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
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
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. It will be completed Friday 12/12, 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)
Stay Connected with NFSN
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.