On September 22- 23, 2020, the USDA Food and Nutrition Service Office (FNS) Office of Community Food Systems (OCFS) hosted nearly 300 USDA Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Farm to School Grantees and key stakeholders for the 2020 Farm to School Virtual Grantee Gathering. On an annual basis, USDA awards competitive Farm to School Grants to support planning, developing, and implementing farm to school programs. For FY 2020, the Farm to School Grant Program awarded 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.

This year’s gathering brought the new grantees together virtually to provide resources, best practices and networking connections to help get their grant projects off to a strong start. “Building resilient local food systems, supporting farmers, and educating kids and communities about how to grow their own food is more important than ever. Our new FY 2020 Grantees demonstrated their commitment to these important efforts through their grant projects, and OCFS is excited to see how these projects elevate farm to schoolwork across the country” said Julie Brewer, Director of the Office of Community Food Systems.

The Grantee Gathering kicked off with inspiring welcoming remarks from the USDA FNS Administrator, Pam Miller. The keynote speaker, Haile Johnston, the Co-Founder of the Common Market in Philadelphia, shared his story of navigating and building bridges across local food systems, with a focus on resiliency.

One of the most popular sessions featured some of our Farm to School Grantees who are taking creative actions to adapt their farm to school projects due to the challenges presented by the pandemic. From garden kits at home to virtual foraging classes, our Farm to School Grantees are continuing to connect kids to local foods. Attendees also virtually visited DC Public Schools to see one of our FY 2019 Grantees, FRESHFARM in action. Check out this video featuring FRESHFARM FoodPrints, their farm to school curriculum that integrates gardening, cooking, and nutrition education.

Register Now! FY 2021 Farm to School RFA Webinars

The fiscal year (FY) 2021 Farm to School Grant Program Request for Applications (RFA) is now open! The Grant RFA can be found online here.

Join OCFS for two webinars in November to review the important details of the FY 2021 Farm to School Grant RFA and review key characteristics of competitive Farm to School Grant applications. 

To register, click each hyperlinked webinar. After clicking the link, select “register” next to the event status. You will be required to provide your name and email address. You should receive a calendar invite for the webinar with the WebEx link, once you have registered.

If you are unable to attend, both webinars will be recorded and made available on the Resources for Grant Applicants page.

Tuesday November 10^th, 2020 | 2:30pm ET – Getting Familiar with the FY 2021 Farm to School RFA

This webinar will provide an overview of the FY 2021 Farm to School Grant Program RFA, including updates to eligibility, new turnkey programs and more. Get familiar with the requirements of the RFA and how to submit your completed application on grants.gov.

Friday November 13^th, 2020 | 2:30pm ET – Getting Your Grant Package Together

During this webinar, we will explore the key characteristics of a competitive Farm to School Grant application. We will review the required components and provide technical assistance on how to submit a complete application. Attendees will learn tips and tricks for writing a succinct application that clearly outlines your farm to school project.   

Center for Ecoliteracy Community of Practice

Following the closure of public schools in California this past spring, the Center for Ecoliteracy (a FY 2019 Farm to School Implementation Grantee) assessed the changing priorities of public school districts in the California Food for California Kids® network and across the state. In partnership with LunchAssist, they co-created an ongoing Community of Practice call series on serving emergency school meals during the COVID-19 pandemic. These virtual calls have helped to highlight districts’ strategies focused on scratch cooking, local foods, food safety resources, and the latest policy updates dictating where and how meals can be served to students. This virtual community has grown into a supportive and interdisciplinary leadership community with hundreds of unique attendees from 40 States, including school districts, State and county offices of education, allies, and partners.

The co-development of critical food safety resources with LunchAssist supported the early success of the calls, including the COVID-19 Food Service Safety Precautions for School Nutrition Programs and tip sheets on school food service, face mask safety, and social distancing. The Center for Ecoliteracy also assembled a COVID-19 School Food Task Force that informed new resources to support with return to school plans and menu planning strategies for different potential meal service settings.

The Center for Ecoliteracy invites you to register for upcoming Community of Practice calls, hosted on the first Thursday of the month at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time. Access a full archive of prior calls here.