Funding to Improve Access to Local Foods in Schools

Deadline: Applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. ET on December 8, 2017. The funding agency strongly encourages applicants to submit their applications at least one week before the deadline.

Amount: $20,000 (Min) / $50,000 (Max)

Eligible applicants are:

PreK-12 school food authorities (SFAs), nonprofit private schools, charter schools, Indian tribal schools, and other schools that participate in the National School Lunch or Breakfast Programs
State and local agencies
Indian tribal organizations
Agricultural producers, or groups of agricultural producers, that operate small- to medium-sized farms
501(c)(3) nonprofit entities

Applicants may utilize a fiscal sponsor/agent to apply for an award on their behalf.

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=297858

The purpose of this program is to improve access to local foods in schools by providing funding and technical assistance to support the implementation of farm to school programs. The term “farm to school” is generally understood to include efforts that connect schools with local or regional farmers, food processors, and manufacturers in order to serve local or regionally procured foods in school cafeterias. Bringing more locally sourced, fresh fruits and vegetables into school cafeterias is a seminal activity of many farm to school efforts. In addition to procurement activities, farm to school programs often include food, agriculture, and nutrition-based educational efforts including standards-based curriculum and hands-on experiential activities, such as school gardens, field trips to local farms, and cooking classes.

The ultimate goal of projects supported through this program should be to make local food products available on school menus; however, purchasing local products should not be a primary use of award funds. Eligible food purchases should be limited to those:

Used for educational purposes, such as farm to school sample tables, taste tests, or promotional use
Related to conducting a test run of a new local or regional product

For FY 2018, the funding agency has identified the following priorities across all components of this program:

Projects that reach more than one school
Projects that serve a high proportion of children (at least 40 percent or more) who are eligible for free or reduced-price meals

Funding will be provided for the following program components:

(Part A): Planning Grants
(Part B): Implementation Grants
(Part C): Support Service Grants
(Part D): Training Grants

The purpose of the Planning Grants component is to lay a solid foundation for launching or scaling up farm to school programs. Awards will be issued to entities that can demonstrate support and excitement for starting a farm to school program, but that have undertaken few farm to school activities thus far. Key activities for planning proposals include collecting data, engaging stakeholders, identifying gaps in knowledge and resources, and pinpointing and developing solutions for obstacles that hinder farm to school programming for a particular community.

Funding is available to support school-based programs only. If a proposal seeks to increase local foods in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) or the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), target sites must be located at a school.

Activities supported through this component may include:

Developing a final Farm to School Action Plan that includes goals, activities, and timelines for implementation and responsible parties for each activity
Aligning the Farm to School Action Plan with the agency’s, organization’s, school district(s)’, or school(s)’ existing goals and commitments; integrating farm to school concepts in local wellness policies or school board resolutions; and identifying key internal allies
Assessing a state, community, school district(s)’, or school(s)’ need and readiness for development of a farm to school program and determining the tools, training, and technical assistance needed to create a farm to school program
Engaging a wide variety of internal and external collaborators and forming a leadership team with the purpose of designing a Farm to School Action Plan
Identifying obstacles and gaps in resources, training, and knowledge and exploring options for addressing existing barriers to launching or expanding farm to school activities
Hosting stakeholder meetings, conducting trainings, and/or attending professional development conferences and seminars
Conducting menu audits and/or issue surveys to determine reasonable first or intermediate steps school districts, schools, or SFSP sponsors can take to offer locally or regionally sourced foods
Assessing local or regional product availability and identifying key supply chain relationships necessary for successful implementation of a farm to school program

Eligible project costs may include expenses related to: