Department of Agriculture – Farm to School Grant Program

Eligible schools are defined as pre-K-12 School Food Authorities (SFAs), non-profit private schools, charter schools, Indian tribal schools, and others that participate in the National School Lunch or Breakfast Programs. Eligible SFAs may apply for funding that spans the entire SFA, for a specific group of schools (e.g. only K-5 schools within an SFA), or for an individual school. In the case where an SFA exists, the application must come from the SFA, and only one application per SFA is allowed.

F2S Planning & Training:

Eligible schools, state and local agencies, Indian tribal organizations, agricultural producers or groups of agricultural producers, and non-profit entities are eligible to receive planning and implementation grants.

Funding is available to support school-based programs only. If a proposal seeks to increase local foods in the Child and Adult Care Program or the Summer Food Service Program, target sites must be located at an eligible school. If a proposal seeks to target school(s), schools discussed in the project proposal as benefiting from the project must be eligible as defined in section 3.0.

Training Grant Eligibility:
Only state and local agencies, Indian Tribal Organizations, agricultural producers or groups of agricultural producers, and non-profit entities are eligible to receive training grant funds.
Unlike planning and implementation grants, training grants may support projects that impact CACFP and SFSP operators that have sites beyond schools. Please review section 3.0 for additional eligibility requirements before proceeding with preparing an application

Section 18 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (NSLA) established a Farm to School program in order to assist eligible entities, (schools, school districts, agricultural producers, Indian tribal organizations, nonprofit organizations, state agencies and local agencies), through grants and technical assistance, in implementing farm to school programs that improve access to local foods in eligible schools.

Additional funding for the Farm to School Grant Program was made available through the FY 18 Omnibus bill, and as a result, approximately $7.5 million will be released under this solicitation in FY 2019. In the FY 2018 application cycle, FNS received 290 eligible applications and was able to fund 73 (25%) of the applications. To be competitive, applications must be complete and of high quality.

Planning and training grant awards range from $20,000 to $50,000, and implementation grant awards range from $50,000 to $100,000. 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.

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