U.S. Department of Agriculture: Farm to School Grant

The FY 2019 Farm to School Grant supports efforts that improve access to local foods in schools. Section 18 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act was amended to create a Farm to School Program to:

• Distribute grant funding to improve access to local foods in schools;
• Provide training and technical assistance to improve access to local foods in schools; and,
• Disseminate research and data on existing programs and opportunities for expansion.

The following grant tracks are available in FY 2019:

• Implementation grants are intended to help grantees working with schools or school districts to scale or further develop existing farm to school initiatives.
• Planning grants are intended for grantees working with schools or school districts that are just getting started on farm to school activities. These funds are intended to help these entities organize and structure their efforts for maximum impact by embedding known best practices into early design considerations.
• Training grants are intended for grantees to support trainings that strengthen farm to school supply chains, or trainings that provide technical assistance in the area of local procurement, food safety, culinary education, and/or integration of agriculture‐based curriculum.

Amount: A total of $7,500,000 is available to make up to 105 awards. Amounts vary by type:

• Planning and training awards range from $20,000-$50,000
• Implementation awards range from $50,000-$100,000

Note: A 25 percent cash or in-kind funding match is required.

Eligibility: USDA’s Farm to School Grants fund school districts, State and local agencies, Indian tribal organizations, agricultural producers, and non-profit organizations in their efforts to increase local foods served through child nutrition programs, teach children about food and agriculture through garden and classroom education, and develop schools’ and farmers’ capacities to participate in farm to school. Organizations that have received implementation, support service, or training grants through the Farm to School Grant Program in the last two funding cycles (FY 2017 or FY 2018) are ineligible to apply for FY 2019 funding.

Link: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=309362

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