Fuel Up

What Fuel Up does

Fuel Up was a youth wellness program that provided schools, educators, parents, and nutrition professionals with nutrition education materials, school meal program resources, and physical activity programming. For more than 15 years, the program served K-12 schools across the United States, offering curricula, sample menus, recipes, educational training materials, and grant funding for school nutrition and physical activity equipment. Its flagship physical-activity component, FLAG-In-School, was delivered in partnership with the NFL and had reached 15 million students since 2014.

The program's underlying technology was a website-based resource platform (fuelup.org) supplemented by distribution through a national network of local dairy councils; there were no proprietary software products, APIs, or applications. Product offerings were bundled under the Fuel Up service mark, which was owned by the National Dairy Council and operated by Fuel Up, LLC as a wholly owned program of that parent organization. Marketing and go-to-market relied on school-based distribution, partnerships with GENYOUth and the NFL, and community outreach through local dairy councils, rather than direct sales.

Fuel Up did not operate a conventional commercial revenue model. The program was grant-funded and provided its resources to schools free of charge, with no publicly disclosed pricing. In 2024, after more than 15 years of operation, Fuel Up announced it was sunsetting; school nutrition resources were transitioned to Smart-Swaps.com, while grants and the FLAG-In-School program were moved under GENYOUth oversight.

Name

Fuel Up

Legal name

Fuel Up, LLC

Website

https://fuelup.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Closed

Short description

Fuel Up was a non-profit K-12 school wellness program that provided free nutrition education, school meal resources, and physical activity programming across the United States for over 15 years under the National Dairy Council service mark before sunsetting in 2024.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Wellness Education

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (611710)

akta.pro primary industry

Physical Activity & Motor Development Programs (Health-Focused) (EDACAMAI)

Keywords

• Youth wellness programs
• School nutrition education
• Physical activity curricula
• School meal resources
• Nutrition education materials

Headquarters

HQ city

Collingswood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Fuel Up is a youth wellness program that provided K-12 schools with nutrition education materials, school meal program resources, physical activity curricula, and grant funding for more than 15 years. Its offerings included the FLAG-In-School physical activity program (in partnership with the NFL and GENYOUth), nutrition education classroom resources, school meal program support, and school nutrition equipment grants. The program is now sunsetting, with resources transitioning to Smart-Swaps.com and grants transitioning to GENYOUth.

Product overview

Fuel Up operated as a unified wellness program for schools that bundled multiple resources under one service mark — including nutrition education materials, school nutrition resources, equipment grants, and physical activity programs. The core Fuel Up program is being sunsetted after 15 years, with its school nutrition resources transitioning to the Smart Swaps platform, while the physical activity components (FLAG-In-School) continue under GENYOUth. The company was a service mark of National Dairy Council and operated in partnership with local dairy councils across the nation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fuel Up Program A youth wellness program providing K-12 schools with nutrition education materials, school meal program support, physical activity resources, and grant funding for more than 15 years. The program is now sunsetting, with components transitioning to Smart-Swaps.com and GENYOUth.
• Smart Swaps A resource website for school nutrition professionals offering sample menus, easy recipes, educational training materials, and resources to implement innovative school meal programs. Specialty focus on school breakfast.
• FLAG-In-School Program A physical activity program providing P.E. teachers with curricula, nutrition tips, and NFL Flag football kits to help K-12 students build healthy, lifelong physical activity habits. Since 2014, kits have helped 15M students get active.
• School Nutrition Equipment Grants A grant program that provided funding for K-12 school nutrition and physical activity equipment. Grants are ending, but GENYOUth continues offering similar grants through End Student Hunger and NFL Flag-In-School initiatives.
• Nutrition Education Resources Classroom-ready resources supporting school nutrition programs with quality lessons and activities to help K-12 students make informed, nutritious choices in the cafeteria and at home.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• GENYOUthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGENYOUth continues to offer schools nutrition and physical activity grants through their flagship initiatives, End Student Hunger and NFL Flag-In-School. Fuel Up grants are transitioning to GENYOUth oversight.
• National Dairy CouncilflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Dairy Council is the organization behind Fuel Up, providing the service mark and overall program direction. The council continues to support youth wellness through local dairy council networks.
• NFL (National Football League)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNFL partnership enables the FLAG-In-School program, which has helped 15M+ students get active since 2014 with curricula, nutrition tips, and physical activity resources.
• Smart-Swaps.comcoreOthersSchool nutrition resources from Fuel Up have transitioned to Smart-Swaps.com, which serves as the new home for school meal programs, sample menus, recipes, and educational training materials.
• Local Dairy CouncilscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of local dairy councils across the United States providing community-based nutrition education and resources to schools and families in their regions.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• GENYOUth: Nonprofit that operates the school nutrition and physical-activity grant programs (End Student Hunger, NFL Flag-In-School) that Fuel Up's programs are transitioning into. Directly comparable mission, K-12 school footprint, and dairy/NFL funding model.
• Food Research & Action Center (FRAC): National nonprofit working to end hunger and improve nutrition through federal nutrition programs and school meal participation. Direct overlap on school breakfast/meal participation — the same problem Fuel Up's Smart Swaps resources aim to solve.
• Fuel Up to Play 60: Joint National Dairy Council and NFL program that was the precursor/wider umbrella of which Fuel Up operated. Shares the same dairy/NFL sponsorship stack and K-12 in-school physical-activity + nutrition mission, making it the most directly comparable program brand.
• Action for Healthy Kids: National nonprofit delivering school-based wellness programs (nutrition, physical activity, SEL) to K-12 districts nationwide. Comparable model: free, grant-funded, school-channeled wellness resources competing for the same educator and district mindshare.
• Healthy Schools Campaign: National nonprofit advocating for healthier school food, physical education, and wellness policies. Comparable target end-users (school nutrition staff, P.E. teachers, district administrators) and similar policy/curriculum-based resource model.
• Alliance for a Healthier Generation: Nonprofit (founded by American Heart Association and Clinton Foundation) operating healthy schools programs across K-12 U.S. districts. Direct peer on school nutrition, physical activity, and wellness curricula distributed free to schools.

Broad incumbents

• SHAPE America: National professional organization for health and physical education teachers. Comparable audience (P.E. teachers and HPE curriculum decision makers) and supplies curricula, training, and advocacy that overlap with Fuel Up's FLAG-In-School offering.
• NFL PLAY 60: NFL's broader youth physical-activity initiative, of which FLAG-In-School is a school-channel sub-program. Same NFL partnership backing and similar youth fitness mission, but operates across all youth channels (community, after-school, fan engagement), not just schools.

Others

• USDA Team Nutrition: Federal program providing school nutrition education resources, training, and grants to K-12 food service professionals. Comparable target audience (school nutrition directors and teachers) and resource distribution model; positioned as a public-sector alternative or complement to Fuel Up's offerings.

Emerging players

• Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools: School-based program combining physical activity, inclusion, and SEL resources for K-12. Comparable delivery channel (free curricula and kits to schools) and overlapping physical-activity engagement mission, though focused on inclusive/adapted sports.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/FuelUptoPlay60

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Fuel Up