The USDA’s fiscal year 2023 Farm to School Grant Program Request for Applications is now available! The solicitation will remain open until 11:59pm ET Jan. 6, 2023. The Food and Nutrition Service seeks to award up to $12 million this fiscal year.
Eligible schools, institutions operating the Child and Adult Care Food Program and Summer Food Service Program, State and local agencies, Indian Tribal Organizations, small- to medium-sized agricultural producers or groups of small- to medium-sized agricultural producers, and non-profit organizations are eligible for Farm to School grants. Priority scoring incentives return for applicants who meet certain criteria, including priority consideration for organizations led by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color and serving BIPOC communities, and organizations located in and serving rural areas. Please see the RFA for full details.
The RFA includes three tracks—Implementation, State Agency, and Turnkey. Each track provides funding for a specific range of activities:
• The Implementation Track works well for eligible entities with prior farm to school experience, helping scale up or further develop existing farm to school initiatives
• The State Agency Track helps States seeking to improve access to local food served in eligible CNPs by incorporating local procurement and agricultural education activities.
• The Turnkey Track simplifies the application process for applicants interested in choosing from three projects: (1) Action Planning, (2) Agricultural Education Curriculum, and (3) Edible Garden. Specific eligibility varies by track and project type
Also returning this year, FNS will consider proposals of up to $500,000 from State agencies and other eligible organizations proposing projects that are multi-state or national in scope. Please see the RFA for additional eligibility requirements and details for each available track and project.
The Community Food Systems Division will host webinars Tuesday, November 8th, 2022 and Wednesday, November 9th, 2022, each at 2:30pm ET, to help interested applicants learn more about the RFA and put together a grant package, respectively.
