&Mother + Vita Coco: MomsFirstNotLast ChangeMaker Grant for Olympic Team Marathon Trials 2024
&MOTHER + VITA COCO ARE CHANGING THE GAME
In February 2024, Vita Coco generously donated $15,000 to &Mother for a brand-new ChangeMaker grant, focused on putting Moms First, Not Last.
The bonus was awarded in three (3) grants of $5,000 each to the top three eligible female finishers, who are also mothers, at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Marathon.
“We wanted to partner with &Mother in a way that directly addresses the pay gap experienced by working moms everywhere,” said John Tran, Social Impact & Sustainability Program Director at Vita Coco. “What better way to do that than providing a bonus to women who are performing at the highest levels, while also balancing life as a mother?”
Since 2020, &Mother has been breaking the barriers that limit a woman’s choice to pursue and thrive in both career and motherhood. Through its work providing on-course lactation support at races; grants to professional mom-athletes; and research demonstrating the importance of movement and health during pregnancy and post-partum, &Mother is redefining what being a mom looks and feels like.
“We are using sports as a demonstration space for the rest of society. It is common knowledge that women who chose motherhood experience a decrease in wages - regardless of their performance - and we are thrilled that partners like Vita Coco see that should not be the case,” said Alysia Montaño, founder and President of &Mother. “We hope to have more partners join us in our mission as we expand to new sports in 2024.”
Congratulations to our MomsFIRSTnotLAST ChangeMaker Grant Recipients!
Sarah Sellers: Sarah is a part-time certified registered nurse anesthetist, and mother-of-two. She ran an incredible race just 9 months after having her second child. Way to thrive in career, sport and motherhood Sarah!
Makenna Myler: A recipient of our Changemaker grant in 2022, we’ve had the distinct honor of witnessing Makenna evolve as a mother athlete since the birth of her first child. Makenna competed in this year’s Olympic Team Trials just 10 months after having her second child and clocked in a massive PR!
Sara Hall: This was the mom-of-four’s EIGHTH Olympic Trials, including THREE at the marathon distance. Finishing fifth overall, Sara also set a new American Master’s Marathon Record!
Congratulations to all of our MomsFIRSTnotLAST Recipients. A tremendous thank you to Vita Coco for partnering with us to help celebrate moms and close the pay gap for caregivers!
Want to see more of these types of grants in the future?
