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CDFA Awards $52.8 Million to 195 Farm to School Projects Across California!
Last week, CDFA awarded $52.8 million to 195 Projects for the 2023-24 California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program. In total, these projects will serve 1,650,985 students, 199 school districts and educational entities, 52 farms, eight food hubs and five California Native American Tribes.
As part of California’s nation-leading investment in farm to school programs, CDFA’s Farm to School Incubator Grant Program since 2021 has reached 49% of all California students through a total of $86 million invested in 375 projects, benefitting 2,850,196 students at 269 school districts.
This grant round offered four distinctive funding tracks and provided opportunities for K-12 school districts, technical assistance providers, early care and education centers, agricultural producers and food hubs.
Visit the CA Farm to School Incubator Grant Program website to view the full list of grantees, or visit the CDFA Farm to School Program webpage to learn more about CDFA’s farm to school programs.
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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 K&C Martin Farm's grant project!
The K&C Martin Farm (Home of Wellspring Charitable Gardens) was awarded California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program funds to improve, diversify, and increase crop production; expand distribution to serve more disadvantaged and underserved students; demonstrate how nutrient-dense, fresh produce improves body, brain, and emotional wellness; and engage students in sustainable farming and mental wellness practices for use at school or home.
Through this grant project, K&C Martin Farm has been able to provide weekly produce to Hughson Unified School District and bi-weekly produce to the culinary arts program at Riverbank High School, as well as host the Culinary Arts class on the farm, where they were able to harvest arugula and lettuce greens. Students and staff have shared they enjoy the variety, freshness, and taste of the lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, persimmons, and oranges!
Additionally, K&C Martin Farm has utilized grant funds to complete infrastructure improvements such as the permanent packing station, plant 10 new stone fruit trees, purchase a delivery truck, and more to increase capabilities for selling to schools.
Click here to learn more about the grant program.
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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Farmer and Cafeteria Connections in the South Coast Region
 In August, Alcantar Organic Farm hosted 80 cafeteria staff from Heuneme School District and Oceanview School District for a training with the Chef Ann Foundation.
The event was coordinated by Ventura County Farm to School and provided the opportunity for participants to connect with local farmers, practice culinary skills, and learn more about the local food hub, Farm Cart Organics, that has been supplying their schools as a result of the Farm to School Incubator Grant Program. Get Hooked Seafood also presented about its work supplying schools with local fish and donated wild caught salmon for lunch.
To get involved and join the farm to school momentum in the South Coast Region, reach out to Farm to School Network Lead Jacqueline Day at Jacqueline.Day@cdfa.ca.gov or Producer Engagement Specialist Chris Massa at Chris.Massa@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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Antioch Unified School District Harvest of the Month Program
 Photo Credit: Antioch Unified School Food (Instagram: @antiochschoolfood)
Antioch Unified School District's (AUSD) Nutrition Services Department celebrated National Peach Month by providing samples to elementary classes for the August Harvest of the Month. The peaches featured are from Frog Hollow Farms in Brentwood, CA!
Click here to learn more.
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California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom Develops Educational Resources for California School Districts
 The California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom has over 40 years of experience collaborating with farmers and educators to create standards-based materials, including farm-to-school posters, newsletters, and mini books.
In addition to providing these resources, Ag in the Classroom has also partnered with Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD) to offer bi-annual professional development workshops, featuring hands-on activities and strategies for integrating farm-to-school programming into the classroom, including taste testing and food preparation.
Through this partnership, school districts receive tailored support and resources that not only enhance classroom learning but also support local agriculture and foster a deeper connection between students and their food sources.
Click here to learn more, or contact Mandi Bottoms, Ag in the Classroom Curriculum Specialist at Mandi@LearnAboutAg.org.
California Green Ribbon Schools Recognition Program Now Accepting Applications
The California Department of Education (CDE) is now accepting applications for the eleventh cycle of the California Green Ribbon Schools (CA-GRS) recognition program. This program celebrates schools and districts that excel in sustainability practices, providing a platform to showcase their innovative efforts and share replicable best practices.
While there’s no limit to the number of CA-GRS awards, five honorees will receive additional recognition through nominations to the U.S. Department of Education as Green Ribbon Schools and District Sustainability Award winners.
The application deadline is at Noon on November 4, 2024.
For more details or to request an electronic application, please visit the Green Ribbon Schools Award Program webpage.
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World School Milk Day
 September 25, 2024
Join Dairy Council of California to celebrate World School Milk Day and highlight the importance of milk in providing essential nutrition to students. Engage your community and promote school milk consumption by downloading the World School Milk Day Toolkit.
Click here to learn more.
School Food Innovator Series: Promote Your School Meal Program
 September 12, 2024, 1:30 – 2:45 PM PT
October is Farm to School Month, the perfect time to promote the California-grown fruits and vegetables in your school meal program. Join the Center for Ecoliteracy for a media training session with a public relations professional. Gain new insights and tools for earning media coverage, becoming a confident spokesperson, and using social media to highlight California-grown food in school meals.
Click here to learn more.
Life Lab School Garden Workshop:
Engineering in the Garden
 Thursday, September 26, 2024
Life Lab Garden Classroom - Santa Cruz, CA
Join Life Lab at its Engineering in the Garden workshop on September 26, 2024! Participants will engage in a 3rd-5th grade unit designed for Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), in which students design and build trellises for peas in the school garden. Participants will make observations; design, build and test prototypes; and then build full-size trellises to grow peas.
This workshop will explain how to facilitate engineering experiences that address real problems or needs in school gardens, and leave participants with resources to lead this unit, and a framework for designing their own engineering in the garden unit.
Click here to learn more or view other upcoming workshops.
37th Annual Ag in the Classroom Conference Coming Up This Month
 The 37th Annual Ag in the Classroom Conference will be held in Orange County, CA, September 27-29, 2024. This is an opportunity to collaborate with fellow educators who share a passion for agriculture!
The conference is designed for Pre-K-12 educators, administrators, and volunteers to come together to learn and share how to incorporate food and fiber into all curricular areas.
Click here to learn more or register.
2024 CA Crunch Registration is Now Open
 Join the 9th Annual California Crunch, a Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF)-led celebration of Food Day and Farm to School Month, on October 10, 2024. Last year’s California Crunch had over 600,000 student participants across over 50 school districts and partner organizations throughout California.
The event is an opportunity to support farmers and engage students and guests in schools, hospitals, universities, and communities on the value of local farmers and food system sustainability. Students and guests are offered local fruits or vegetables to bite into simultaneously, inspire conversations about where their food comes from, and promote their celebrations through social media. CAFF provides participating institutions with the 2024 California Crunch Guide, including tips and procurement resources to organize a Crunch.
Two ways to support the California Crunch
- Share the CA Crunch registration info and flyer below with institutional food service buyers and partners in your networks.
- The Crunch is simple and can be celebrated anytime during October! Add a Crunch activity to your Farm to School Month or Fall Local Food Programs.
Click here to learn more or register.
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Chef Ann Foundation's Get Schools Cooking Application Now Open
 Get Schools Cooking is an intensive three-year assessment and strategic planning program that provides public K-12 schools with comprehensive support to transition from a heat-and-serve to a scratch-cooking operational model.
The Chef Ann Foundation works with districts to asses five key areas of their school food service programs — food, finance, facilities, human resources, and marketing — and identify practical steps they can take to move toward scratch cooking.
Get Schools Cooking is open to school districts across the United States.
To apply, districts must:
- Be firmly committed to working toward a scratch-cooked and fresh whole foods approach to their meal programs
- Participate in the National School Lunch Program
- Run a self-operated food service program
- Demonstrate support for improving school meals from district leadership
Deadline to apply: September 30, 2024
Click here to learn more or apply.
CDFA Now Accepting Proposals for 2025 Specialty Crop Block Grants
Each year, CDFA conducts a two-phase competitive solicitation process to award funds to projects that enhance the competitiveness of California specialty crops, which are defined to include fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture).
Grant awards will range from $100,000 to $500,000 per project; projects may last for up to two years and eight months. Non-profit and for-profit organizations; local, state, federal, and Tribal governments; and public and private colleges and universities are eligible to apply.
Please review the 2025 Request for Concept Proposals for detailed application instructions.
All applicants must register online using the Financial Assistance Application Submittal Tool (FAAST) to apply. Concept Proposals must be submitted electronically using FAAST by Monday, September 9, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. PT.
CDFA will conduct a series of webinars featuring an overview of the program, a review of Concept Proposal questions, and a demonstration of the FAAST application system.
Click here to learn more.
WSARE California Now Accepting Applications for Professional Development Education Implementation Mini-Grants
The Western Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (WSARE) California is now accepting proposals for small grants (up to $25,000) to support professional development opportunities in sustainable agriculture targeted primarily to agricultural professionals such as extension staff, non-profit, state and federal agency staff, etc. Farmers and ranchers may be included but should not be the primary audience.
The goal of the program is to increase the capacity of agriculture professionals who work in California to apply the principles of sustainable agriculture while working with their clientele (farmers, ranchers, consumers, youth, businesses, government, or communities).
Applications will be accepted through September 25, 2024.
Click here to learn more.
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CalCAN Operations Manager Position Now Open
 The California Climate and Agriculture Network (CalCAN) is currently hiring for an Operations Manager. In this new role, the Operations Manager will have an opportunity to be innovative and develop new processes and procedures to improve Cal CAN's effectiveness and efficiency. This position will play a central role in managing the administrative, financial, and technological functions of the organization.
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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