The IDFA Foundation seeks to make an important contribution to people and communities on behalf of the U.S. dairy industry by providing grants to support individuals and organizations working to advance human health and nutrition, improve environmental stewardship and sustainability, and enhance the welfare of people working in food manufacturing. Established in 1958 as the Dairy Recognition and Education Foundation, today the IDFA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private foundation promoting the health and well-being of people, communities, and our planet on behalf of U.S. dairy.
Executive Director, IDFA Foundation
President & CEO
Chair, IDFA Foundation | President/General Manager, Dairy Manufacturing, Continental Dairy Facilities, LLC
Treasurer, IDFA Foundation | President and Executive Director, Albertsons Companies Foundation
Secretary, IDFA Foundation | Manager of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Great Lakes Cheese Company
IDFA Foundation Board Director | Director of Global Responsibility, Leprino Foods Company
IDFA Foundation Board Director | Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Schreiber Foods Inc.
The IDFA Foundation provides grants and awards to support individuals and organizations working to advance human health and nutrition, improve environmental stewardship and sustainability, and enhance the welfare of people working in food manufacturing. A summary of the IDFA Foundation’s recent grants and awards is below. For more information on how to partner with or learn about the work of the IDFA Foundation, please contact the Foundation staff at foundation@idfafoundation.org.
Nutrition, Health and Wellness: The IDFA Foundation provides grants to reduce hunger, improve food security, and help families access healthy, affordable nutrition.
Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability: The IDFA Foundation provides grants to support solutions, innovations, and ideas that advance the food, beverage and agriculture industry’s commitments toward environmental stewardship and sustainability.
Diverse, Equitable, Inclusive Workforce and Developmental Opportunities: The IDFA Foundation provides grants to support efforts to attract and retain a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce within the food, beverage, and agriculture industry, as well as opportunities for education, training, and accreditation.
2023 – Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS): The IDFA Foundation presented an initial grant of $30,000 to MANRRS to establish the IDFA Foundation Future Fund, a collaboration between MANRRS and dairy companies that helps make career opportunities in the dairy industry available to MANRRS students engaged in or recently graduated from college, graduate school, or technical school. The Future Fund offers stipends to MANRRS students who are fulfilling an internship or career pathways program with a dairy processing company operating in the United States.
2022 – Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida: The IDFA Foundation presented a contribution of $5,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank to provide nourishing food to those in need in Central Florida following Hurricane Ian. IDFA Foundation’s contribution made it possible for the food bank to provide over 20,000 meals to individuals in Central Florida facing hunger.
2022 – Edesia Nutrition: The IDFA Foundation presented a grant of $28,100 to Edesia Nutrition for sourcing and/or transporting U.S. dairy products used by Edesia in the manufacture of nutrient dense, ready-to-use foods (RUFs) to help treat and prevent malnutrition in the world’s most vulnerable populations. When awarded, the grant supported approximately four truckloads of dairy ingredients used in the manufacture of RUF products.
The IDFA Foundation effectively manages its endowment to make grants and awards exclusively to 501(c)3 entities that are aligned in our mission. The IDFA Foundation, formerly the Dairy Recognition and Education Foundation, is approved under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 501(c)(3) as a tax exempt private foundation, making it exempt from federal income tax. Donors can deduct contributions they make to the IDFA Foundation and the IDFA Foundation is qualified to receive tax deductible bequests, devises, transfers or gifts under Section 2055, 2106, or 2522 of the IRC.
Please make your donation to the IDFA Foundation today.
In FY 2022, the IDFA Foundation awarded three grants to leading nonprofits working to reduce hunger and to advance and empower minority students entering careers in food and agriculture. As a new philanthropic voice in the dairy industry, the IDFA Foundation is building new bridges, creating new relationships, and supporting our communities in new ways. Read more about the Foundation's first fiscal year and what's ahead in the IDFA Foundation's 2022 Annual Report.
IDFA Foundation Completes First Fiscal Year with Grants to Reduce Food Insecurity and Improve Diversity in Dairy Processing
For more information on how to partner with or learn about the work of the IDFA Foundation, please contact the Foundation staff at foundation@idfafoundation.org.
