THE GREG STELTENPOHL
PRAGMATIC
VISIONARY AWARD
Food system grants for mission-driven ventures.
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 up to $100,000 in annual prizes, 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 SEED stage and MOMENTUM stage awardees. Projects and innovations working at any leverage point within the food system from “soil to soul” aiming 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
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
SONIA
HENDRICKS
SARELA
HERRADA
ELI
STELTENPOHL
KEN
SADOWSKY
GARY
HIRSHBERG
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, likely with one SEED stage and one MOMENTUM stage awardee. 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 and applicants should detail how use of award funds are directly supporting mission-driven work.
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. Companies need not explicitly identify as a 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 impact. 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 entrepreneurial approach. Priority will be given to well articulated strategies that lead to enduring change through financially sustainable models. However, a specific legal structure is not a requirement. For-profit and non-profits can apply. Individuals are only eligible for the SEED stage.
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 and closes January 18 at 11:59pm (PT), 2026.
Submit Your Application by January 18, 2026
(form closes at 11:59pm PT)
Applications Reviewed.
Recipients notified by February 15, 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)
Our team will review all completed applications after the January 18 deadline.
Recipients will be notified by February 15, 2026 and invited to join us at a presentation at the Natural Products Expo in Anaheim on March 5, 2026. Travel stipends may be available though in-person attendance is not required to be selected.
CONTACT US
For more information and periodic award news and updates, please submit your info below. Or email info@pragmaticvisionaryaward.com.