• August 3: The Competitive Reimbursement Grant (CRG) RFA was released, and the application period is now open. The 2025-2027 CRG RFA can be located here. A CRG Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document is available on the Farm to CNP CRG webpage.
• NCRG Monthly Open Office Hours: Wednesday, August 12th, 2-3pm
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- Farm to CNP Grants
- Farm to CNP Noncompetitive Reimbursement Grant (Updated)
- Farm to CNP Competitive Reimbursement Grant (Updated)
- Farm to CNP Education Grant (Repeat)
- Farm to School Podcast: New episodes are now available! (New)
- Oregon School Garden Survey (Repeat)
- Institute of Child Nutrition Webinars (New)
- Kindred Fellowship for School Nutrition Leaders (New)
- Chef Ann Foundation 2027 Grant Applications for Salad Bars to Schools (Repeat)
- Free Farm to School Stickers from USDA! (New)
- Save the Date! Oregon Crunch at Once (Repeat)
Noncompetitive Reimbursement Grant (NCRG)
Monthly Open Office Hours: The Farm to CNP team is hosting monthly virtual monthly office hours on the 2nd Wednesday of each month. Drop in on Wednesday August 12th between 2-3pm to ask questions and get answers to all things NCRG!
The office hours can be joined on Zoom via this link: https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1618818788
NCRG Progress Report: The 25-27 NCRG Progress report is available! Sponsors were emailed with details and a link, the progress report is also available on the NCRG webpage. Each participating sponsor must complete the progress report by September 30, 2026.
Farm to CNP Fresh Facts: Did you know that up to 25% of your total Reimbursement Grant award can be used to be reimbursed for reasonable costs associated with growing, harvesting, processing, packaging, sourcing, transporting, and promoting Oregon foods? This includes food, nutrition, and agricultural education efforts!
Some of these costs may include, but are not limited to:
-Purchasing or printing nutrition education materials
-Seeds, starts, soil and other supplies for growing fruits and vegetables in the school garden or classroom
-Kitchen smallwares, like knives, cutting boards, slicers, mandolins, etc.
-Food storage containers
-Mileage for picking up allowable foods from local producers
-Costs associated with tasting tables
-Cut and wrap fees for donated meats
-Materials used to promote Oregon foods served in your meal programs
Questions about what can be claimed? Ask the ODE Farm to CNP team! Email FarmtoCNP@ode.oregon.gov
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Competitive Reimbursement Grant
The Competitive Reimbursement Grant (CRG) provides eligible grantees with additional funding beyond their Noncompetitive Reimbursement Grant awards. To be eligible, applicants must have received a Farm to CNP Noncompetitive Reimbursement Grant award and fully expended those funds.
Update: The Competitive Reimbursement Grant (CRG) RFA was released, and the application period is now open. The 2025-2027 CRG RFA can be located here. A CRG Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document is available on the Farm to CNP CRG webpage.
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Education Grant
Education grant activities are underway! From school gardens to farm field trips to garden-based education activities, grantees are making the most of their Farm to CNP Education Grant awards! Learn more about the 76 grantees of the 25-27 Farm to CNP Education Grant on the Farm to CNP Ed grant webpage.
General Information about this grant program can be found on the Education Grant webpage.
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New Episodes: There are new episodes of the Farm to School Podcast! Check out the latest Farm to School Podcast episodes below!
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Meet a principal who rides a horse to school, runs a campus with peacocks, emus, and tortoises, and believes learning should start with wonder. Joined by May Tsupros—self described “fire starter” and connector extraordinaire. This podcast covers agriculture as the great equalizer, disrupting broken systems, and what happens when the right people collide in a conference hallway. Equal parts laughter, philosophy, and farm dirt, this conversation will have you rethinking what school can look like when we let kids wander, adults listen, and food bring us together.
You can listen to the episode here.
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In a world of packed agendas, buzzing hallways, and constant motion, today’s conversation offers a rare pause: a moment to breathe, to settle, and to remember that learning begins when we feel safe enough to arrive fully. Guided by educator and musician Kevion Devante, this episode is a gentle reset—using sound, stillness, and intention to ground our bodies, quiet our minds, and prepare the soil where curiosity, connection, and growth can take root. Press play, soften your shoulders, and allow yourself be present.
You can listen to the episode here.
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Available on approximately 30 platforms! Simply search for “Farm to School Podcast.”
For show notes, podcast transcripts and contact information please visit the OSU Farm to School Podcast website.
The Farm to School Podcast is a project by Oregon State University (OSU), funded by the USDA. It is hosted by Rick Sherman and Michelle Markesteyn.
 If you grow plants with students in raised beds, containers, indoor pots, food forests, pollinator patches, or anywhere in between — Oregon needs to hear from you! Oregon counts and maps every school garden in the state, and it only happens once every 3-4 years. The data you share will shape how legislators, funders, and community partners support school gardens through 2030.
Take the survey!
The Institute of Child Nutrition has pre-recorded webinars available that cover safe local-sourcing.
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The Kindred Fellowship is a nine-month program designed for ~30 school food leaders ready to create transformational change in school food systems. Through FoodCorps’ School Food Leadership Framework — people, programs, partnerships, and practice — fellows will:
• Gain mentorship and leadership training
• Collaborate in small peer-learning groups
• Develop hands-on projects that advance nourishing, student-driven, scratch-cooked school meals
• Strengthen their advocacy skills to influence systemic change in school meals.
Applications are open from June 29 – August 31, 2026.
Learn more and apply here.
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The Chef Ann Foundation's Salad Bars to Schools (SB2S) grants K–12 schools everything needed to install a salad bar including salad bar equipment and all accessories, marketing materials, and comprehensive online training courses through the School Food Institute.
Open to K-12 school districts that participate in the National School Lunch Program with an enrollment of at least 100 students per school site. Learn more here.
Application deadline: March 31, 2027.
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Do you need resources to celebrate your farm to school project? Whether you are conducting taste tests, piloting new local foods on the menu, or planning a farmer visit, stickers can help you make the activity a success and spread the word about farm to school. Stickers are free and come in rolls of 200 stickers per roll.
Requests are accepted from the following entities:
- Schools participating in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program
- Child care institutions and facilities that participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program
- Summer meal sites that participate in the Summer Food Service Program
- State agencies administering CNPs
- State departments of agriculture
USDA will consider all requests for stickers as long as supplies last.
Order your stickers here.
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Save the date: Thursday, October 22nd is the Oregon Crunch at Once!
Join thousands of Oregon students in a joyful, synchronized crunch celebrating local foods and agriculture education!
Learn more and pre-register on the Oregon Farm to School Network website.
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