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The USDA Food and Nutrition Service’s Office of Community Food Systems would like to congratulate the 2020 Farm to School Grant recipients! For the 2020-2021 school year, the Farm to School Grant Program will provide more than $12.1 million in grants to 159 farm to school projects spanning 46 States and tribal nations as well as two U.S. territories – the largest number of projects funded and highest total grant funds awarded since the awards began in 2013. These grants will serve more than 7,610 schools and 2.5 million students, more than half (57.4 percent) of whom are eligible for free or reduced priced meals.
The 2020 Farm to School Grant awardees represent the wide diversity of partners involved in farm to school efforts, including agricultural producers, tribal nations, non-profit organizations, State agencies, and schools serving both rural and urban areas.
“USDA is helping our nation’s children build bright futures through the Farm to School program by awarding more grant dollars to more grantees than ever before. Farm to school efforts help connect kids to fresh foods and local farmers, while supporting American agriculture and strengthening rural and urban economies – a win-win for all involved.” – Deputy Under Secretary of USDA’s Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services Brandon Lipps
Farm to School Grants are awarded annually to help fund projects that increase the amount of local foods served through child nutrition programs, teach children about food and agriculture through garden and classroom education, and develop schools’ and farmers’ capacities to participate in farm to school projects. This year, grants ranging from $20,000 to $100,000 were awarded in three categories: Planning, Implementation and the new State Agency grant track.
 Please see the complete list of grantees here. Examples of funded projects include:
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The Guam Department of Education (GDOE), which will enhance student knowledge of locally grown fruits and vegetables in GDOE’s Early Childhood Education Programs through taste tests, farm visits, and other educational activities, as well as provide training for cafeteria managers and head cooks on incorporating local ingredients into recipes and menus.
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Urban Ventures (Minnesota), which intends to collaborate with the University of Minnesota School of Horticulture Science & Agriculture to operate a Mobile Farmers Market for kids at two urban elementary schools where 94 percent of the students are eligible for free or reduced price meals. The market will allow the kids to sample new foods, participate in cooking classes, and receive hands-on education at their 6-acre farm.
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The Arizona Sustainability Alliance (AZSA) which intends to support six schools within the Alhambra Elementary School District in creating and maintaining a vertical farm and ongoing farmers market. With support from local farm-to-market organizations, like the Tiger Mountain Foundation, AZSA will provide education, resources, and training to support students, staff, and teachers in developing the foundations for their own farm to market business. Collectively, the markets will provide approximately 5,300 students access to a source of fresh, healthy produce throughout the school year.
In addition to the Farm to School Grants announced, USDA awarded a brand-new grant – the Regional Farm to School Institute Grants – to two grantees earlier this year. Grants of approximately $100,000 each were awarded to:
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First Nations Development Institute (CO), which will work with six native community groups and/or schools with a native-majority student body in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and/or Wyoming.
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Shelburne Farms (VT), which will directly coach twelve school districts across Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.
Since the program’s inception in 2013, USDA has awarded over $52 million through Farm to School Grants, funding a total of 719 projects across all 50 States, the District of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico, reaching almost 21 million students in 47,000 schools. The Office of Community Food Systems looks forward to the exciting projects that will unfold in the upcoming school year!
FNS plans to release the Request for Applications (RFA) for the Fiscal Year 2021 Farm to School Grant Program in the fall. The annual grant opportunity will help reach more communities seeking to incorporate local products into school meals, integrate agricultural education in the classroom, and cultivate and expand farm to school efforts. Stay tuned for the latest updates on the next Farm to School Grant RFA by following the Dirt and online via the USDA website.
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The Dirt is a monthly publication of USDA Food and Nutrition Service, Office of Community Food Systems, providing news and resources for Farm to School Grantees and all readers who want to know what is new and exciting in farm to school.
Learn more at https://www.fns.usda.gov/cfs or contact us at sm.fn.farmtoschool@usda.gov
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