SPRINGFIELD, ILL. (December 19, 2014) – The BRANDT Foundation chose its inaugural grant recipients at its meeting on December 12, 2014. 

The BRANDT Foundation will fund three grants for 2014. The first is for the Illinois 4-H Foundation to help support the 4-H Teens as Teachers program, partnering Illinois 4-H with Agriculture in The Classroom (AITC) to expand Ag education in Illinois. Under the program, 4-H teens will use AITC curriculum to reach 1500 youth with the importance of agriculture in our daily lives. 

“We are thrilled to be chosen as one of the first partners of The BRANDT Foundation,” said Angie Barnard, Executive Director of the Illinois 4-H Foundation. “This grant will enable us to provide a unique opportunity to our 4-H Teens as Teachers to be part of an established Ag in the classroom program. We are excited to have youth teach youth about the importance of agriculture.”

The second grant is for the Progressive Agriculture Foundation to support their safety day program. This program is designed to promote safe behaviors on farm and ranch operations, reaching more than 100,000 children, adults and youth volunteers each year. 

The third grant is for the proposed Kidzeum of Health & Science of Springfield, IL to help fund its Farm to Market exhibit, illustrating for children where their food comes from.

“I’m proud that we’re able to help these three outstanding organizations,” said Rick Brandt, President & CEO of BRANDT. “We received many worthy applications and the Board came together to decide that these three best fit the organization’s overall mission.”

The BRANDT Foundation is a private foundation, funded initially by donations from BRANDT, Inc. and BRANDT employees.