UNFI Foundation
UNFI Foundation is a private foundation based in Providence, Rhode Island, that supports charitable organizations working to improve food systems and community health. Its IRS filing describes it as a Delaware nonprofit corporation exempt under Section 501(c)(3); its filing type is Form 990-PF.
Key facts about UNFI Foundation
In short: UNFI Foundation gave $213K across 20 grants in 2025 (avg $11K), top state California. 80% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 45-5023490
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $213,000
- Grants made (2025)
- 20
- Average grant
- $10,650
- Median grant
- $10,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 80% first-time grantees (16 of 20, 2025; small sample)
- Total assets
- $2,218,288
- Primary geography
- California (23% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to apply
- The website describes an associate-nomination and invitation-to-apply process; it does not accept unsolicited requests. Full details ↓
- Deadline
- The 2024 filing stated that there were no application deadlines at that time and that applications were accepted while…
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$2.2M
+165.2% YoY
Annual Giving
$213K
-86.7% YoY
Grant Count
20
-68.8% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$11K
-57.4% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, UNFI Foundation reported a distributable amount of $55K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Is UNFI Foundation open to new grantees?
80%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 16 of 20 grantees (80%) were first-time recipients. With only 20 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $11K; repeat grants $10K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 10% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 79% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s website describes its mission as empowering changemakers to build a sustainable, equitable food system. Its four funding priorities are climate-smart agriculture, food access innovations, food equity, and local food economies. Examples include support for regenerative agriculture, wasted-food prevention and other approaches to food access, equitable food business development and procurement, and local food infrastructure such as food hubs.
Its 2025 grants illustrate the range of organizations supported. ZERO FOODPRINT, which received $35,000, describes its work as mobilizing the food sector around agricultural climate solutions. The Food Trust, which received $10,000, says it works to make healthy food available to all through food-access programs and nutrition education. Food Forward, which received $10,000, says it rescues surplus produce to fight hunger and prevent food waste. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own missions.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 20 grants totaling $213,000. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $35,000, with a median of $10,000. The largest listed award was $35,000 to ZERO FOODPRINT. Other listed 2025 awards of $10,000 included grants to United Indians of All Tribes Foundation, Hilltown Community Development Corporation, Anoka County Brotherhood Council, McAuley Ministries, The Food Group Minnesota, Interfaith Human Services of Putnam, Venture Cafe Foundation, Nourish Colorado, The Food Trust, Kim’s Krew, and La Tiendita.
The website describes a nomination-based process: UNFI associates nominate organizations, and Foundation Ambassadors may invite nominees to apply. It says the foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals and cannot schedule introductory meetings because of its small staff. Its Community Grants program supports general operating and project-specific costs and is reviewed on a rolling basis; organizations must be nominated by a UNFI associate to be considered.
The foundation’s 2024 filing states that applications were submitted electronically through grant management software, with an IRS determination letter or legal classification certification or opinion. The application asked for information about the applicant, the grant purpose and amount, expected impact, and timeline; additional supporting materials could also be submitted. That filing described eligible applicants as U.S. entities working to increase sustainably produced food, improve access to fresh, healthy food, provide hunger relief to vulnerable populations, or advance childhood nutrition education.
Review Cycle
The 2024 filing stated that there were no application deadlines at that time and that applications were accepted while funds were available.
Invitation Only
The website describes an associate-nomination and invitation-to-apply process; it does not accept unsolicited requests.
Open Grants
2 open opportunities from UNFI Foundation
Ready to take the next step with UNFI Foundation?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s website says recipients must have a presence and positively influence communities in the United States or Canada. In 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars by recipient state went to California (23%), Minnesota (12%), Massachusetts (9%), Texas (9%), and Rhode Island (8%). The 2024 filing described applicant restrictions as limited to U.S. entities.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 20 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $213K (2025) to $1.6M (2024). In 2025 it made 20 grants totaling $213K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Zero Foodprint ($35K). Together the top 10 received $125K.
Grant Size Distribution
298 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 282 grants of 298 (95%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Zero Foodprint Oakland, CA | Annual Grant | $35,000 |
| United Indians of All Tribes Foundation Seattle, WA | Q1 Community Grant | $10,000 |
| Hilltown Community Development Corporation Chesterfield, MA | Q1 Community Grant | $10,000 |
| Anoka County Brotherhood Council Inc (ACBC Food Shelf) Anoka, MN | Q1 Community Grant | $10,000 |
| McAuley Ministries Providence, RI | Q1 Community Grant | $10,000 |
| The Food Group Minnesota Inc New Hope, MN | Q1 Community Grant | $10,000 |
| Interfaith Human Services of Putnam Putnam, CT | Q1 Community Grant | $10,000 |
| Venture Cafe Foundation Cambridge, MA | Q1 Community Grant | $10,000 |
| Nourish Colorado Denver, CO | Q1 Community Grant | $10,000 |
| The Food Trust Philadelphia, PA | Q1 Community Grant | $10,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $2,218,288 | $2,010,594 | $2,040,868 | $213,000 across 20 grants |
| 2024 | $836,508 | $2,027,735 | $1,976,747 | $1,600,500 across 64 grants |
| 2023 | $768,329 | $1,497,253 | $1,346,997 | $1,030,000 across 66 grants |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $2,218,288 | $836,508 | $768,329 |
| Revenue | $2,010,594 | $2,027,735 | $1,497,253 |
| Expenses | $2,040,868 | $1,976,747 | $1,346,997 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $643,172 | $1,794,838 | $1,346,997 |
| Distributable Amount | $54,942 | $48,054 | $40,678 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS August 5, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS September 28, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS December 8, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS January 14, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS June 16, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 15, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Matt Echols as Chairman; Alisha Real as Executive Director; Jeffrey Fontaine as Treasurer; and Anika Grubbs as Secretary. Directors listed are Michael Funk, Thomas Dziki, Andrew Hull, Jody Hyvarinen, Wendy Fresques, and Nadine Parris.
UNFI Foundation is led by Alisha Real, Executive Director on filings since 2020; none of the 13 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Alisha Real
Executive Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Matt Echols
Chairman
On filings since 2023
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jody Hyvarinen
Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael Funk
Director
Acting Chairman → Interim Chairman, 2022
Interim Chairman → Director, 2023
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Thomas Dziki
Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Wendy Fresques
Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Andrew Hull
Director
On filings since 2022
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Aliona Mikhed
Director
On filings since 2023
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Emily Johnson
Director
On filings since 2023
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nadine Parris
Director
On filings since 2023
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Raymel Bradford
Director
On filings since 2023
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jeffrey Fontaine
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Anika Grubbs
Secretary
On filings since 2024
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (9)
- Former: Robert Knychalski (2023) — Secretary
- Former: Tom Dziki (2023) — Director
- Former: Victor Velazquez (2023) — Director
- Former: Christopher Testa (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Jason Iannazzo (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Jj Cantrell (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Bekah Swan (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Margaret O'Connor (2020–2021) — Secretary
- Former: Steven Spinner (2020) — Chairman
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Contact
Application contact: Kristene Creveling
Mailing address: 15 Park Row W Ste 302, Providence, RI 02903-1184
Phone: (401) 528-8634
Website: https://unfifoundation.org
Frequently asked questions about UNFI Foundation
How much does UNFI Foundation give each year?
UNFI Foundation gave $213K across 20 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.6M across 64 grants.
What is UNFI Foundation's typical grant size?
UNFI Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $10,650, across 20 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from UNFI Foundation that year got $11K on average.
Where does UNFI Foundation give grants?
UNFI Foundation's top state is California, with 23% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Minnesota (12%) and Massachusetts (9%).
Does UNFI Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 20 grants with a stated purpose on UNFI Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Q1 Community Grant" (10 grants) and "Q2 Community Grant" (9 grants).
Who are UNFI Foundation's largest grantees?
UNFI Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Zero Foodprint ($35,000), United Indians of All Tribes Foundation ($10,000) and Hilltown Community Development Corporation ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 26% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is UNFI Foundation?
UNFI Foundation reported $2.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $643K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $55K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does UNFI Foundation fund?
The foundation’s website describes its mission as empowering changemakers to build a sustainable, equitable food system. Its four funding priorities are climate-smart agriculture, food access innovations, food equity, and local food economies. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from UNFI Foundation?
The website describes an associate-nomination and invitation-to-apply process; it does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is UNFI Foundation's EIN?
UNFI Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 45-5023490. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does UNFI Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Here's the math on researching UNFI Foundation by hand.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in UNFI Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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UNFI Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?