North America





United States


America’s Farmers Grow Communities

Rural communities are important to all of us. They give us a place to call home, a place to meet with friends, a place to raise families. Through the Monsanto Fund’s America’s Farmers Grow Communities program, farmers can now win a $2,500 award for their favorite nonprofit organization. After two successful pilots, in 2001 the program expanded and expects to contribute more than $3 million in approximately 1,200 counties across 38 U.S. states. To date, benefited organizations include agriculture youth groups, community organizations such as food banks, and various educational programs. To learn more, visit www.growcommunities.com.

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America's Farmers Grow Rural Education

Nothing is more important than the next generation. That’s why we introduced America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education, a program to help farmers positively impact their communities and support local school districts. The Monsanto Fund is going to invest $2.3 million in rural public school districts for projects focused on science and/or math.  The program gives U.S. farmers in 1,245 counties across 39 states the opportunity to nominate their public school district to compete for a grant of up to $25,000.  To learn more, visit www.growruraleducation.com.

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Empowering Teachers to Excite Students about Science (St. Louis)

Teachers and students from 10 under-resourced Catholic elementary schools are using kids’ natural tendencies toward curiosity and inquisitiveness to develop a better understanding of and love for inquiry-based science through the Today and Tomorrow Educational Foundation’s St. Louis City Science Investigations (CSI) Project.

The three-year CSI project, supported by a $425,000 grant from the Monsanto Fund, is made up of three components designed to change the dynamics of science education in urban schools — intensive summer and ongoing professional development in inquiry-based learning methods for teachers, summer science camp for students, and classroom practice. The program gives teachers greater confidence in their ability to teach the subject, and students a chance to explore science through their natural curiosity. With a focus on kindergarten through third grade, 821 students benefited from the CSI project in 2009-2010.




Broadening Students' Tastes Through School Gardens (California)

First-grade students in Chico, California — considered picky eaters by their parents — literally ran to eat bok choy (a Chinese cabbage) after planting and growing the vegetable as part of a school garden program.

The Western Growers Foundation supported 20 school gardens throughout California with $30,000 from the Monsanto Fund. Each garden site received $1,500 plus a drip irrigation kit and a box of educational resources to help teachers transform gardens into outdoor classrooms. Teaching students about agriculture and nutrition gives them the foundation to make lifelong healthy food choices.

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Canada


Inspiring All Youth Through Science

Activities such as making homemade astronaut ice cream, extracting DNA from wheat germ, and building model greenhouses prove to students in the Actua science programs that science is more than just a subject found in a textbook.

With a $75,000 grant from the Monsanto Fund, Actua delivered high-quality and engaging science experiences to:

  • more than 21,000 Aboriginal youth via its National Aboriginal Outreach Program
  • nearly 4,000 girls via the Actua National Girls Program
  • more than 6,000 underprivileged or at-risk youth in the Go Where Kids Are initiative

Actua is Canada’s leading youth outreach organization that delivers life-changing science, engineering and technology programming. Independent research has shown that because of their Actua experience, 84 percent of participants felt they would do better in math and science in school.




Made in Manitoba Breakfast Program

The Made in Manitoba Breakfast program is organized by Agriculture in the Classroom – Manitoba, Inc., a non-profit charitable organization that works to connect Canadian teachers and students to agriculture.

The Made in Manitoba Breakfast program travels across Manitoba feeding students full, hot breakfasts made with products from Manitoba farmers. Before each breakfast, the students take part in an education program that helps them explore the agriculture industry and learn where their food comes from.

The Monsanto Fund has contributed $137,000 to the Made in Manitoba Program, and thanks to a recent grant, Ag in the Classroom was able to expand the program to 30 new rural communities.

Learn more about the Made in Manitoba Breakfast program »




Agriculture Biotechnology Enrichment (ABE) Program

The Pembina Trails School Division in Winnipeg introduced the ABE program in 2001. The ABE program works with high school teachers and students to introduce new and authentic science concepts being applied in medical and agricultural research. It also serves to expose high school students to the exciting research, science and career opportunities in the field of biotechnology. The Monsanto Fund has contributed $150,000 to the ABE program, helping to ensure it continues to educate students.

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Mexico


Promoting Sustainability in Mixteca Communities

Through the Backyard Food Production Program of the Instituto para el Desarrollo de la Mixteca (IDM), dozens of families have found relief from malnutrition.

With a $100,000 grant from the Monsanto Fund, this program provides families in the rural communities of Oaxaca, Puebla and Guerrero, Mexico, a package containing resources to raise chickens and grow fruits and vegetables in their own backyards. Additionally, the project provides malnutrition workshops to mothers and children based on what they are able to raise.

The program has not only educated families on nutrition and given them the resources to combat hunger, but also has helped unify families by teaching them to work together to grow their food. The malnutrition workshops were delivered to 10,000 children and mothers, and more than 100 families received the backyard growing systems.

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Monsanto Fund is focused on investing in the following areas:

  • Canada
  • México