THE GREG STELTENPOHL
PRAGMATIC
VISIONARY AWARD
Food system grants for mission-driven entrepreneurs.
ABOUT THE AWARD
The Greg Steltenpohl Pragmatic Visionary Award seeks to encourage and support innovators, entrepreneurs, and change makers building a more positive, plant-centric food system. With a $100,000 annual prize, the award celebrates vision in action and values manifested through businesses that generate personal, community, and planetary health.
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In 2026, award funds will be shared between one seed stage and one momentum stage venture. Projects and innovations working at any leverage point within the food system from “soil to soul” working to generate personal, community, and planetary health are of interest. Alongside the merit of the team, impact potential, and its strategy, initiatives will be evaluated for their embodiment of four core principles that Greg championed throughout his career:
INITIATIVES WILL BE EVALUATED FOR THEIR EMBODIMENT OF
FOUR CORE ENTREPRENEURIAL PRINCIPLES:
SYSTEMS
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
PRAGMATIC
VISION
ETHICAL
LEADERSHIP
CREATIVE
TRANSFORMATION
A holistic understanding of the food system that leads to purposeful engagement with one or more interconnected issues of the food system – such as personal well-being, environmental health, equity and access – inherent at the core of the enterprise and its design.
The ability to define a more positive future while maintaining a bias for action; recognition that positive transformation is an ongoing process free from perfection.
A values-driven mindset that benefits a broad and diverse group of stakeholders (consumers, employees, producers, mission participants) particularly in the areas of diversity, inclusion, justice, and security.
The art of using imagination, artistry, and novel thinking as the motivation for change rather than just optimization.
AWARD ORIGIN
Greg Steltenpohl 1954-2021
Best known for the successes of Odwalla Juice Co. and Califia Farms, Greg was a pioneering leader of the natural and organic food industry, living a mission-driven career that prioritized environmental sustainability, employee empowerment, creative corporate culture, and authenticity as core drivers of business success.
TEAM & CONTRIBUTORS
The Pragmatic Visionary Award was conceived by friends and family of Greg Steltenpohl as a way to honor and continue his legacy of social entrepreneurship. It is administered in collaboration with the Plant Futures Initiative.
AWARD COMMITTEE MEMBERS
SARELA
HERRADA
SONIA
HENDRICKS
GARY
HIRSHBERG
KEN
SADOWSKY
ELI
STELTENPOHL
ADDITIONAL COFOUNDERS AND ADVISORS
AMY
GOLDSMITH
JESSICA
VITALE
KIFF
GALLAGHER
MIKE
BURBANK
WILL
ROSENZWEIG
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
The mission of the Greg Steltenpohl Pragmatic Visionary Award is to support early-stage social ventures working to create a more positive, plant-centric food system. For the 2026 selection, $100,000 in grant money will be allocated, at the discretion of the selection committee, between one seed stage and one momentum stage venture. We welcome applicants working in any part of the value chain and will prioritize entrepreneurial strategies that create enduring change through financially sustainable models.
TO BE CONSIDERED ELIGIBLE,
A VENTURE SHOULD:
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Be Mission Driven: Positive social and or environmental outcomes should be an explicit goal of a venture’s operating purpose.
Operate in the broader food-system. Ventures at any stage of the supply-chain are welcome, this not limited to consumer-facing products.
Be plant-centric. Social ventures need not explicitly identify as vegan or plant-based, though a more plant-centric food system should be a result of their work.
Be early-stage. The award committee seeks to support social ventures for which funding will be of material difference to the team’s success. Seed stage applicants are not required to have revenue or an established organization. Momentum applicants should have an established legal entity and proven revenue.
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Take an Entrepreneurship Approach.
IN ADDITION TO THE MERIT OF THE TEAM AND ITS STRATEGY, VENTURES WILL BE EVALUATED USING 4 CORE VALUES
Systems Entrepreneurship: A holistic understanding of the food system that leads to purposeful engagement with one or any number of interconnected issues of the food system such as personal well-being, environmental health, equity and access, inherent at the core of the enterprise and its design.
Pragmatic Vision: The ability to define a more positive future while maintaining a bias for action; recognition that positive transformation is an ongoing process free from perfection.
Ethical Leadership: A values driven mindset that benefits a broad and diverse group of stakeholders (consumers, employees, producers, mission participants) particularly in the areas of diversity, inclusion, justice, and security.
Creative Transformation: The art of using imagination, artistry, and novel thinking as the motivation for change rather than just optimization.
HOW TO APPLY
Please follow these steps to submit your application. Application opens December 15, 2025.
1. Submit Your Application by January 18, 2026
Complete this application form, which includes:
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Eligibility screening
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Project questions
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Selection of grant tier:
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SEED: $10-25k for individuals or early-stage ideas
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MOMENTUM: $75-90k for established ventures
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A pitch deck (details provided in the form)
2. Applications Reviewed
Our team will review all applications after the January 18 deadline.
3. Recipients Notified by February 15, 2026
CONTACT US
For more information and periodic award news and updates, please submit your info below. Or email info@pragmaticvisionaryaward.com.