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Eligible: Agriculture, Education, Individuals, Local Government, Nonprofits, State Agencies, Tribes

Apply by Dec 5, 2025

Active

$100,000 - $500,000

Farm To School Grant Program

From US Department of Agriculture

The Farm to School Grant Program is designed to increase the availability of local foods in Child Nutrition Program (CNP) operations and connect students to the sources of their food through education, taste tests, school gardens, field trips, and local food sourcing for CNP meals. Grants can be used to launch new farm to CNP1 programs or expand existing efforts. The objective of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Farm to School Grant is to improve access to local foods in eligible CNP sites through comprehensive farm to CNP programming that includes local sourcing and agricultural education efforts. These grants are expected to improve child health and nutrition and reinvigorate American agriculture by better connecting American farmers and producers with USDA’s Child Nutrition Programs.

  • Overview

    • Type

      Grant

    • Title

      Farm To School Grant Program

    • Source

      US Department of Agriculture

    • Federal or State

      Federal

    • Total Amount

      $18,000,000

    • Number of Awards

      50

    • Award Range

      $100,000 - $500,000

    • Cost Share

      Yes

    • Status

      Active

  • Topics

    Agriculture

  • Eligibility

    • Audience

      Agriculture, Education, Individuals, Local Government, Nonprofits, State Agencies, Tribes

    • Sector

      Agriculture

    • Eligibility

      Eligible Entities:
      State agencies
      Indian Tribal organizations

      The following entities are also eligible to apply but must be part of a partnership, and partnerships must be composed of no fewer than three confirmed partners (this includes the coordinating entity), at least one of which must be an eligible Child Nutrition Program operator):

      Child Nutrition Program operators
      Local agencies
      Agricultural producers
      Groups of agricultural producers
      Any 501c3 Non-profit organizations

      Eligible Activities:
      A sample of eligible project activities include:
      1. Launching a pilot program that creates opportunities for eligible applicants to create farm to CNP initiatives;
      2. Incorporating more unprocessed and value-added, minimally processed, locally or regionally sourced meal components into the CNP meals;
      3. Readying producers to participate in the CNP food marketplace by providing training on procurement regulations, Good Agricultural Practices, and other food safety-related topics;
      4. Improving infrastructure to accommodate new local ingredients or local menu items in CNP meals;
      5. Solving distribution bottlenecks that limit the feasibility of sourcing more locally or regionally produced items by working closely with intermediaries (e.g., distributors, food hubs);
      6. Integrating agricultural education with career and technical preparation programs to encourage the next generation of agricultural producers;
      7. Expanding experiential learning opportunities at CNP sites, such as creating school gardens, developing school-based farmers markets, providing support to agriculture/food clubs, and/or increasing exposure to local farms and on-farm activities;

    • Location

      National

  • Application Process

    • Pre-Application?

      No

    • Disbursement Method

      Credit on federal taxes

  • Important Dates

    • Application Open Date

      Sep 10, 2025

    • Application Close Date

      Dec 5, 2025

    • Application Close Time

      12:00 AM PST

    • Period of Performance Start

      Jul 1, 2026

    • Period of Performance End

      Jun 30, 2028

  • Resources & Contacts

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