US: $5 million available for farm to school grant projects

America’s family farmers are planting, harvesting, and selling fresh, healthy produce year-round. They’ve got the farming thing down; but barriers exist that often prevent them from reaching new and expanding markets for their products, including customers that might be in the same town or state. One way the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) hopes to help solve that problem is by building up the “farm to fork pipeline” through programs and policies that better connect family farmers with new market opportunities and customers. Institutional purchasers are a big part of supporting the farm to fork pipeline, and USDA’s Farm to School Grant Program helps to facilitate the relationship between institutional school food purchasers and local farmers and ranchers.

Maple Avenue Market Farm co-owner teaching students about local and interesting varieties of produce. Photo credit: USDA.

The Farm to School Grant Program provides grants on a competitive basis to increase local food procurement for school meal programs and expand educational agriculture and gardening activities. These grants can be used for training and technical assistance, planning, purchasing equipment, developing school gardens, developing partnerships, and implementing farm to school programs.

For fiscal year (FY) 2018, USDA is making $5 million available in competitive grants. This year’s Request for Proposals (RFP) invites applicants to apply for one of three different types of grant categories:

Implementation grants enable schools or school districts to expand or further develop existing farm to school programs. Implementation awards range from $50,000 – $100,000.
Planning grants are for schools or school districts just getting started on farm to school activities. Planning awards range from $20,000 – $50,000.
Training grants are intended for eligible entities 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.Training awards range from $20,000 – $50,000.

Completed applications must be submitted via grants.gov by 11:59pm EST on December 8, 2017.

Click here for more information.