WASHINGTON – The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) announced following the first fiscal year for its IDFA Foundation that the institution provided three grants totaling more than $63,000. The funds went toward reducing food insecurity and empowering minority students pursuing the food and agriculture industries.

Per IDFA, the foundation was established to make contributions to people and communities on behalf of the US dairy industry. It provides grants to support people and organizations “that work to advance human health and nutrition, improve environmental stewardship and sustainability, and enhance the welfare of people working in food manufacturing.”

The grants delivered to nonprofits during the foundation’s first fiscal year benefited Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS), Edesia Nutrition and Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida.

The foundation launched in February 2023 a fund in partnership with MANRRS. The IDFA Foundation Future Fund was created to help create career opportunities in the dairy industry for MANRRS students. The fund provides $7,500 in living expenses to MANRRS members who are attending or recently graduated from a school with an active MANRRS chapter and a $1,000 travel scholarship to attend the annual MANRRS Training Conference & Career Expo. The foundation and MANRRS connect potential US dairy employers with MANRRS candidates.

Said Matt Herrick, executive director of the IDFA Foundation, “Working to make a difference for people and communities on behalf of America’s dairy processors, the IDFA Foundation is putting our limited resources to work with committed, creative partners who are reducing hunger, promoting environmental stewardship and contributing to a more diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce within the US dairy industry. I am grateful to our partners and donors.”

Edesia Nutrition received a $28,100 charitable grant from the foundation in September 2022. The funds were designated to offset sourcing and transportation costs associated with dairy products Edesia uses when making its ready-to-use foods. Per IDFA, the grant supported the manufacture of products such as Plumpy’Nut, which is “specifically formulated with peanuts and dairy ingredients for the nutritional rehabilitation of children from six months of age and adults suffering from severe acute malnutrition.”

Th IDFA Foundation also donated $5,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida in October 2022, in the wake of Hurricane Ian.