Healthy Schools Campaign

What Healthy Schools Campaign does

Healthy Schools Campaign (HSC) is a national nonprofit organization founded in 2006 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Its stated mission is to ensure that all children have access to healthy school environments by working at the intersection of policy advocacy, coalition building, and direct program delivery. HSC runs nine distinct programs — including Cooking up Change, Chicago School Food, Fit to Learn, Healthy Green Schools & Colleges, Healthy Students Promising Futures, MESH, Parents United, the School Health Action Council (SHAC), and Space to Grow — that together address school nutrition, physical activity, mental health, environmental health, and integrated student health services for K-12 communities, with a heavy anchor in Chicago Public Schools and a growing national footprint. The organization operates with approximately 14 staff and a multi-stakeholder model that reaches students, parents, principals, food service workers, and school-based health providers.

Name

Healthy Schools Campaign

Legal name

Healthy Schools Campaign

Website

https://healthyschoolscampaign.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Healthy Schools Campaign is a national nonprofit, founded in 2006 and based in Chicago, that advocates for and delivers programs on school nutrition, physical activity, mental health, and environmental health to K-12 students, parents, and school districts nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

School Health Advocacy and Policy Services

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Health, Prevention & Health Education (BPAGACAC), Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Student Wellness & Prevention Programs (Substance Use, Sexual Health, Bullying) (EDAJAIAG), School Feeding & Child Nutrition Programs (BPADAJAD)

Keywords

• School health advocacy
• Nonprofit policy advocacy
• School wellness programs
• Medicaid school services
• Community health organizing

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants: HSC receives support from foundations including The Kresge Foundation, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, and others to fund programs and policy initiatives.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate donors including Kaiser Permanente, Advocate Health Care, Clune Cares Foundation, and others provide financial support.
3. Individual Donations: Changemakers program with individual donors supporting the mission.
4. Government Grants: Support from government sources including National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Education.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Healthy Schools Campaign is a national nonprofit that operates advocacy and direct-service programs to advance student health, including a student culinary competition, educator professional development, parent leadership organizing, schoolyard greening, sustainable facilities certification, and policy/technical assistance to help states and districts expand school Medicaid billing and school food reform. Its offerings are delivered free of charge to schools, parents, advocates, and policymakers and supported by foundation grants, corporate sponsorships, individual donations, and government grants.

Product overview

Healthy Schools Campaign is a national nonprofit organization that operates as a portfolio of advocacy programs rather than a unified software product. The organization's offerings include nine distinct programs: Cooking up Change® (a student culinary competition), Chicago School Food (school nutrition advocacy), Fit to Learn (educator professional development), Healthy Green Schools & Colleges (facility sustainability certification), Healthy Students Promising Futures (Medicaid policy), Medicaid Expansion for School Health/MESH (Medicaid billing support), Parents United for Healthy Schools (parent organizing), School Health Access Collaborative (cross-sector coordination), and Space to Grow (schoolyard greening). Additionally, the organization maintains a Resource Center with publications, toolkits, and policy briefs. These programs work together to advance the organization's mission of ensuring all children have access to healthy school environments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cooking up Change®: A dynamic program that challenges high school culinary students to create healthy school meals that taste great and appeal to their fellow students.
• Healthy Green Schools & Colleges
• Healthy Students, Promising Futures
• Medicaid Expansion for School Health (MESH)
• Parents United for Healthy Schools

Products and services

• Cooking up Change A registered trademark program that challenges high school culinary students to create healthy school meals that taste great and appeal to their peers; an annual/national cooking competition whose recipes have been incorporated into real school menus and that has engaged more than 2,000 students nationwide. Intended audience is high school culinary students and food service operators in K-12 districts.
• Medicaid Expansion for School Health (MESH) Learning Collaborative Provides free training, technical assistance, and peer-learning opportunities that help Illinois school districts expand Medicaid billing for school health services. 22 Illinois districts with combined enrollment of more than 400,000 students have participated. Audience: Illinois K-12 school districts and their health-services teams.
• Healthy Students, Promising Futures (HSPF) Learning Collaborative A national learning collaborative providing policy analysis and technical assistance to help states and school districts increase access to school health services; more than 350 individuals from 15 states — including state Medicaid, education and public health agencies, school districts, and national organizations — have participated. Audience: state Medicaid, education, and public health agencies alongside school districts.
• Fit to Learn An innovative professional development program for educators providing practical methods for integrating health and wellness into the school experience, including the Delicious Nutritious Adventures (DNA) curricula; reached 120+ CPS schools, 300+ CPS teachers, and impacted 10,000+ students. Audience: K-12 educators and school staff.
• Healthy Green Schools & Colleges A program created in partnership with Green Seal that provides facility managers and staff with verifiable standards, education, tools and resources for healthier and more sustainable school environments. Audience: K-12 and higher-education facility management teams.
• Parents United for Healthy Schools A community organizing and parent leadership program that brings together parents, educators, and community leaders to advocate for health and wellness in Chicago's schools, including a leadership institute; 3,000+ parents involved and 300+ leadership institute graduates. Audience: Chicago parents and caregivers.
• Chicago School Food Program Program focused on improving school meals in Chicago Public Schools, which operates the third-largest K-12 food service in the nation, serving 75 million meals annually to 380,000+ students across 665 campuses. Audience: Chicago Public Schools and its food-service program.
• School Health Access Collaborative (SHAC) A coalition co-managed with the Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago that brings together 40+ member organizations to advance school health priorities in collaboration with Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Department of Public Health. Audience: education, health, and policy stakeholders in Chicago.
• Space to Grow Partnership with Openlands that transforms Chicago schoolyards into green spaces offering outdoor learning opportunities and neighborhood benefits; 34 schoolyards opened, with multiple new schoolyards added in recent years. Audience: Chicago Public Schools, students, and surrounding neighborhoods.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 2,000 students have taken part in Cooking up Change program
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and primary.

• Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago (PHIMC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHSC co-manages the Chicago School Health Access Collaborative (SHAC) with PHIMC. SHAC brings together 40+ member organizations including health and education advocacy groups, medical providers, healthcare payers, and foundations working with Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Department of Public Health to advance school health priorities.
• Green SealcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHSC partnered with Green Seal to create the Healthy Green Schools & Colleges program, combining HSC's Green Clean Schools program with Green Seal's technical and certification expertise to provide verifiable standards for healthy and sustainable facilities management in schools and universities nationwide.
• Chicago Public Schools (CPS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHSC has a deep, longstanding partnership with Chicago Public Schools dating back decades. The organization co-convened school food advisory groups with CPS, advocates for wellness policies, implements Cooking up Change and Parents United programs in CPS schools, and provides technical assistance on school health initiatives.
• Mental Health AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHSC co-published the report 'State Policy Opportunities: Advancing Comprehensive School Mental Health Systems to Support Students' with Mental Health America, identifying 24 state policy opportunities to address student mental health needs.
• Georgetown Center for Children and FamiliessecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerHSC partnered with Georgetown Center for Children and Families to host the School Medicaid Matters webinar series featuring school Medicaid policy experts and school health leaders.
• Community CatalystsecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerHSC partnered with Community Catalyst as part of the School Medicaid Matters webinar series to educate advocates and policymakers about school Medicaid expansion.
• OpenlandscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHSC partners with Openlands on the Space to Grow program, which transforms Chicago schoolyards into green spaces. The program has opened 34 schoolyards and was included as a case study in the Food Waste Reduction Toolkit.
• National Collaborative on Education and HealthsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerHSC works through the National Collaborative on Education and Health to advocate for integrating health and wellness metrics into public reporting systems and addressing chronic absenteeism through policy.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerHSC supported the development of EPA's Voluntary Guidelines for States: Development and Implementation of a School Environmental Health Program and advocates for EPA guidelines on school siting policies.
• AramarkprimaryGTM or Marketing PartnerAramark serves as Champion sponsor of the Cooking up Change program, engaging their Senior Executive Chef to recreate student recipes at home.
• Clune ConstructionsecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerClune Construction serves as Partner sponsor of Cooking up Change and their Clune Cares Foundation is an organizational donor.
• Cristina Foods, Co.secondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerCristina Foods, Co. serves as Advocate sponsor of the Cooking up Change program.
• DiverseysecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerDiversey is a Platinum Sponsor of the Healthy Green Schools & Colleges program.
• Spartan (by Diversey)secondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerSpartan (by Diversey) is a Platinum Sponsor of the Healthy Green Schools & Colleges program.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Action for Healthy Kids: National nonprofit focused on K-12 school health, nutrition, and physical activity. Operates school-based programs and advocates for healthier school environments, directly overlapping with HSC's mission and school district partners.
• Alliance for a Healthier Generation: National nonprofit that works with schools to improve physical, social, and emotional health. Provides frameworks, technical assistance, and policy advocacy similar to HSC's comprehensive approach to K-12 school health.
• School-Based Health Alliance: National nonprofit advocating for school-based health services and Medicaid expansion in schools. Directly aligned with HSC's Healthy Students Promising Futures and MESH programs focused on school health services funding.
• Food Research & Action Center (FRAC): National anti-hunger policy and advocacy organization focused on improving nutrition for low-income families, including federal school meal programs. Highly comparable to HSC's Chicago School Food and Cooking up Change programs.
• Share Our Strength / No Kid Hungry: National campaign to end childhood hunger through school meal programs, advocacy, and grants to states. Operates a similar blend of culinary programs, policy advocacy, and parent/school engagement focused on school nutrition.
• Parents United for Healthy Schools: Although owned by HSC, this is the parent organizing program. Comparable peer organizations include the Chicago Parents Union and Logan Square Neighborhood Association, which run similar grassroots parent organizing models.
• Green Seal: Nonprofit standards and certification organization for healthy, sustainable facilities. Direct co-development partner with HSC on the Healthy Green Schools & Colleges program, sharing the same K-12 facilities sustainability target market.
• Openlands: Chicago-based conservation nonprofit focused on green spaces, including the Space to Grow schoolyard greening program jointly operated with HSC. Comparable as a place-based nonprofit addressing school health through environmental design.
• Georgetown Center for Children and Families: Policy center focused on children's health coverage, including school Medicaid expansion. Direct webinar and policy partner with HSC on the Healthy Students Promising Futures initiative; comparable in scope of school Medicaid advocacy work.
• Mental Health America: National nonprofit advocating for mental health including youth mental health in schools. Co-published policy reports with HSC on comprehensive school mental health systems, with overlapping school health and policy advocacy missions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/healthyschools
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/healthyschools
• Facebookfacebook.com/healthyschools
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/healthy-schools-campaign
• Instagraminstagram.com/healthyschools

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Healthy Schools Campaign