This week, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the cancellation of the Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program for fiscal year 2025, which would have provided $10 million to help schools and early care and education (ECE) centers incorporate local foods, nutrition education, and garden activities into their meal programs. Applicants to this competitive grant program were not informed of the reason for this blanket cancellation, nor when they can get the chance to reapply. 

The Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program is an annual competitive federal grant program administered by USDA. Since 2013, this grant has provided one of the only dedicated sources of federal funding for schools and ECEs to connect children with healthy, local foods while supporting farmers, ranchers, and food producers. The program assists grantees in the planning, development, and implementation of farm to school programs with the goal of connecting students to their food sources through nutrition education, school gardens, and local food procurement. 

Without this funding, vital progress toward healthier food for kids and the education to learn where that food comes from, is at risk. This announcement comes on the heels of USDA’s cancellation of the Local Food for Schools and Child Care (LFSCC) funding, which would have provided $660m in funds for local food purchases to child nutrition programs. In addition to all this, communities across the country are currently facing numerous other disruptions and uncertainties. 

In the previous grant cycle, FY24 funding awarded 154 projects, serving an estimated 1.9 million students across the country, supporting projects ranging from as small as $21,000 to multi-state coordination grants of up to $500,000.

National Farm to School Network is extremely dismayed at this announcement. Cancelling these awards undermines the important progress made since this program was created by Congressional legislation in 2010 to support students’ health and build more resilient local and regional food systems. We urge USDA to fulfill its responsibility to carry out the Farm to School Grant Program each year, and offer a re-issued grant application at the earliest possible opportunity. We will continue to seek further information about this decision. 

Speak up and let policymakers know how important these programs are to your community! 

• Notify your legislators about the impact of this abrupt cancellation with our Action Alert
• Sign and share our petition calling on USDA to recognize the need for vital investments in farmers and child nutrition 
• Share this information with your networks, and urge them to speak up
• Share our story of how the Farm to School Grant Program helped your community, and the impact that delays, cuts, and uncertainties have on the people you care about. 

Update on 3/19/2025: National Farm to School Network has compiled a tracker of media coverage on the Local Food for Schools and Child Care termination. View the tracker here to see ongoing news coverage on this issue.

The United States of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service has officially terminated the second round of the Local Food for Schools and Child Care (LFSCC) program as well as its sibling Local Food Purchasing Assistance Program. LFSCC was set to provide state agencies with $660 million for schools and child care sites to purchase local food over the next three years. National Farm to School Network aims to shed light on the disastrous impact this decision will have for each state's farmers and ranchers, and the child nutrition programs working every day to nourish kids. This is a devastating loss for our community and farmers across the US. Right now we need every voice to speak out to push back against this decision.

Take Action Today

1. Contact Your Elected and Local Officials: 

• Visit NFSN’s Action Alert here to easily contact your federal legislators to raise the alarm (including talking points to easily craft your message!)
• Raise your concerns to state officials, particularly your state Departments of Agriculture and Agriculture Commissioners, to urge them to fight for these programs. Not sure who to contact? Reach out to the NFSN Policy Team for help (Karen@farmtoschool.org).‍

2. Share Your Story:
Use our Impact Form to let us know how this will affect your community. If you can speak on record to the press about these impacts, we are eager to connect with you as well.‍

3. Spread the Word:
The effects of this program cut will be felt by farmers and ranchers, food hubs and distributors, schools and child care providers, and families. We want to help amplify stories, particularly from producers, that can illustrate this for policymakers and the press. Please share this information with your networks to help inform and mobilize.

What is LFSCC?

First Round: In December 2021, AMS launched the Local Food for Schools (LFS) program as part of a suite of federal COVID-19 relief programs to help states address supply chain disruptions and boost local and regional food systems. The first round of LFS provided $200 million in Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) in non-competitive funding to state agencies through cooperative agreements. 42 states and the District of Columbia benefitted from this round. The funding was solely for purchases of local, unprocessed or minimally processed foods from farmers, ranchers, and small businesses, for distribution to schools participating in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs. While states had flexibility in program design, LFS funds could not be spent on administration costs. 

Second Round: In October 2024, the USDA announced it would provide $660M for a second round of funding for the LFS program. The new round of funding mirrored the first but expanded the program to childcare. Now called LFSCC, this program would have allocated $472M to K-12 schools and $189M to childcare sites participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program. The first round targeted small businesses and “socially disadvantaged” producers, and this round prioritized “Historically Underserved” producers, farmers, fishers, and small businesses, which includes beginning, veteran, and limited resource farmers and ranchers. The program opened on December 10, 2024, and many states had already signed new agreements.

How Has My State/Territory Been Impacted?

LFSCC Round 2 for states ranges from $1-75 million. You can learn more about the original projects, how much funding your area received for Round 1 (R1), and was set to receive in Round 2 (R2) on our Program Matrix.

Why Was this Program Terminated – Is this Legal?

Round one agreements that were already in place are not affected. This funding was through the Commodity Credit Corporation which can be used at the discretion of USDA Secretary Rollins. It is within USDA’s rights to terminate agreements if they provide state agencies a contractually-obligated 60 days notice. The letter sent to state agencies stated that “AMS has determined this agreement no longer effectuates agency priorities and that termination of the award is appropriate.” 

Why Do We Need This Program?

LFSCC is a common-sense program that delivers real economic and community benefits while improving child nutrition. Here’s why we can’t afford to lose it:

• Smart, Targeted Investment in Local Economies
  LFSCC directed food dollars straight to farmers, ranchers, and food businesses. This has already changed lives by forging new connections between local buyers and producers and strengthening rural economies.
• Ensures High-Quality Food for Kids
  Funding for this program can only be used for fresh and minimally processed foods. If we want to “Make America Healthy Again,” this program is a shining example of serving kids locally grown, high quality, dye-free, scratch cooked meals while supporting American farmers.
• Empowered Local-Decision-Making
  Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, LFSCC allowed states to design their own strategies for getting local food on the lunch tray, ensuring solutions that fit their unique needs.
• Transparent and Accountable Spending
  Federal law requires strict financial oversight entities receiving over $750,000 annually in federal funds. LFSCC funding was subject to audits that reviewed operations, internal controls, and financial accountability, ensuring taxpayer dollars were spent efficiently, effectively, and only on local food spent in schools.

One of the most commonly reported challenges by schools is food cost. Without this program, schools will struggle to afford local food among rising food costs, and small farmers will lose a critical market. The loss of LFSCC threatens the progress we've made in strengthening local food systems, supporting small farmers, and ensuring kids have access to fresh, healthy meals—now is the time to speak up and demand a better solution.

On December 10th, USDA Agricultural Marketing Service announced its plans for the next phase of the Local Food for Schools (LFS) Cooperative Agreement Program. Agencies (including Guam and the US Virgin Islands!) have until April 30th to apply, but are strongly encouraged to apply before the deadline. Tribal governments are ineligible for LFS, but can apply for Local Food Purchasing Assistance (LFPA) funds.

$660 Million on the table: Over the next three years, agencies will have $471.5 million for K-12 schools and $188.6 million for early care and education (ECE) settings to purchase local food. This funding will be transformative for local food systems, prioritizing Historically Underserved producers, farmers, fishers, and small businesses.

There will be one agreement per state with a single agency lead, and two distinct buckets of money: There will be funding for schools and separate funding for ECE facilities (awards on p. 10). For the first time, dedicated funding is available for ECE programs through the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) (excluding adults) opening the door for significant and sustained growth of Farm to ECE. 

Similar to the first round, there are still no funds for administration: States may leverage other funding sources such as the Farm to School State Formula Grants, Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grants (deadline January 10th), or another source to aid with administration costs - See the Farm to ECE Federal Funding Guide. Agencies can also strategically design their programs to reduce administrative burden (see Program Matrix). 

‍> See the Request for Applications here

> Review Q&A, Presentation Notes, and Recording from USDA 12/10/24 presentation

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How You Can Support This Effort Right Now

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1. Urge Your State Agency to Participate

• Make Contact: The most important thing advocates can do right now is to reach out to your state agency and let them know that participation in this program is important to you. Agencies do not have to accept funding for ECEs if they are accepting funding for schools and vice versa.
  • Note: Agencies that don't deal with ECEs will need to either a) figure out who has the skill set/capacity in their state and then b) determine whether to set up an MOU or subaward. Advocates can help make these connections.
• Share Your Experience: If you benefited from the first round of LFS, share your story with agency staff to highlight the program's value for your school, farm, or community.

2. Provide Input on Program Design

• Share Feedback: If you have insights from the first round, offer suggestions on what worked and what could improve.
• Suggest Models or Design Features: States used a range of implementation models in Round 1. If you have a preferred model or approach, share it with your state agency.See the section below for more information about program models. 
  
  If you have distributed local foods to ECEs or have a distribution plan to ECEs share that with your state agencies. Start collaborating to help build a plan for ECEs.
  
  Note: The most important step is for states to submit a cooperative agreement application before the deadline. In the first round, many agencies adjusted their program models during the project period to better fit their state’s needs and administrative capacity. NFSN expects USDA will allow similar flexibility in this round, providing opportunities to refine programs as they roll out.

3. Spread the word

• Amplify the Call: Share this opportunity with your network and encourage others to get involved. More voices mean stronger advocacy for equitable, effective program design.

Tools & Resources for Advocates

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LFS Program Profiles & Case Studies 

Developed by the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic with guidance from NFSN

LFS Program Matrix: This matrix provides state LFS profiles, including:

• Round 1 and 2 funding awards
• State agency contacts
• Round 1 program descriptions, program model types, and unique features
• Links to implementation resources 
• Reports and stories on program outcomes

Note: This matrix was released early to align with USDA’s funding announcement, and will continue to evolve. Check back periodically for updates.

Local Food Purchasing Assistance Program (LFPA) Implementation Stories from the Wallace Center

• State Spotlights: Learn from LFPA state experiences in IA, OR, OH, MI, RI, VA, CA, and NM.
• Report & Webinar: Check out Wallace Center's 2023 report and webinar on LFPA’s initial outcomes, opportunities, and recommendations

Equity in LFS & LFPA

Operationalizing Equity: See how state agencies are advancing equity through program design in LFS and LFPA, as documented by the Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems (October 2023)

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Stay Connected with NFSN

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NFSN will host additional programming in January 2025. Stay tuned for event details. NFSN will continue to share updates about USDA presentations via its Partner listserv and This Week newsletter. Need more guidance? Contact NFSN Policy Specialist Cassandra Bull (Cassandra@farmtoschool.org) for support on program design, state incentives, and more.

Together, we can leverage this federal funding to support our kids, farms, and communities, and make a real impact for historically underserved local farmers, fishers, and ranchers.

For Immediate Release

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Press Contact: Jiyoon Chon

National Farm to School Network

Communications@farmtoschool.org

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National Farm to School Network Celebrates USDA’s Investment in Local Food Systems

CHICAGO, IL – The National Farm to School Network (NFSN) applauds the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s October 1 announcement to invest $1.7 billion from the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) to support the purchase of locally and regionally produced foods. This funding builds on the success of the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program, which initially received $200 million, by adding $500 million for schools and $200 million for child care facilities participating in the national Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Notably, this is the first time CCC funds have been specifically allocated to support CACFP facilities, according to the National CACFP Sponsors Association.

NFSN has been a strong advocate for expanding this program since its inception, contributing research on program design and early implementation, while highlighting innovative incentive models from state-level partners that directly support food hubs, distributors, and individual farmers. 

“We're thrilled that programs across the country feeding our kids every day will get more fresh, local food in their communities—and that the hardworking producers in their states and Tribal nations will have this market opportunity. It's a crucial moment for USDA to address urgent needs and build the long-term resilience of our food supply with this investment,” said Karen Spangler, NFSN policy director.

“We’ve seen firsthand that these programs are effective. More than a dozen states have already adopted similar local food purchasing incentives, demonstrating multifaceted positive benefits for economic development, equity, public health, and education. Establishing the Local Food for Schools program at the federal level ensures that these benefits reach communities across all regions of the US, extending the positive impact to even more farmers, families, and children,” said Cassandra Bull, NFSN policy specialist.

This new funding will help prevent local farmers, ranchers, and producers—who have expanded their operations to meet increased institutional demand—from being negatively impacted by the end of the temporary Local Food for Schools program. However, Congress must act quickly to make this program permanent for schools, child care settings, and emergency food providers. As the next round of funding is distributed, NFSN remains committed to supporting state and local partners with implementation, researching effective program models, and building the movement’s capacity to advocate for a long-term federal solution.

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About National Farm to School Network

National Farm to School Network is the leading voice for the U.S. farm to school and farm to early care and education movement, working as an information, advocacy and networking hub for communities to bring local food sourcing, gardens, and food and agriculture education into schools and early care and education settings. Learn more at: http://farmtoschool.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRESS CONTACT:

Jiyoon Chon

National Farm to School Network

jiyoon@farmtoschool.org

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October 1, 2024 – This October, schools and early care and education sites across the country are celebrating National Farm to School Month, a 31-day campaign to recognize the benefits that farm to school and farm to early care and education bring to youth, families, farmers and communities. National Farm to School Network advocated for the creation of National Farm to School Month in 2010, and it was officially recognized by Congress shortly after.

Farm to school is a movement that builds just and equitable food systems through the ways kids eat, grow and learn about food in school and early care and education settings. Farm to school is a win for kids when they eat nourishing food in meals and snacks, participate in hands-on activities and learn about the importance of where our food comes from; a win for farmers when school market opportunities provide reliable and consistent sales and fair pay; and a win for communities when food is grown, distributed, prepared and consumed for the benefit of every community member. To ensure all communities see the benefit of these wins, farm to school activities must be firmly centered in equity.

This year’s National Farm to School Month theme is “From Soil to Sea: Nourishing People and Planet.” This embodies our commitment to honoring the vital role of producers in our food system. From dedicated farmers and ranchers to fishers, their work and expertise lay the foundation for a thriving farm to school movement. We also celebrate the invaluable traditional knowledge of Indigenous and BIPOC communities in stewarding the land and seas—honed over generations, their wisdom is crucial to building a resilient, equitable, and sustainable food system that will continue to nourish both people and planet. 

Throughout October, National Farm to School Network’s activities will be focused on celebrating achievements, sharing stories of farm to school programs and highlighting progress toward racial equity in farm to school, so that we can continue to grow stronger, together. 

National Farm to School Network’s October celebrations also include the annual Movement Meeting on October 17 from 3 - 4:30 pm ET. The Movement Meeting is a gathering point for advocates in the farm to school and farm to early care and education realms, providing an invaluable opportunity to come together, rejoice in our shared achievements, foster meaningful connections, ignite inspiration and collectively nurture our growth. This event is free to register and open to the public—we invite anyone interested in farm to school and ECE to join us. 

National Farm to School Network offers dozens of free resources for celebrating National Farm to School Month on our website, http://www.farmtoschoolmonth.org. People can find resources such as a celebration toolkit, posters, bookmarks, suggested activities and more. Participants are encouraged to share their excitement through social media with the hashtags #F2SMonth and #farmtoschool. 

We thank and acknowledge this year's National Farm to School Month sponsor, CoBank.

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About National Farm to School Network

National Farm to School Network is the leading voice for the U.S. farm to school and farm to early care and education movement, working as an information, advocacy and networking hub for communities to bring local food sourcing, gardens, and food and agriculture education into schools and early care and education settings. Learn more at: http://farmtoschool.org.

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By Karen Spangler, NFSN Policy Director

On April 25, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the final rule for its updates to the Child Nutrition Program (CNP) standards. This rule will impact meals served in schools and early childhood settings by setting the requirements for important nutrients, meal patterns and types of foods, operations, and purchasing that programs must meet to be reimbursed by USDA. 

Specifically, this update covers the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, summer food programs, and the Child and Adult Care Food Program for early childhood, after-school, and adult care settings. 

National Farm to School Network (NFSN) is proud to see that a number of our longtime policy priorities were adopted in the rule, including buying local, strides in equity, and better career access. This major win is an outcome of many years of NFSN and our movement’s collective advocacy to advance farm to school and an equitable food system, and we are excited to share these updates.  

Below are some top takeaways from this comprehensive update. Over the next few months, NFSN will continue to promote awareness and support our Partners in these important changes.

• Timing: This rule will be in effect as of July 1, 2024. However, many requirements specifically phase in over time to give child nutrition program operators and vendors time to prepare. Programs will not be required to make new menu changes until School Year 2025-2026.
• Local Procurement: Starting in July, child nutrition programs will now be able to use “locally grown,” “locally raised,” or “locally caught” as a specification requirement for fresh and minimally processed food items. Under current rules, local food can be preferred in bid scoring criteria but bids cannot specify a food must be local. This change simplifies the geographic preference process for child nutrition programs, making it easier to purchase local foods.
• Native Foods: USDA strengthens its previous guidance that traditional Indigenous foods may be served in reimbursable school meals by including it in this rule. The regulation’s definition of “traditional” means any food that has traditionally been prepared and consumed by an American Indian Tribe, including wild game meat, fish, seafood, marine animals, plants, and berries. It also finalizes the proposal to allow vegetable substitution for grains in programs serving American Indian or Alaska Native students, and in Guam and Hawai’i.  
• Nutrient Targets: This rule lowers sodium limits in 2027 (15 percent for lunch and 10 percent for breakfast) and establishes limits on added sugars for the first time in yogurt, cereal, and flavored milk, as well as a weekly limit of no more than 10 percent of calories from added sugars in school lunch and school breakfast. This rule does not include their proposed limit on added sugars for grain-based desserts at breakfast in items like pastries or granola bars; USDA will continue to seek input on how to address these items. 
• School Nutrition Profession: The rule finalizes the proposed flexibility for hiring an individual without a bachelor’s or associate’s degree as a school nutrition program director, if they have at least 10 years of school nutrition program experience. 
• Buy American: The rule strengthens the requirement for school meals to buy domestic products by providing greater specificity on how product exceptions may be applied, sets documentation and contract requirements, and creates a phased-in limit on non-domestic food purchases.
• Plant Proteins: It supports flexibility to include plant proteins such as beans, peas, lentils, nuts and seeds, or prepared foods like hummus, in reimbursable meals and snacks. This change not only supports a healthy variety of protein options, but can also help programs better serve students with religious or dietary needs.

As with the proposed rule, the final regulation covers many detailed areas of Child Nutrition Program compliance. For more information on specific requirements, consult these USDA resources:

• USDA has provided a chart broken down by topic to compare the final rule to the provisions of last year’s proposed rule: Comparison Chart of the 2023 Proposed and 2024 Final Rule Requirements for School Meal Programs
• Their summary by topic area provides information to understand the current standards, what will change under the new rule, and how USDA took stakeholder feedback into account: Summary of Provisions in the Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Final Rule

This rule is the culmination of a decade-long process to bring the nutrition standards for meal programs in alignment with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans’ recommendations on components like salt, sugar and fat. This alignment has been required by law since 2010 but is only now being fully implemented through this final durable rule (“durable” is a term in regulation to differentiate from a transitional rule that is expected to be replaced). 

We applaud USDA for its careful consideration of the more than 100,000 comments it received in response to the proposed rule during the comment period last year, and appreciate the challenge of crafting an approach that supports children’s health and recognizes the constraints under which programs operate.   

We look forward to hearing from our Partners and other stakeholders in the farm to school movement about how this rule will impact you. If you have a story you would like to share with NFSN to help us communicate how these updates will affect local purchasing, the meal patterns you offer, or the success of Child Nutrition Programs, we would like to hear from you! Please reach out to Policy Director Karen Spangler (karen@farmtoschool.org) or Policy Specialist Ryan Betz (ryan@farmtoschool.org) to get in touch. 

National Farm to School Network launches a new project, funded by the United States Department of Agriculture and Life Time Foundation, to enhance the well-being of children, fortify family-run farms, and foster thriving communities.

National Farm to School Network is excited to announce the first cohorts for the Farm to School Coordinators Project. Last fall, National Farm to School Network announced the launch of this new project, made possible by the support from USDA and Life Time Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit created by Life Time Inc. (NYSE: LTH), with a mission to inspire Healthy People, a Healthy Planet, and a Healthy Way of Life. 

National Farm to School Network’s goal with this project is to increase the number of dedicated farm to school coordinator positions in school districts across the country—which will result in expanded capacity for locally sourced food items and scratch cooking in schools. This project will also help boost the incorporation of hands-on nutrition education in classroom curriculum and raise participation in farm and garden-based agricultural education activities. 

National Farm to School Network is grateful for the support of Life Time Foundation for this project. This partnership is one way in which Life Time Foundation addresses the elimination of ultra-processed foods as per the Ingredient Guide for Better School Food Purchasing. By promoting the use of locally sourced ingredients in schools, it helps reduce the amount of unnecessary ingredients that are commonly found in highly processed school meals. In line with this, a key finding from the Sapien Labs Consumption of ultra-processed food and mental wellbeing outcomes October 2023 report was, “Mental wellbeing decreases sharply with higher frequency of ultra-processed food consumption.”  

“We are delighted to get started on this work to grow capacity for school district communities to participate in farm to school,” said Sunny Baker, Senior Director of Programs and Policy at National Farm to School Network. “The Life Time Foundation is a wonderful partner for this work and we’re grateful for their support for this generative work.”  

This project includes two groups, one of which is a Community of Practice for current farm to school coordinators. Representing school districts of various sizes from across the country, the following cohort members will come together to share best practices, problem solve, and develop resources that can help others in similar roles succeed: 

• Allison Pfaff Harris, REAP Food Group, WI 
• Brianna Jackson, Chicopee Public Schools, MA 
• Dory Cooper, Wylde Center, GA  
• Janelle Manzano, San Diego Unified School District, CA  
• Jennifer Lynn Lewis, East Jordan Public Schools, MI 
• Kirsten Weigle, Minneapolis Public Schools, MN
• Maryssa Wilson, Sidney Central School District, NY
• Rebecca Rodriguez, Cleveland Metropolitan School District, OH 

Likewise, we are also thrilled to announce the School District Working Group, which will convene with the intent to build the case to create a farm to school coordinator role in their school district as well as others across the country: 

• Amanda Warren, Staunton City Schools, VA
• Cedra Milton, Jackson Public Schools, MS
• Emily Becker, Rural Alaska Community Action Program, Inc. (RurAL CAP), AK
• Erica Biagetti, Cheshire Public Schools, CT
• Lynne Short, Willamina School District, OR
• Margaret Zelenka, West New York School District, NJ
• Monica Fleisher, Portland Public Schools, OR
• Nicole Chandler, Little Rock School District, AR
• Rhonda L. Barlow, Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, GA
• Samantha Goyret, Northwest Tennessee Local Food Network, TN

The impact of this project will be far-reaching—collectively, the Community of Practice and Working Group cohort members represent 21 school districts and 433,950 students.

Together, National Farm to School Network and Life Time Foundation envision a future where fresh, locally sourced produce becomes a staple in school cafeterias nationwide, fostering better physical health and deeper connection between communities and their local food systems. By focusing on locally grown food, it allows communities to engage in sustainable food systems that not only support health but also mitigate environmental harm. This partnership underscores a shared commitment to improving the overall well-being of students and transforming the landscape of school nutrition, addressing not only the immediate health needs of students but also providing the foundation for healthy lifelong habits and environmental conservation.  

"We want all children to live healthier, happier lives and that starts with the food they eat," said Megan Flynn, MPH, RD Life Time Foundation Nutrition Program Manager. "That's why we are proud to collaborate with National Farm to School Network to support all school food professionals in their efforts to eliminate ultra-processed foods and educate students on the importance of local, fresh foods for their health and wellbeing." 

About Life Time Foundation 

Life Time Foundation, a 501c(3) nonprofit created by Life Time, Inc. is dedicated to inspiring Healthy People, a Healthy Planet, and a Healthy Way of Life. Through its work, the Foundation supports schools in their efforts to serve healthy, nutritious meals to students; physical movement programs and events that get children active and healthy; and initiatives that promote a healthy planet, including programs supporting forestation and conservation. For more information, visit www.ltfoundation.org. 

About National Farm to School Network 
The National Farm to School Network is an information, advocacy and networking hub for communities working to bring local food sourcing, school gardens and food and agriculture education into schools and early care and education settings. The National Farm to School Network provides vision, leadership and support at the state, regional and national levels to connect and expand the farm to school movement, which has grown from a handful of schools in the late 1990s to approximately 67,300 schools in all 50 states as of 2019. Our network includes partner organizations in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and U.S. Territories, thousands of farm to school supporters, a national advisory board and staff. Learn more at farmtoschool.org. 

By Jiyoon Chon, NFSN Communications Manager

Are you currently working to increase local procurement in school meals, expand scratch cooking, or build relationships with community stakeholders? If so, and you’ve been looking for additional funding to support your project, you may be eligible for one of the USDA Healthy Meals Incentives: School Food System Transformation Challenge Grants. 

The National Farm to School Network (NFSN) is honored to directly support three of these grants: PLANTS, Project SCALES, and the Innovation Hub!

Out of these three grants, two are currently accepting applications, with deadlines coming up in about six weeks. Here’s a quick summary of the two active grant opportunities, which are open nationally: 

Partnerships for Local Agriculture & Nutrition Transformation in Schools (PLANTS)

• Administered by the Chef Ann Foundation 
• Deadline: January 22, 2024
• 8 projects will be awarded grants between $500,000 - $600,000. No Matching requirement.
• Funds collaborative projects administered by a group of 3-5 local partners, one of which must be a School Food Authority (SFA).
• Projects must aim to transform school food supply chains and/or build relationships among community-based food system stakeholders and SFAs. For example, this can look like expanding local procurement or scratch cooking in schools. 
• Visit the PLANTS grant webpage here to learn more and apply. 

Supporting Community Agriculture & Local Education Systems (SCALES)

• Administered by Boise State University 
• Deadline: January 26, 2024 
• Up to 35 rural SFAs will be awarded up to $150,000 grants, along with technical assistance.
• Only rural School Food Authorities are eligible to apply during this round of applications.
• SFAs must be engaging in projects to increase local procurement.
• Visit the SCALES grant webpage here to learn more and apply. 

If these two grant opportunities are not a good match for you, a third grant opportunity is opening up on February 1, 2024. These grants are specifically for those in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. 

The Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub Grants: Spark Awards and Innovation Collaborative Awards 

• Administered by the Institute for Public Health Innovation, Illinois 
• Launches February 1, 2024, closes on April 30, 2024 
• Spark Awards fund projects that need a short-term infusion of funds for school food system and marketplace improvements, such as capacity-building, planning, and product testing projects. One year grant cycle, with $10,000 - $75,000 award range. 
• Innovation Collaborative Awards fund projects that promote systems-level change of the school food system and marketplace, such as scaling up of programs, regional partnerships, or new program or product development and integration. Two and a half years grant cycle, with $250,000 awards. 
• Visit the Innovation Hub page here to learn more and stay updated about the upcoming launch. En español. 
  

And finally, Full Plates Full Potential is administering the fourth USDA Transformation Grant—you can learn more about the organization here. They will be opening their grant soon, so stay tuned!

Want to make sure you are updated on the latest farm to school grant opportunities? Make sure to sign up for our weekly newsletter—this is where we share a curated list of the latest events, grant opportunities, policy updates, and job opportunities!