Caitlin Clark’s rise has translated off the court as the Indiana Fever star has made more of herself through commercial partnerships and community endeavors. One of the more unique examples has been Caitlin’s Crunch Time, a limited-edition cereal made in partnership with Midwestern grocery retailer Hy-Vee.What started as a branded food item became a fundraising campaign tied to Clark’s foundation. In January 2026, the Caitlin Clark Foundation announced that the Hy-Vee cereal campaign raised more than $100,000 to help provide education, nutrition and sports opportunities for young people across the Midwest.
WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark ’s cereal campaign surpasses $100K
Caitlin’s Crunch Time campaign allowed fans to connect with Clark beyond basketball and support the work of her foundation. The cereal was initially launched in Iowa in a more limited capacity, but Hy-Vee reintroduced it to its stores across the Midwest in May 2025. The 2025 edition is available for a limited time while stocks last.Hy-Vee said all proceeds from Caitlin Clark cereal sales would go to the Caitlin Clark Foundation. The foundation later reported that the campaign raised more than $100,000 for local efforts across the Midwest.The campaign was not a typical athlete-brand partnership, therefore. The cereal was still a consumer product, but linked to a specific nonprofit mission. That structure provided support to children and community programs through a regular grocery purchase.
| Campaign detail | Information |
| Product | Caitlin’s Crunch Time cereal |
| Retail partner | Hy-Vee |
| 2025 release | May 2025 |
| Availability | Hy-Vee stores across the Midwest |
| Fundraising result | More than $100,000 |
| Beneficiary | Caitlin Clark Foundation |
| Focus areas | Education, nutrition and sports |
The partnership was also part of a larger relationship between Clark and Hy-Vee. Hy-Vee’s larger partnership with the basketball star has helped raise about $500,000 for the Caitlin Clark Foundation, the foundation said.Clark’s foundation says the three main areas of focus are education, nutrition and sports. The organization says those pillars are meant to help young people learn, grow and thrive, connecting the work to experiences Clark says are important to her own growth.That connection is part of a larger context for the cereal campaign. Rather than making the product a standalone celeb endorsement, the foundation folded the money into an existing mission focused on youth. The campaign dollars will be used to help grow programs that serve children and families in communities across the Midwest.The foundation also partners on and runs programs beyond the cereal campaign. Its current initiatives include school support, food assistance and youth recreation, giving the fundraising effort multiple areas where it could make a difference.
Caitlin Clark directs proceeds toward youth programs
Education is one of the three pillars of the Caitlin Clark Foundation. Its work is about providing students with resources to help keep them engaged in school and build better foundations for the future.The foundation has previously highlighted its school-related work through programs such as its Back-to-School Backpacks program. The organization says the efforts help students get backpacks and basic school supplies, with help from partners including Nike, Hy-Vee, Scholastic and Gatorade.The organization also unveiled a major literacy initiative that involved distributing more than 22,000 books to students as part of a partnership with Scholastic. Programs like these are illustrative of the kind of youth development work being done alongside the cereal campaign in the foundation’s larger mission.Another core area for Clark’s foundation is nutrition. The organization says it supports food programs that are designed to help children get the nutrition they need to be ready to learn and to participate in everyday activities.The foundation has partnered with community organizations focusing on food, including the Coralville Community Food Pantry, and announced grants to help improve access to nutritious food for families experiencing food insecurity.That bigger scope of work is a natural match for the cereal campaign, as the fundraising was via a food product and the proceeds were for youth-focused charitable causes. It also served as the basis for yet another commercial avenue for garnering support without disassociating the campaign from its established priorities.
Caitlin Clark Foundation expands community impact through sales
Sports is the third major pillar of the Caitlin Clark Foundation. Current impact work includes a Community Courts initiative in partnership with Musco Lighting, supporting the installation of multi-use Mini-Pitch System courts in communities across Iowa and Indiana.The courts are multi-sport, including soccer, basketball and futsal, and include lighting and accessibility. The initiative is intended to increase access to recreation and create spaces for children to play and develop connections in their communities, the foundation says.The cereal campaign is also a case study in how Clark’s public profile can bridge consumer partnerships and charitable activity. Her increasing visibility in women’s basketball has opened doors for collaborations that extend to audiences beyond traditional sports events.The foundation also cited a separate Hy-Vee round-up campaign that raised more than $300,000 to support childhood hunger efforts throughout the Midwest. The campaign is an example of the wider fundraising partnership between the retailer and Clark’s organization outside of Caitlin’s Crunch Time cereal.The more than $100,000 raised through Caitlin’s Crunch Time is one part of a larger philanthropic effort. The foundation continues to work in the areas of education, nutrition and sports, while Clark remains involved with an organization built around expanding opportunities for young people.Instead of being separate from Clark’s basketball identity, the initiative connects her commercial reach to causes the foundation has identified as central to its work. A box of cereal was the consumer-facing part of that effort, and the proceeds were used to help support the broader programs helping children and families across the Midwest.
