The Aetna Foundation Awards More Than $3 Million in Grants to Support Healthy Eating and Exercise in Local Communities

HARTFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The Aetna Foundation today announced that they have awarded more than $3 million in community grants to 75 nonprofit organizations in 22 states as part of GoLocal: Cultivating Healthy Communities, a program that helps healthy food choices and active living take root in underserved communities.

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One component of GoLocal is the Local Roots grant program, which included a specific focus on funding the creation and expansion of community gardens, urban farms and farmers markets. These programs will increase access to fresh foods, create opportunities for nutrition education and promote exercise in local neighborhoods.

This funding comes at a critical time when there is a great need to make healthy foods more available, accessible and affordable at the local level. An estimated 14 percent of American households were food insecure at some time during 2014, meaning they lacked access to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members, according to the USDA. In addition, approximately 23 million Americans live in low-income urban and rural neighborhoods more than one mile away from the nearest grocery store, according to Let's Move.

"Poor nutrition and low activity levels can be especially challenging in underserved communities, but local programs like those the Aetna Foundation supports can have a big impact on community health," said Garth Graham, M.D., MPH, president of the Aetna Foundation. "At the Aetna Foundation, we know that place matters. Where you live can have a profound impact on your health. We're excited to support programs that reach people where they are with specific ways to incorporate healthy eating and exercise – reaching people in their neighborhoods leads to sustainable change that will be key to improving health outcomes nationwide."

Another component of GoLocal is the Healthy Eating and Active Living (HEAL) program, which is designed to create momentum behind healthier lifestyles by focusing on better nutrition and greater physical activity in underserved communities. In addition to making healthy foods available, accessible and affordable, these programs will allow people of all ages to come together through neighborhood solutions.

Since 2014, the Aetna Foundation's GoLocal: Cultivating Healthy Communities grant program has awarded more than $6.4 million in grants and sponsorships. Through programs like Local Roots and HEAL, the Aetna Foundation is building a healthier world, community by community.

Grants have been awarded to the following programs:

Organization					Project					State Served
Esperanca, Inc					Salud con Sabor Latino (Health with a Latin Flavor)					Arizona
Family Involvement Center					Salsa, Sabor y Salud					Arizona
Golden Gate Community Center a Program of Wesley Community Center					Health with Latin Flavor					Arizona
CommunityGrows					Garden and Nutrition Education for Underserved Youth: Alemany Farm Expansion					California
The Edible Schoolyard Project					Growing Strong Leaders in Edible Education					California
Garden School Foundation					The Seed to Table Project					California
LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes					LA Plaza Garden & Culinary Arts workshops at Family Day events					California
Students Run America					Training For a Marathon...Training for Life					California
Youth Policy Institute					Local Roots LA					California
Denver Urban Gardens					Building a Healthy Local Food System for Metro Denver					Colorado
Groundwork Denver Incorporated					Cultivate Health: Youth Leadership & Community Farming					Colorado
Billings Forge Community Works Inc.					Food for Good in Frog Hollow: Eating fresh, local, and together					Connecticut
Chrysalis Center, Inc.					Chrysalis Center's Railway Gardens, Food Forest and Homestead Farmer's Market					Connecticut
Hartford Marathon Foundation, Inc.					HMF FitKids					Connecticut
Knox, Inc.					Hartford Grown Headquarters: Phase 2 & 3					Connecticut
The Trust for Public Land					Parks for People -- Bridgeport					Connecticut
American University: School of Education, Teaching, and Health					Vive Sana: Enhancing Access and Skills for Community Healthy Eating					District of Columbia
DC Central Kitchen					Healthy Corners: Enhancing the Health of Low-Income Communities through Empowering Entire Households to Make Better Food Choices					District of Columbia
Iona Senior Services					Senior Farm-to-Table Cooking Classes and Nutrition Education Project					District of Columbia
Teens Run DC					Teens Run DC					District of Columbia
Washington Tennis & Education Foundation					WTEF Fitness Program for Children and Youth Living in At-Risk Neighborhoods					District of Columbia
Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade					Little Chefs and Get Fit Challenge					Florida
Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Broward County, Inc.					Cultivating Good Health Expansion Project					Florida
Hispanic Unity Of Florida, Inc.					Unity 4Teens- A Size Healthy (ASH)					Florida
Tampa Heights Junior Civic Association					The Tampa Heights Farmers' Market: Bringing It All Together -- Tampa Heights Healthy Living, Garden, Kitchen, Training and Social Enterprise					Florida
Captain Planet Foundation					Grow, Eat, Love: Nutrition Education in Project Learning Garden schools					Georgia
Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power & Potential					GCAPP Plant, Grow and Learn Garden Project					Georgia
Association House Of Chicago					Healthy Families Initiative					Illinois
Chicago Horticultural Society					Windy City Harvest Youth Farm					Illinois
Erie Family Health Center, Inc.					Healthy Eating and Active Living Program for Underserved Communities (HEAL)					Illinois
Erie Neighborhood House					Super H: Healthy Kids, Healthy Families					Illinois
Fuller Park Community Development Corporation					Eden Place Farmers Outreach and Training Initiative					Illinois
Sankofa Community Development Corporation					Sankofa Fresh Market, Learning Garden, and Youth Education Programs					Louisiana
Tulane University					Grow Dat Youth Farm--Expanding Our Successful Model					Louisiana
Cultivating Community					Proliferating Garden Access, Healthy Food Access, and Food-Based Education and Empowerment for Portland, Maine's Food Growers and Food Eaters					Maine
St. Mary's Nutrition Center					Digging Deeper and Spreading Roots: an expansion plan for community gardens in Lewiston-Auburn Maine					Maine
GapBuster, Inc.					Healthy Mind / Healthy Bodies					Maryland
Madison Park Development Corporation					Grow Roxbury					Massachusetts
Mass Audubon					Boston Nature Center Urban Food Forest					Massachusetts
Gateway Greening					Gateway Greening: School Gardens for Healthier Kids					Missouri
Boat People SOS, Inc.					Resilient Roots Farm Program					New Jersey
Covenant House New Jersey Inc					Healthy Food, Healthy Life Initiative					New Jersey
Fan4Kids, A NJ Nonprofit Corporation					F4K New Jersey Expansion					New Jersey
Young Audiences of New Jersey					Jump with Jill Nutrition Education Initiative					New Jersey
Citizens Committee For New York City					Aetna Local Roots Awards					New York
Figure Skating in Harlem, Inc.					Active Living Program					New York
Fund for Public Health in New York					Building Healthy Communities: Supporting Grow to Learn's Citywide School Garden Initiative					New York
Girls on the Run NYC					Empowering Girls through Movement: Delivering Girls on the Run, A Physical-Activity Based Positive Youth Development Program, in NYC					New York
The Doe Fund					Urban Agriculture Program					New York
Wendy Hilliard Gymnastics Foundation					Community Gymnastics Programs					New York
Sow Much Good Inc					SMG Market & Program Expansion					North Carolina
Young Men's Christian Association of Northwest North Carolina					Planting the Seeds for a Strong Community					North Carolina
Local Matters					Seeding the Future: Building Food Security through Community Gardens and Healthful Food Education					Ohio
The Center for Closing the Health Gap in Greater Cincinnati					Do Right! Kids Mt. Auburn & Walnut Hills					Ohio
The Children's Home of Cincinnati, Ohio					Nutrition Matters Initiative					Ohio
The Refugee Response					Refugee Empowerment Agricultural Program (REAP)					Ohio
A Little Taste Of Everything Inc					Mill Creek Farm					Pennsylvania
Esperanza Health Center					Nuclear Powered Fitness and Nutrition					Pennsylvania
Federation of Neighborhood Centers					Teens 4 Good Healthy Community Initiative					Pennsylvania
Greensgrow Philadelphia Project					Greensgrow Community Garden Center					Pennsylvania
Nationalities Service Center					Growing Home: Refugee Community Gardens					Pennsylvania
The Food Trust					Expanding HYPE Beyond School Walls: Empowering Youth Leaders to Improve School and Community Health					Pennsylvania
Urban Tree Connection					Neighborhood Foods					Pennsylvania
Trevecca Nazarene University					Food Desert to Food Oasis: University and Youth Partnership for Growing and Marketing Fresh Food					Tennessee
Baylor Health Care System Foundation					Farm Stand Expansion Project with a Family Demonstration Garden Project					Texas
Foundation for Wellness, Texas					FitWorth Fuel Program					Texas
People's Community Clinic					Happy Kitchen/Cocina Alegre					Texas
San Antonio Sports					i play! afterschool program					Texas
Sustainable Food Center					Healthy Families					Texas
The Concilio					Comprando Rico y Sano (Buying and Shopping Healthy)					Texas
Greater Richmond Fit4Kids, Inc					Fit4Kids: Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds					Virginia
United Methodist Urban Ministries Of Richmond Inc					Urban Farmacy and Kitchen Prescription					Virginia
Green Plate Special					Bringing the Garden to the Table for central and south Seattle's Low Income Youth, Their Community, and Teachers					Washington
Solid Ground					Food Access and Community Education					Washington
The Market Foundation					Pike Place Market Cooking Classes					Washington

About the Aetna Foundation
The Aetna Foundation is the independent charitable and philanthropic arm of Aetna AET. Since 1980, Aetna and the Aetna Foundation have contributed more than $465 million in grants and sponsorships. As a national health foundation, we promote wellness, health, and access to high-quality health care for everyone. This work is enhanced by the time and commitment of Aetna employees, who have volunteered 3.8 million hours since 2003. For more information, visit www.aetnafoundation.org.

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