Gain Credibility & Meet Incredible People Through Grants

When Shrusti Amula began her journey in cafeteria sustainability as a middle school student in Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland, she wasn’t following a crowd, and she didn’t have a long list of accolades. Six years of perseverance have given her a wealth of insights. 

Now, as founder of the youth-run Rise N Shine Foundation, Shrusti explains how applying for and receiving grants gave her organization greater credibility, introduced her to like-minded teenagers, and helped fund progress in their composting program.

Once your school has an established cafeteria sustainability program, Shrusti recommends applying for grants and awards to promote yourself, showcase your work, and get your foot in the door of the organization’s network. 

Begin with a simple Google search:

• grants for youth 
• grants related to food insecurity
• awards for environmental work 
• awards for passion projects

Applying for an award or grant is an easy way to discover organizations that support your interests. Answering application questions will improve your communication skills and help you define and redefine the social justice value of your work. 

It will invite you to gather data and share stories that show how you’re shaping behavioral norms at your school and how your actions fit into existing school systems. 

Receiving awards is powerful for building confidence, establishing credibility for your Green Team, and legitimizing your leadership. As you continue to include applications as a routine part of your Green Team efforts, Shrusti has seen that awards and recognition eventually start to find you. 

Here are some awards Rise N Shine has received: 

• Sodexo Stop Hunger Hero (2025)
• American Climate Leadership Finalist Award (2024)
• The Gloria Barron prize for young Heroes (2023)
• Top 10 under 20 Food Hero by Hormel Foods (2023)
• EPA President's Environmental Youth Award (PEYA) Winner (2023)
• Governor's Youth Service Award (2023)

“We are still applying for stuff, funding is always needed, credibility is always helpful, but right now a lot of the awards and recognitions that we receive are because people are finding us, which is really cool and crazy to even think about,” she says with a smile. 

Attending awards events has also helped her meet other youth leaders, which can be very helpful in alleviating the sense of solitude we sometimes feel. 

“I've met so many incredible young people doing such incredible things from across the country. Seeing what they're doing and seeing the path that they've taken… has been really helpful. Seeing them as inspiration and seeing the great work that they've been doing, because then obviously I could do that too, and learn from what they've been able to do, and learn from their mistakes and successes,” Shrusti says.  

You do not need to establish your own nonprofit organization to have a Green Team or environmental club at your school. Support is readily available through various community partnerships, including some that are not limited by geography. 

Cafeteria Victories’ Green Team Strategy Sessions are one of those supports. They are a weekly, online, facilitated peer-coaching space where students like you bring real challenges from their cafeterias and learn from peers who are trying similar things at other schools. 

At Cafeteria Victories, it is important to us to reinvest 10% of our revenue to support youth-led organizations that are working for cafeteria sustainability and developing their leadership as environmentally conscious adults. As a gesture of our gratitude for your willingness to be vulnerable and share your challenges, your growth in overcoming them, and your expertise, your school or organization will be included among Cafeteria Victories' end-of-year donation recipients once your Spotlight Our Schools article is published. 

Cafeteria Victories supports middle and high school students as they develop their leadership in driving school wide cafeteria-waste reduction. All programs are facilitated online and open to schools nationwide through articles, coaching, and facilitated peer-mentoring.