Now more than ever, the work our nation’s mayors are doing to advance healthy communities is critically important.

The Foundation and the American Beverage Association (ABA) have a long history of working with The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) to support programs that address childhood obesity, environmental health and sustainability by encouraging community members to engage in healthier behaviors. Since the beginning of this partnership in 2012, USCM and the Foundation, with the support of ABA, have awarded 93 cities across the country with grants worth more than $8 million. 

At the USCM 94th Winter Meeting, $1 million in grants were awarded to nine cities. Below are the nine U.S. cities and programs who received 2026 grant awards:

Large City:

• 1st Place: Portland, Ore., and The Waste and Wellness Package program
• 2nd Place: Sacramento, Calif., and the Field Trips for Fresh Food Access program 
• 3rd Place: Arlington, Texas, and the Feeding Children, Fueling the Future program

Medium City:

• 1st Place: Spokane, Wash., and the Student-Led Youth Wellness Zone program
• 2nd Place: Bridgeport, Conn., and the Greenhouse Impact program
• 3rd Place: Rochester, Minn., and the Move to the Market: Incentivizing Health, Equity, and Local Foods program

Small City:

• 1st Place: Findlay, Ohio, and the Urban Prairie Pilot Project
• 2nd Place: Riviera Beach, Fla., and the Healthy Wallets, Healthy Lives Initiative program
• 3rd Place: Schenectady, N.Y., and the Live Well Schenectady program

 

Learn more about each of the winning programs here and about the history of the grant program here.