Kroger Grants 2026: Foundation Deadlines and How to Apply

Kroger grants open now: 6 routes checked November 10, 2026

Grantsights checked 6 Kroger giving routes on November 10, 2026. Four of them run through the same online request system, and 1 has no open call.

Recently closed: the September 18, 2026 quarterly deadline. The 3 earlier 2026 deadlines were April 3, June 26 and September 18, so December 4 is the last one posted for this year. Kroger hasn't posted 2027 dates.

Our honest read: this is one of the few big grocery funders where a local nonprofit can submit a real application today. The catch is that the request system serves both foundations and Kroger's company giving at once, and Kroger decides which pot (if any) pays.

Who can ask: Kroger's 6 focus areas and 5 exclusions

Kroger's Charitable Giving Guidelines, a 2-page PDF linked from the request portal and checked November 10, 2026, set the rules. Requests must come from a 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit and fit one of 6 areas of focus:

1. Hunger relief
2. Sustainability
3. Disaster relief
4. Health and nutrition
5. Diversity and inclusion
6. Education and youth development

The guidelines say Kroger directs "the majority of our giving" to its Zero Hunger | Zero Waste plan. In practice, a food or waste angle helps any request. A youth program that runs a weekend backpack meal effort reads as a better fit than one asking for general youth sports costs.

What Kroger won't fund: individuals; travel expenses; political campaigns; sectarian or religious organizations for projects that serve only their own members or supporters; and organizations that discriminate on the protected grounds the guidelines list. A church food pantry open to the whole neighborhood can still ask. A congregation's members-only retreat can't.

How Kroger checks your status: the guidelines say Kroger verifies 501(c)(3) status through the Guidestar Charity Check. A red flag before you apply: a Candid profile with an old name, a revoked status or the wrong EIN. Fix it first. The IRS explains the difference between public charities and private foundations on its public charities page (opens in a new tab), and Kroger's own two foundations are one of each.

The Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation's extra flexibility: its 2025 Form 990 says it awards grants to "both for-profit and not-for-profit entities" that fit its mission, with a preference for organizations based in Kroger communities. That's how food-waste startups such as Replate and Renewal Mill show up on its Innovation Fund grantee page. For an ordinary nonprofit, though, the 501(c)(3) rule in the guidelines is the one that applies.

Who actually gets Kroger Co. Foundation grants

Grantsights analysis of 253 grants on the 990-PF for the fiscal year ending January 31, 2025 shows the foundation paid $4,766,434 to organizations in 31 states and Washington, D.C. The median grant was $10,000, and the most common single amount was $5,000 (50 grants). That's the realistic target for a local nonprofit.

163 of the 253 grants, about 64%, were $10,000 or less. Only 5 reached $100,000: the American National Red Cross ($500,000), United Way of Greater Cincinnati ($250,000), Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County ($150,000), US United in Denver ($120,000) and Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana ($100,000).

Food banks take the largest share

Grantsights counted 77 grants worth $1,720,184 (36% of the dollars) to organizations whose names mark them as food banks, pantries or hunger groups. That's a floor, since shelters and meal programs with other names also do hunger work. The return lists every purpose as "organization's charitable purpose," so program mix has to be read from recipient names.

For example, Kansas Food Bank Warehouse in Wichita received $85,000, Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee received $80,000, Feeding Southwest Virginia received two grants worth $95,000, and Mid-Ohio Food Collective received $50,000. Smaller food grants reached Kenai Peninsula Food Bank in Alaska ($18,000), Food Bank of Wyoming ($15,000) and the University of Memphis Tiger Pantry ($10,000).

Where the money went by state

The map follows Kroger's store divisions. Ohio is home to the Cincinnati headquarters and 2 divisions, Colorado is King Soopers territory, Arizona is Fry's, and Washington and Oregon are Fred Meyer and QFC. Wisconsin had 25 grants but only $88,250, almost all small gifts in Roundy's markets.

Small groups do get money here. One organization in Arizona, A New Leaf in Mesa, received $10,000; A Precious Child in Broomfield, Colorado received $15,000; Adopt-A-Native-Elder in South Salt Lake, Utah received $5,000; and St. Procopius Church in Illinois received $3,000.

A shrinking pot

The prior return, for the fiscal year ending January 31, 2024, listed 306 grants worth $6,936,688 in 37 states and D.C. The latest year's $4.77 million is about 31% lower, with 53 fewer grants. Most of the drop came at the top: the earlier year had 10 grants of $100,000 or more, including $500,000 to the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Educational Fund and $350,000 each to Local Initiatives Support Corporation and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. The median stayed at $10,000 both years.

The Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation's $8.5 million

The second filer is bigger. The Kroger Co. Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation reported $8,464,635 in grants for the fiscal year ending January 31, 2026, up from $6,363,984 the year before, according to its Form 990. Its contributions that year were $7,955,849. Kroger's giving guidelines say this foundation's grants can include company funds and donations from customers who round up their purchase at Kroger-operated stores.

Schedule I itemizes 176 grants over $5,000 to 153 organizations in 26 states and D.C., worth $6,914,965. The median itemized grant was $18,227.

According to our analysis of Schedule I, 75 itemized grants worth $3,451,485, about half the itemized dollars, went to groups with food, hunger, pantry or meal names, so food organizations dominate even more here. The largest recipients were the American National Red Cross ($490,543 across 7 grants), Feeding America ($463,973 in 2 grants), World Wildlife Fund ($377,000), Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center ($325,000), Last Mile Food Rescue in Cincinnati ($250,000) and Food Bank of the Rockies ($243,791).

Smaller grants look like what a local pantry might win. In the same year, Ballard Food Bank in Seattle and Port Angeles Food Bank each received $7,500, Manna, the Durango soup kitchen in Colorado, received $7,563, and Cache Community Food Pantry in Logan, Utah received $10,000.

The foundation's own How We Give page names the work it backs: transportation for food banks and partner agencies, mobile pantries, SNAP access and enrollment, breakfast after the bell at schools, help for homeless adults moving toward stable housing, and nutrition education. If your request fits one of those 6 lines, say so in its first paragraph.

How to apply for Kroger grants, step by step

Kroger's guidelines, the portal login page and the foundation's How We Give page add up to 7 steps, checked November 10, 2026.

1. Confirm your 501(c)(3) status shows correctly. Kroger checks the Guidestar Charity Check. If you need a determination letter first, IRS Publication 557 (opens in a new tab) explains how to apply for exemption.
2. Pick your focus area and request type. The 4 request types are cash donation (including foundation grants), sponsorship, gift card and product. The guidelines define a sponsorship as cash support aimed at programmatic or commercial objectives, so a charity gala ask belongs there, not under cash donation.
3. Go to communitygifts.com. The guidelines name that address, and it opens the Kroger Proposal Management System on Versaic. The 990-PF also says all grant requests must go through Versaic.
4. Create an account on the login page if you're new. Kroger's community page links to the same portal.
5. Describe the organization and the request. The 990-PF says requests include information about the organization, its charitable purpose and details of the request. Name the store or division area you serve.
6. Beat the quarterly deadline. The 2026 foundation deadlines were April 3, June 26, September 18 and December 4. For an event, the guidelines want the request at least four weeks ahead.
7. Wait up to 4 weeks, then check status in your account. Kroger may approve a different amount than you asked for.

Common mistake: writing two separate requests, one to each foundation. The guidelines and the Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation's page both point to the same system, so one clear request with a hunger or waste angle is the better play.

What Kroger's Giving Pages Don't Tell You

Grantsights checked Kroger's giving pages against the four returns behind this guide, and 5 things stood out.

1. The two foundations are a small slice of the $300 million. Kroger's community page says the company and its two foundations direct "more than $300 million annually" to communities. The two foundations' latest returns show about $13.2 million in grants combined, roughly 4% of that. The rest is mostly food and product donations and company giving. Don't underestimate how much of Kroger's headline number is groceries, not checks.

2. The foundation's grants are getting smaller. The Kroger Co. Foundation paid $6.94 million in the year ending January 2024 and $4.77 million a year later. The Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation went the other way, from $6.36 million to $8.46 million. A hunger or food-waste request is more likely to land with the growing pot.

3. The return and the portal disagree on deadlines. The latest 990-PF says deadlines fall in January, April, July and October. The portal and guidelines list April 3, June 26, September 18 and December 4, 2026. Go by the portal, which is the newer source.

4. Repeat grantees are common. About 80 of the 245 organizations on the latest Kroger Co. Foundation return also appear on the year before. Some large food banks are paid by both foundations: Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana got $100,000 from The Kroger Co. Foundation and $150,000 from the Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation, and Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County got $150,000 and $100,000.

5. Kroger's own totals don't match each other. The Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation's site says it has directed more than $66 million since 2018, while Kroger's Zero Hunger | Zero Waste page says more than $70 million. Neither page gives a date for its figure. Use the returns when you size your ask.

How small local grants really are: the median Kroger Co. Foundation grant was $10,000, and 105 of its 253 grants were $5,000 or less. A first request from a group Kroger doesn't know should sit near those amounts, not near the six-figure grants to national partners.

Kroger food donations, food rescue and Community Rewards

Kroger's Zero Hunger | Zero Waste page says 100% of its stores are actively donating food and that 815 million pounds of surplus food have been rescued since 2017. Its pages don't explain how a new pantry becomes a store's food-rescue partner. Two real options: submit a "Product" request through the portal for in-kind food, or ask your regional food bank whether it runs grocery rescue pickups at a nearby Kroger-family store.

For food rescue groups, EPA documents a ranking called the Wasted Food Scale (opens in a new tab) that puts donating food to feed people among its most preferred pathways and landfilling among the least preferred. Kroger's page reports 58% food waste diversion in stores, short of its 95% goal for 2025, which is one reason rescue and waste projects fit this funder.

Pantries that also want government food can look at The Emergency Food Assistance Program. According to USDA's TEFAP fact sheet (opens in a new tab), TEFAP received $461.5 million to buy USDA Foods and $80 million for administrative costs in fiscal year 2024, and state agencies choose the local food banks and pantries that distribute it.

Community Rewards is the one route a school or church without a 501(c)(3) can use. The guidelines describe it as a fundraising option for local 501(c)(3)s, K-12 schools and churches, with shoppers choosing where Kroger's donation goes. Smith's customers use a separate program called Inspiring Donations. It isn't a grant, and the amount depends on how many shoppers pick you.

Is Kroger worth a request? A 4-question check

1. Are you a 501(c)(3) with a clean Candid listing? If not, use Community Rewards for now.
2. Does your project fit one of the 6 focus areas, ideally hunger or food waste?
3. Can you ask for $5,000 to $25,000? That range covered most local grants on both returns.
4. Can you submit before December 4, 2026, or plan for the 2027 quarterly dates once posted?

Plausible fit: a county food pantry near a King Soopers store asking $10,000 for a refrigerated van, with a sentence on how many pounds of rescued produce it can move. Poor fit: a congregation asking for a members-only retreat, or an individual asking for help with bills.

Where to look if Kroger isn't a fit

Kroger's two foundations gave about $13.2 million in their latest years, and most local grants were $10,000 or less, so plan a mix. Corporate grants for nonprofits lists other company funders, and the food-focused guides go further: grants for food banks, the best grants for food banks in 2026, grants for food pantries, grants for food rescue programs, grants for food security and grants for nutrition programs.

Other store-based funders: Walmart's Spark Good Local Grants run through the store or distribution center that serves your area, and they take smaller requests on several cycles a year, so they pair well with a Kroger request. Target's store-led giving works on a different calendar and mixes cash with gift cards, which suits a pantry that wants grocery cards for families. If your hunger program also runs literacy classes for adults or families, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation grants are the store funder that cares about that half of the work.

Ohio and headquarters-area groups: Ohio nonprofit grants covers state and foundation funding where Kroger's two foundations gave the most.

Grantsights tools: the Kroger Co. Foundation funder page summarizes its 990-PF grant records. Grantsights' human services funder lists group private foundations that gave for food, shelter and other basic needs by state, built from their own 990-PF filings, and you can preview your state free.

How Grantsights Checked This Guide

Grantsights checked 10 Kroger pages and documents and 4 returns on November 10, 2026. ProPublica's records list The Kroger Co. Foundation and The Kroger Co. Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation at 1014 Vine Street in Cincinnati, under EINs 31-1192929 and 83-0898036.

These grant lists are public because of federal filing rules. Per the IRS private foundation annual return (opens in a new tab) page, a private foundation files Form 990-PF by the 15th day of the 5th month after its year ends, which is why a January fiscal year shows up in the summer. The 990-PF reading guide shows where the grant list sits.

Sources

• Kroger: Community (Caring for Our Communities) (opens in a new tab)
• Kroger: Zero Hunger | Zero Waste (opens in a new tab)
• Kroger: Innovation Fund (opens in a new tab)
• Kroger Proposal Management System (Versaic) login and 2026 deadlines (opens in a new tab)
• Kroger Family of Companies: Charitable Giving Guidelines (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
• Kroger: Our Divisions (opens in a new tab)
• Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation: How We Give (opens in a new tab)
• Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation: Innovation Fund (opens in a new tab)
• Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation: Our Impact (opens in a new tab)
• Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation: Innovation Fund grantees (opens in a new tab)
• ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer: The Kroger Co. Foundation filings (opens in a new tab)
• ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer: Kroger Co. Zero Hunger Zero Waste Foundation filings (opens in a new tab)
• IRS: Public Charities (opens in a new tab)
• IRS: Publication 557, Tax-Exempt Status for Your Organization (opens in a new tab)
• IRS: Private Foundation Annual Return (opens in a new tab)
• USDA: TEFAP Fact Sheet (opens in a new tab)
• EPA: Wasted Food Scale (opens in a new tab)