Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation Awards $1.6 Million to Health and Wellness Causes

PHOENIX, Oct. 18, 2016 -- Sprouts Farmers Market (Nasdaq:SFM) today announced that the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation will award $1.6 million to nonprofit organizations that support health- and wellness-related causes this fall. The Foundation, which launched in 2015 and distributed $1.3 million in to nonprofit organizations in its first year, focuses its giving in promoting health education and nutrition, food security and hunger relief, and helping people living with disabilities and health concerns. Giving back to the community has been part of the Sprouts culture since its inception. Through the Foundation, the company intends to increase its charitable giving and community engagement by creating partnerships with dozens of local nonprofits through its Neighborhood Grants program, fulfilling larger-scale Impact Grants and encouraging team member volunteerism.

“As Sprouts continues to grow from coast to coast, we remain committed to providing affordable access to healthy food. The Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation enables us to take our commitment to healthy living one step further by providing financial assistance to health and wellness organizations that support the needs of the local community,” said Sprouts chief executive officer, Amin Maredia.

Top nonprofit partners include:

• REAL School Gardens – Support of new garden installations, the creation of a school-based health nutrition curriculum and the launch of a new REAL School Gardens region.
• Vitamin Angels – Helps at-risk populations in need—specifically pregnant women, new mothers and children under five—gain access to lifesaving and life-changing vitamins and minerals. Through the course of our four year partnership, we have helped more than 3 million children.
• Autism Speaks – Resources for children and adults affected by autism.

Additionally, the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation will award more than $400,000 in Neighborhood Grants to 54 local organizations in the 13 states in which Sprouts operates.

"Our Neighborhood Grants program is designed to support local nonprofit organizations that directly impact the communities where we operate,” said Lyndsey Waugh, executive director of the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation. “Through this grant program, we’re able to directly connect with local nonprofits that contribute to health and wellness, providing funding, visibility and awareness for their important work. The grants are funded through our in-store ‘community round-up’ campaign, plus dollars from the Foundation. It’s a great opportunity to partner with our team members and customers to support others on their healthy living journey."

Full list of 2016 Neighborhood Grants recipients by state:

Alabama

• CAST for Kids Foundation
• YMCA of Metropolitan Huntsville

Arizona

• Boys and Girls Club of Metro Phoenix
• Council for Jews with Special Needs
• Educational Enrichment Foundation
• First Place AZ
• Girl Scouts – Arizona Cactus Pine Council
• Sharing Down Syndrome Arizona

California (North)

• Bakersfield Arc
• Healthy Aging Association
• Hoffmann Hospice
• United Way of Stanislaus County
• Wellspring Women's Center
• YMCA of San Francisco

California (South)

• Boys & Girls Club of South Coast Area
• Fit Kids
• Los Angeles Community Garden Council
• National Multiple Sclerosis Society of Southern California and Nevada
• Orangewood Foundation

Colorado

• Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes (at University of CO Medical Campus)
• Care and Share, Inc.
• Groundwork Denver, Inc.
• Healthy Learning Paths
• Loveland Youth Gardeners
• Muscular Dystrophy Association of Colorado
• STRIVE

Georgia

• Atlanta Children's Shelter
• Boys & Girls Club of Metro Atlanta
• Center for Helping Obesity in Children End Successfully (CHOICES)
• Girls Incorporated of Greater Atlanta
• Special Olympics Georgia
• Variety - the Children's Charity of Georgia
• Wylde Center

Kansas

• Just Food of Douglas County
• Van Go, Inc.

Missouri

• Autism Works
• Harvesters - the Community Network
• Kansas City Community Gardens

New Mexico

• La Semilla Food Center
• Meals on Wheels

Nevada

• Edward Kline Memorial Homeless Veterans Fund
• Future Smiles
• Ogden Foundation

Oklahoma

• Oklahoma City Beautiful
• Positive Tomorrows

Tennessee

• Mid-Cumberland Human Resource Agency
• Progress, Inc.

Texas

• Comal Senior Citizen Foundation
• McKinney Rotary Foundation
• New Day
• Recipe for Success Foundation
• YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas

Utah

• Community Action Services & Food Bank
• Green Urban Lunchbox

The 2016 Neighborhood Grant application was available May through August and award recipients were notified in September. For details on next year’s application, please visit sprouts.com/neighborhoodgrants.

About Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation
Founded in 2015, the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation supports health and wellness related causes that directly impact the neighborhoods where Sprouts customers and team members live, work and play. Through the passion of Sprouts’ team members and generosity of vendors and customers, the Healthy Communities Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that are making the world a better place. The Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation focuses on giving locally in promoting health education and nutrition, food security and hunger relief and helping people living with disabilities and health concerns.

About Sprouts Farmers Market
Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. is a healthy grocery store offering fresh, natural and organic foods at great prices. Sprouts offers a complete shopping experience that includes fresh produce, bulk foods, vitamins and supplements, packaged groceries, meat and seafood, deli, baked goods, dairy products, frozen foods, natural body care and household items catering to consumers’ growing interest in health and wellness. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, Sprouts employs more than 24,000 team members and operates more than 250 stores in 13 states from coast to coast. For more information, visit www.sprouts.com or @sproutsfm on Twitter.

Contact: [email protected], 602-682-1536