Fueling Hope
Fiber-Rich School Meals for Healthier Kids
Healthier Meals = Healthier Kids
Because 30% of annual giving happens in December, your year-end gift sets our 2026 plan: more support for school cafeteria teams, taste-tests students love, and easier purchasing of better-for-kids menu items.
Source: Nonprofits Source, 2024
About our mission
Balanced is a nutrition security and public health advocacy organization. We're committed to preventing and reducing the impact of diet-related, food-system-created chronic disease. We're focused on improving the balance between health-promoting and disease-causing foods on menus in schools, hospitals, offices, universities, and other critical community institutions.
Donors like you have fueled
200k+
School Meals Served
Kids in 8 Illinois districts were served more than 200,000 plant-powered, fiber-rich meals during the 2024-2025 school year as part of our pilot with More Plants on Plates, evolving into our six-month cohort. One district now serves ~75% plant-based meals, and one school went 100%.
225k+
Fiber-Content Reach
With 97% of Americans deficient in fiber, we're educating the masses about this key nutrient. Since our partnership with the JHU Bloomberg American Health Initiative on our fiber awareness campaign, we have reached nearly a quarter of a million views.
300+
Vetted Products
Our Plant-Based Vendor Directory has streamlined purchasing, leading to dozens of long-term contracts between schools and suppliers. Our tools reduce real-world barriers, making healthier school meals possible.
"As a parent, I’ve seen firsthand how fiber, protein, and whole foods impact my children’s ability to focus and learn—it even affects their emotional well-being. The team at Balanced has been invaluable in giving me and other parents the tools and knowledge we need to effectively advocate for change."
- Emily, mother and school nutrition advocate