Farm to School Grant Program

Farm to School Grant Program 

 This program may have additional incentives or benefits for those who are underserved. Learn more about our terminology.

 

What is this program?

This program awards grants that support planning, developing, and implementing farm to school programs that connect students to the sources of their food through education, taste tests, school gardens, field trips, and local food sourcing for school meals.

 

How can I use this program?

Funds can be used to support a wide range of activities, including training, supporting operations, purchasing equipment, developing school gardens, and more. Sample activities include the following:

• Develop and implement local food procurement projects
• Purchase garden beds, a greenhouse, and associated educational materials to grow foods for schools
• Expand educational opportunities by incorporating farm to school into business and art classes and creating new curriculum

See more examples of Farm to School projects.

 

Who or what is eligible and what are the eligibility requirements?

• Schools, including nonprofit private and charter schools, which operate the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and/or School Breakfast Program
• Child Care Institutions, including non-school based institutions that have an agreement with the State agency to operate the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
• Summer Institutions, including non-school based institutions that have an agreement with the State agency to operate the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)
• State agencies
• Local agencies
• Indian Tribal organizations (ITOs)
• Agricultural producers or groups of agricultural producers; and
• Non-profit entities

An applicant’s entity type must be made clear in all application materials. More details on eligibility can be found in the Request for Application.

 

Are there any deadlines?

• Requests for Applications (RFA) are released once per fiscal year. Subscribe to updates on grants.gov to receive notices for the next round of applications.
• After the RFA is released, applicants will have at least 60 days to complete and submit applications.

 

Is there anything else I should know?

• The grant award amount and period of performance vary, so please review the latest request for applications for additional information.
• Applicants are required to provide matching support of at least 25 percent of the total project budget in the form of cash or in-kind contributions.
• Selected grant projects are limited to no more than $100,000 each. However, USDA will consider proposals of up to $500,000 from state agencies or other eligible organizations proposing projects that are multi-state or national in scope.
•  Evaluation of grants considers geographical diversity and equitable treatment of urban, rural, and tribal communities, and give the highest priority to projects that do the following:
  • Make local food products available on the menu of the eligible school
  • Serve a high proportion of children who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches
  • Incorporate experiential nutrition education activities in curriculum planning that encourage the participation of school children in farm and garden-based agricultural education activities
  • Demonstrate collaboration between eligible schools, nongovernmental and community- based organizations, agricultural producer groups, and other community partners
  • Include adequate and participatory evaluation plans
  • Demonstrate the potential for long-term program sustainability

 

How do I apply?

Complete the Request for Applications (RFA) on Grants.gov

 

 

 

Page last updated: March 21, 2023