a Kid, and one of TIME magazine’s Top 30 Most Influential Teens, to host a virtual round table of teen business leaders. Mikaila will moderate the event, which will include teen panelists from grant recipients Rebel Ventures and Growing Leaders, as well as Green Garden Bakery and Roots for the Home Team.

The “Dream Like a Teen” Young Entrepreneur Round Table will be held via Zoom on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020 at 3pm CT. To register for this free, public event, visit: https://bit.ly/DreamLikeaTeen. 

“This year, it is more important than ever for us to spotlight and support the incredible work and innovation young leaders are driving across the country,” said Tristana Pirkl, Edible Education Programs Leader for Whole Kids Foundation. “It has been such a trying year, we hope that hearing about the wins, challenges and advice directly from other teens will inspire even more young entrepreneurs to continue pursuing their dreams.”

All event attendees will receive a digital copy of “The Kidpreneur’s Guide to Building Your Own Buzziness Plan,” a key excerpt from Mikaila’s new book. Ten randomly selected attendees will also receive a gift bag that includes a signed copy of Mikaila’s book, as well as products and recipes from the panelists’ organizations.

Part memoir and part business guide, Bee Fearless shares Mikaila's 10-year entrepreneurial journey to save the bees through her purpose-driven lemonade company and includes key lessons for others who want to follow in her footsteps. 

"What started with a lemonade stand in my front yard has taken me across the globe, placed me on stage with the leaders of Fortune 500 companies, thrown me into the “Shark Tank,” and led me to events at the White House and back," said Mikaila. "I actually got my first big retail break at Whole Foods Market, so to be working with its Whole Kids Foundation to help inspire the next generation of changemakers is a real treat."

The book is written with middle-schoolers in mind, but is suitable for all ages, especially those who are looking to become entrepreneurs. 

Since 2011, Whole Kids Foundation has awarded more than $38 million in grants, funding 6,005 gardens, 6,010 school salad bars and 514 bee programs, impacting more than 8.2 million students. Additionally, the foundation has trained 21,717 teachers and school food service workers through its healthy staff programs focusing on nutrition and wellness. 

For more information about the foundation, visit wholekidsfoundation.org.

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About Whole Kids Foundation

Whole Kids Foundation supports schools and inspires families to improve children’s nutrition and wellness. Founded by Whole Foods Market in 2011, the independent, nonprofit organization is based in Austin, Texas, and serves schools and organizations in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. For more information on the Foundation’s school programs including school gardens, salad bars, beehives, and nutrition education for teachers, visit wholekidsfoundation.org. For ongoing news and updates, follow Whole Kids Foundation on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

Contact: Liz Burkhart
512.284.1836 
Liz.Burkhart@wholefoods.com
On behalf of Whole Kids Foundation