Findlay Selected To Receive Healthy & Sustainable Community Grant
(From The United States Conference of Mayors)
American Beverage, the American Beverage Foundation for a Healthy America (ABFHA) and the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) today announced nine winning cities of the 2026 Healthy and Sustainable Communities Awards.
The 2026 grant recipients – Portland (OR), Sacramento (CA), Arlington (TX), Findlay (OH), Riviera Beach (FL), Schenectady (NY), Spokane (WA), Bridgeport (CT) and Rochester (MN) – received a total of $1,000,000 in grants for their initiatives promoting healthier lifestyles and advancing environmental sustainability.
“Strong communities are built locally, by leaders who understand their cities and the people they serve,” said Kevin Keane, president and CEO of American Beverage and president of the American Beverage Foundation for a Healthy America Board of Directors. “For more than a decade, America’s beverage companies have been proud to partner with the U.S. Conference of Mayors to support cities that are turning innovative health and sustainability ideas into measurable, community-driven results. We congratulate this year’s winning mayors and cities for their leadership and impact, and for showing what’s possible when local leadership is matched with sustained investment and collaboration.”
The announcement took place during the 94th Winter Meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, DC, where mayors from across the nation gathered to celebrate their peers’ dedication to creating vibrant, healthy, and sustainable cities.
Including this year, since the launch of this partnership in 2012, these awards have invested more than $8 million in 93 cities across the nation. The initiative reflects America’s beverage companies’ long-standing commitment to tackling critical health and environmental challenges with community-driven solutions.
“The partnership between the American Beverage Association and the U.S. Conference of Mayors is truly one of a kind,” said USCM CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran. “For more than a decade, we’ve invested millions in programs that make a real difference on the ground – helping cities strengthen communities and improve outcomes for children and families across the nation. At a time when local leaders are being asked to do more than ever, this partnership stands as a powerful example of how public and private sectors can work together to deliver real results.”
First, second and third place awards were presented to cities within three categories based on population. Descriptions of each winning program can be found below.
SMALL CITY WINNERS
First Place
Findlay, OH – Mayor Christina Muryn
Findlay’s Urban Prairie Pilot Project – A Model for Sustainability will convert flood-damaged, city-owned turfgrass in the Blanchard River floodplain into a five-acre native prairie with trails, trees, educational features, and long-term ecological management in partnership with Wild Toledo and the Blanchard River Watershed Partnership. The project is designed to improve stormwater infiltration and water quality, reduce flooding and erosion, cut maintenance costs by 80–90%, increase biodiversity, provide accessible green space and environmental education, and create a replicable model for prairie conversion on flood mitigation lands.
Second Place
Riviera Beach, FL – Mayor Douglas Lawson
The Healthy Wallets, Healthy Lives Initiative in Riviera Beach is a 12-month, multi-generational intervention for 150 low-to-moderate-income families that combines financial literacy (“Penny”), nutrition access and education, including produce vouchers (“Plate”), and zero-cost recreation and mentorship in parks (“Park”). The initiative is designed to increase fiscal stability (e.g., 70% of households establishing an emergency health fund), reduce non-mortgage debt, improve or stabilize youth BMI percentiles, boost caregivers’ confidence in sourcing and preparing healthy meals, and build a scalable model linking economic and health gains.
Third Place
Schenectady, NY – Mayor Gary McCarthy
Live Well Schenectady is a multi-component health initiative using parks and city services to provide fresh produce, gardening education, community garden connections, running programs, “Fishing with a Firefighter,” and water conservation/trash cleanup activities for residents. The initiative is designed to increase healthy habits and physical activity among youth and older adults, tackle food disparities, and ultimately reduce EMS and health-related 911 calls, resulting in cost savings and improved community well-being.
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