Newman’s Own Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Newman’s Own Foundation distributes one hundred percent of its parent company’s after-tax profits to causes such as nutrition, childhood illness, veteran welfare, independent journalism and humanitarian aid.
IP TAKE: This funder is highly proactive in its grantmaking and prefers to pursue and maintain established partnerships. As a result, it’s not accessible. Neither is it responsive to requests for funding, so don’t bother pitching your work unless you have general questions and they ask, which is unlikely here. It is, however, open-minded towards the grantees it chooses to fund.
Though the foundation conducts work at the national level, grants tend to concentrate in the Connecticut and New York regions. Grants often fund general operations and capacity-building. The foundation also gives to donor-advised funds.
PROFILE: The Newman’s Own Foundation, established in 2005, is the philanthropic arm of Newman’s Own, the salad dressing company founded in 1982 by actor Paul Newman and his friend A.E. Hotchner. All of the company’s after-tax profits would go to help people in need because, as Newman said, “I want to acknowledge luck. The benevolence of it in my life and the brutality of it in the lives of others.” Newman’s Own provides organizational capacity building and program enhancement grants. Its current focus areas are Joyful Experiences for Children with Serious Illnesses, Nutritious Food in Schools and Nutrition Security for Indigenous Youth.
Grants for Diseases and Public Health
Newman’s Joyful Experiences for Children with Serious Illnesses program supports “inclusive camp and recreational experiences” for children children with serious illnesses and their families. In recent years, the foundation has mainly supported the Serious Fun Children’s Network, which provides camp experiences that accommodate a broad range of abilities and include families in age-appropriate activities. The Networks camps are global in scope, with camps located in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia.
Grants for K-12 Education and Food Systems
Grants stemming from Newman’s Nutritious Food in Schools focus area support in-school programs as well as advocacy and policy development for healthier and more affordable food in schools. This program works nationally, with recent grants going to Foodcorps, the Food Research and Action Center, Wellness in the Schools, the Urban Food Initiative and the Food Trust.
Grants for Racial Justice and Indigenous Rights
Newman’s newest area of grantmaking build’s on its nutrition program by extending this work to Indigenous communities and supporting efforts to end “nutrition insecurity caused by “centuries of the forced erasure and suppression of their traditions.” Grantees include the Oyate Teca Project, which serves the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, and the Zuni Youth Enrichment Project, which supports children and youth of the Zuni Pueblo in New Mexico.
Important Grant Details:
Grants generally range from $100,000 to $300,000, but select partners may receive annual grants in the millions. Grantmaking is national in scope, with most grants supporting well-established organizations in areas of interest. For additional information about past grantmaking, see the foundation’s impact page.
All grants are made by invitation only. The foundation does not accept or respond to unsolicited requests. General questions may be submitted to the foundation via its contact page.
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