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2023-24 California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program Update
Thank you to everyone who applied to the California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program, attended the weekly info sessions, asked questions, provided feedback and wrote about your dedication to farm to school!
The California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program received a record number of grant applications, with 499 applications and $129,002,812.47 in funding requests. Because of the significant number of applications, CDFA is extending the review period. Grant award announcements will now be made in Summer of 2024. CDFA does not expect this to delay grant start dates, projected for November 2024.
Please see below for a full breakdown of application funding requests:
Track 1: 131 applications received, $33,953,954.00 requested
Track 2: 39 applications received, $12,168,015.03 requested
Track 3: 100 applications received, $16,682,553.08 requested
Track 4: 229 applications received, $66,198,290.36 requested
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Grant Project Highlights
California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program grantees are hard at work implementing grant projects and transforming the school food system! Read below to learn more about the Ventura County Farm to School's grant project!
The Ventura County Farm to School (VCF2S) was awarded California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program funds to establish a school food hub with a small regenerative farm collaborative, source and deliver crops to participating districts, and fund two new staff to expand nutrition, garden, and food system education to more schools in the county.
Recently, VCF2S provided the opportunity for 1,000 students to try blood oranges! Using the CA Farmland Trust “Orange you glad we have farmland” lesson, VCF2S helped students to learn just how small the amount of land on earth is used to grow all of the world’s food. Students also tried Cara Cara oranges and tangerines, and voted for their favorite!
Click here to learn more.
Do you want to learn more about the California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program? Let's talk! Please email your questions to cafarmtoschool@cdfa.ca.gov.
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CDFA Joins Long Beach Foodways Summit to Share About Farm to School
CDFA Greater Los Angeles Farm to School Network Lead Sophia Bopp recently joined the Long Beach Foodways Summit at the Sowing Seeds of Change Urban Farm! Sophia shared insights into the importance of connecting schools with local agriculture, including how farm to school is important for schools, local farms, urban farms and how regional farm to school staff across California are available to offer support and facilitate connections.
To get involved and join the farm to school momentum in the Greater Los Angeles Region, reach out to Farm to School Network Lead Sophia Riemer-Bopp at Sophia.Bopp@cdfa.ca.gov.
To connect with a farm to school team member in your region, visit the About Us dropdown on the CA Farm to School Program page.
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Monterey County School Districts School Meal Achievements
Photo Credit: Monterey County Weekly, Daniel Dreifuss
Recently, the Monterey County Weekly highlighted school districts in Monterey County for their hard work to better school meals!
The article shares how local school districts are transforming their school menus, incorporating student feedback into the process, and highlighting the hard work that goes on behind the scenes to make these changes happen for their students.
Click here to read the full article.
Chef Ann Foundation Launches Powered by School Food Professionals Campaign
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Recently, the Chef Ann Foundation began its Powered by School Food Professionals, which is a public education campaign that puts a spotlight on the skill, creativity, and commitment of school food professionals working to improve school meals for kids across California. Over the course of a year, the campaign will take Californians behind the scenes to show how these professionals are planning, preparing and cooking fresher, healthier, tastier meals for more kids across the state.
Click here to check out some of the resources and hear from California Food Services Directors - including Kelsey Perusse of Live Oak School District, Christina Lawson of Western Placer Unified School District, and RJ Lane of West Contra Costa Unified School District.
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Porterville Unified School District Hosts Annual Food Show
 Earlier this year, Porterville Unified School District (PUSD) hosted its Annual Food Showcase where elementary, middle school and high school students, as well as administrators and guests had the opportunity to try various freshly prepared food that was served by school interns and vendors who provided the food ingredients.
Click here to learn more or click here to watch the video from those involved in the showcase!
New Activity Guide Available for Sustainable Gardening with Kids
KidsGardening and High Country Gardens partnered together to develop the Sustainable Gardening with Kids Activity Guide.
This free activity guide walks educators and caregivers through the basics of sustainable gardening and offers tips and engaging activity ideas for four sustainable youth garden themes.
Click here to learn more or download this resource.
Center for Ecoliteracy Releases New Eating Learning Growing Resources
 The Center for Ecoliteracy recently launched a new resource - Eating Learning Growing: A Delicious Guide to Culturally Relevant Farm to School Education. This free resource provides a framework, activities, and reflections that help educators enhance farm to school lessons to make them more culturally relevant and celebrate fruits and vegetables.
To learn more or view this new resource, click here.
2024 Let’s Eat Healthy Leadership Award Recipients
Dairy Council of California recently announced the recipients of the fifth annual Let’s Eat Healthy Leadership and Legacy Award. The award program recognizes California champions who improve nutrition education and access to nutritious foods to make a positive difference in the health of their communities and beyond.
The 2024 Let's Eat Healthy Leadership Award Recipients included:
Nadine Braunstein PhD, RD, FAND, California State University, Sacramento
Elk Grove Unified School District Food and Nutrition Services
Kirsten Criswell, Santa Barbara County School Wellness Council
Devinder Kumar, Wonderful College Prep Academy
Vanessa Mendez, San Diego Unified School District
University of California, Irvine
Patrick Kelly, Shehadey Family Foods, LLC
Click here to learn more and read about this year's recipients!
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Theme and Dates Announced for Farm to Summer Celebration Week!
 June 17–21, 2024
The California Department of Education (CDE) hosts Farm to Summer (F2Summer) Week annually in June. For the summer of 2024, June 17–21, 2024 is F2Summer Week, and the theme is Let's Have a Picnic! This week is dedicated to celebrating local foods on the menu, offering a test taste sample in your meals, and providing opportunities for children to experience agricultural-based education activities.
Summer Meals Program operators are encouraged to participate and complete the Pre-survey linked here by June 17, 2024.
In 2023, CDE awarded the following California program operators for completing the three elements of the F2Summer Celebration Week:
Adelanto Elementary School District (SD)
Capistrano Unified School District (USD)
Elk Grove USD
Fallbrook Union Elementary SD
Fresno USD
Hesperia USD
Huntington Beach Union High SD
Jurupa USD
Lake Elsinore USD
Little Lake City SD
Lodi USD
Morgan Hill USD
Morongo Unified SD
Ontario-Montclair SD
Pajaro Valley USD
Redlands USD
Rialto USD
Riverside Unified SD
Rowland Unified SD
San Bernardino City USD
San Diego USD
San Juan USD
San Luis Coastal USD
Santa Cruz City Schools
Upland USD
Vista USD
Winters Joint USD
Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint USD
Yuba City USD
Click here to learn more!
2024 National Children & Youth Garden Symposium Registration Open
July 8-11, 2024
Chicago's North Shore
Registration is now open for the American Horticultural Society’s National Children & Youth Garden Symposium (NCYGS). This year it will take place on Chicago's North Shore, July 8-11, 2024.
NCYGS is one of the country’s longest-running, most prestigious gardening conferences for youth educators! Be inspired by four fun-filled days of educational sessions, field trips, and opportunities to connect with fellow youth garden educators from across the country. Early bird pricing is available through May 10.
Click here to learn more or register!
Life Lab's Upcoming Workshops
Check out these upcoming workshops at the Life Lab Garden Classroom on the UC Santa Cruz Farm in Santa Cruz, CA!
June 20-21, 2024:
The Growing Classroom
Learn to use a garden to breathe life into standards-based lessons, promote ecological literacy, encourage healthy eating, and support students' social development.
August 1, 2024:
Intercurricular Connections in the Garden
Learn to use a school garden to provide a meaningful context in which students can apply their emerging skills in math and English language arts. Using lessons from The Growing Classroom activity guide, participants in this workshop will experience and discuss garden activities. Whether they are graphing the temperature of their compost pile over time; reading a recipe to make fresh salsa; writing a story from the perspective of an ant; or presenting to a buddy class on the animals that visited their sunflower patch, the opportunities for children to practice traditional academic subjects in the garden are limitless!
Click here to learn more or register.
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Newman's Own Foundation Food Justice for Kids Grant Open for Applications
 Newman's Own Foundation will be funding up to $1 million in total funding (over two years) for nonprofits, public schools, and tribes working to advance food justice for kids in the United States and its territories.
Eligible organizations can apply for one of two priority program areas:
(1) Indigenous Food Justice
(2) Nutrition Education and School Food
As many as 10 applicants (five for each priority program area) will receive up to $50,000 each in 2024, with the opportunity for an additional grant of up to $50,000 each in 2025. In 2026 and beyond, these grantee partners may be eligible for further funding.
Deadline to apply: June 11, 2024
Click here to learn more or apply.
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CDFA Office of Environmental Farming & Innovation (OEFI) Public Information Officer
 The CA Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Office of Public Affairs is recruiting to fill one (1) Information Officer I (Specialist) position located in Sacramento.
Under direction of the Director of Public Affairs, the Information Officer I (Specialist) will work closely with the Office of Environmental Farming and Innovation (OEFI) and other divisions within the agency, as well as collaborate with other communications professionals across State government and at partner organizations. The Public Information Officer (PIO) will coordinate communications related to agricultural sustainability and climate change at CDFA, including public outreach and engagement related to these programs and activities, in addition to other duties as assigned.
Final Filing Date: Until Filled
Click here to learn more or apply.
USDA AMS Southwest Regional Food Business Center Seeking Members for Stakeholder Advisory Council
The Southwest Regional Food Business Center (SWRFBC) is accepting applications for those interested in serving on the inaugural Stakeholder Advisory Council. The SWRFBC was established by a USDA grant in 2023. The Regional Food Business Centers support a more resilient, diverse, and competitive food system by providing localized assistance to access local and regional supply chains, including linking producers to wholesalers and distributors.
The stakeholder advisory council will collaborate and advise on SWRFBC activities including developing the business builder grant program and Center workplan. SWRFBC is seeking applications for 12 members, with three members from each state that comprise the SWRFBC including Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah.
Deadline to apply: May 31, 2024
Click here to learn more or apply.
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We Want to Hear From You!
Do you have feedback, ideas or a success story for the CA Farm to School Network? Please reach out to us and share! Whether it's sending us an email or tagging us on social media, we are here to help you grow!
Instagram - @cafarmtoschool
Email - cafarmtoschool@cdfa.ca.gov
It's our goal to support changemakers on the ground however we can, and the best way for us to provide that help is through clear communication! Choose your favorite method to get in touch!
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