Shipt is investing $5 million over the next five years to help level the economic playing field for Black and underrepresented populations in our communities through increasing knowledge, skills, job access and ultimately earning potential. 

To do this important work, earlier this year Shipt created its first-ever Community Impact & Innovation Grant program. Months later, we’re thrilled to announce that in the program’s first round, we presented a total of $120,000 in funding to eight deserving nonprofits from four different states, each receiving a microgrant from $1,000 to $25,000 based on need. 

“We were pleased with the number of applicants during round one. The high volume of applications demonstrates a significant need for continued and targeted support for nonprofits focused on economic mobility and food insecurity throughout our country. The organizations we awarded during cycle one each took a unique and innovative approach to address food insecurity and economic disparities. We look forward to elevating the great work happening in our next grant cycle and in the coming years.” said Shipt’s VP of Economic and Social Impact Khadijah Abdullah.  

Want to learn more about cycle one’s recipients and how they plan to use their microgrants? Read below! Thank you all for the work you’re doing across your communities.  

Shipt Community Impact & Innovation Grant Program Round One 2022 Recipients

• Auburn University Hunger Solutions Institute, Auburn, AL  is expanding their Healthy Food Hotspots initiative, which leverages technology to expand access to healthy foods in rural food desert communities.

• Common Thread, Dallas, TX is supporting their in-person and virtual cooking & nutrition education programming for students and families in under-resourced communities.

• Detroit Community Wealth Fund, Detroit, MI is bolstering their Cooperative Business Incubator Training program. 

• For Oak Cliff, Dallas, TX is focusing on their Community Supported Agriculture and volunteer home-delivery program serving food insecure elders and families. 

• ¡HICA- Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama, Birmingham, AL is  launching their new workforce program that connects Latino community members to training and career opportunities. 

• Kids Meals’ Inc,  Houston, TX is focusing on their daily home delivery meal and grocery program for food-insecure preschool-aged children.  

• NCircle, Kansas City, KA is attending to their skilled trade certification and digital literacy programming for the formerly incarcerated. 

• Urban Impact, Birmingham, AL is focusing on their technical assistance and capacity building program for Black-owned businesses. 

“Support from Shipt has enabled Detroit Community Wealth Fund to increase exposure of Black worker-owned cooperative businesses in Detroit,” said Margo Dalal, executive director of Detroit Community Wealth Fund.“We’re looking forward to launching the fourth annual cooperative incubator with support from Shipt this fall, so that we can continue to provide education for cooperatives and create sustainable black-owned businesses.” 

“Hunger Solutions Institute (HSI) is grateful to Shipt’s support of Healthy Food Hotspots,” said Alicia Powers, managing director of Auburn University’s Hunger Solutions Institute. “As a result of Shipt’s support, HSI is expanding independent grocers’ capacity to serve rural food deserts and impacting a greater number of rural communities.” 

But we’re not done! We’ve just opened the doors for the second round of our Community Impact & Innovation Grant program. We’re accepting applications through August 31 and are looking to support programs that focus on food security, food resilience and expanding and creating access among communities.

Applicants who applied and were not selected in round one are eligible to reapply for round two. For additional information on our pillars of focus, our grant program and how to apply, visit HERE.