Media Contact:
Jordan Baker
jbaker@frac.org
202-640-1118
WASHINGTON, October 6, 2021 — The Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) today launched a Social Impact and Equity Fund to identify, recognize, and financially support innovative strategies among organizations working to leverage federal nutrition programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and school meals to fight hunger and promote equity. Funded in part by PepsiCo, this new initiative will award four grants of $25,000 each to local, state, or regional tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations doing exceptional work fighting hunger and injustice, centering equity throughout their operations, policy, and advocacy efforts, and working in collaboration with people with lived expertise.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has further deepened disparities in hunger, poverty, and health outcomes in the U.S. and has vividly demonstrated the critical need for systemic change,” said FRAC President Luis Guardia. “With this new fund, we hope to better center and strengthen equitable anti-hunger practices and amplify and support organizations addressing the root causes of inequities and injustices.”
FRAC recently released report, Hunger, Poverty, Disparity, and Health Disparities During COVID-19 and the Federal Nutrition Programs’ Role in an Equitable Recovery, examines the connection between hunger, poverty, health, and equity during the first year of the pandemic. The report findings show increased hardships and exacerbated disparities that differ among populations. During COVID-19, the Black-White disparity in food insecurity increased by 3.5 percentage points and the Latinx-White disparity increased by 2.4 percentage points from 2019 to 2020.
To learn more, visit the online application. Interested applicants can also submit questions to equityfund@frac.org. For more information on how to support the Social Impact and Equity Fund, contact FRAC’s Director of Development, Darin Allen, at dallen@frac.org.
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The Food Research & Action Center improves the nutrition, health, and well-being of people struggling against poverty-related hunger in the United States through advocacy, partnerships, and by advancing bold and equitable policy solutions. To learn more, visit FRAC.org and follow us on Twitter and on Facebook.
