Congratulations to the first cohort of Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program (Farm to School Grant Program) awardees! On April 16, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) began awarding grants, kicking off the largest ever financial investment in the history of the grant program. For FY 2026, USDA will award nearly $20 million to support projects that bring more nutritious, local food to America's schoolchildren while expanding economic opportunities for farmers and food producers.
Each award reflects the vibrant nature of farm to school programming and celebrates innovations in school nutrition and agricultural education. From expanding access to local beef, pork, and poultry in Missouri, to strengthening producer-food hub-school partnerships in Iowa, to increasing the purchase of local whole grains in California, the Farm to School Grant Program continues to support exciting work from coast to coast.
The Farm to School Grant Program funds projects that promote the use of local foods served through Child Nutrition Programs (CNPs), teach children about food and agriculture through garden- and classroom-based education, and build the capacity of schools and farmers to buy and sell local foods. This year, USDA made some exciting changes to deepen its impact even more.
For this grant opportunity, USDA re-examined how the Farm to School Grant Program could better meet today's challenges. What emerged was a reimagined grant structure that encouraged more ambitious farm to school projects. Key changes included encouraging applicants to propose larger-scale projects such as pilot programs and models, raising the maximum allowable grant amount to $500,000 for all applicants, and requiring all applicants to apply with partner organizations. These changes empowered farm to school programs to aim higher and achieve bigger goals.
Farm to School Grants - by the numbers
Since the first round of awards in 2013, the Farm to School Grant Program has issued more than $115 million to over 1,250 projects across all 50 States, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico. In that time, the Farm to School Grant Program became a driver of innovation. According to the 2023 Farm to School Census, an estimated 16 percent of school food authorities operating farm to school programs in school year 2022-2023 received funding from the Farm to School Grant Program. This made the grant program one of the top funding sources for participating school food authorities, second only to school or district funding.
Innovation leads to local on the plate
This new crop of grantees offers inspiring examples of awardees looking to incorporate local food into CNPs in new and meaningful ways. Check out a few projects below!
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Foundation for food and Farm Connections (FFFC), a first-time grantee, will expand Missouri schools' access to locally raised beef, pork, and poultry by strengthening the supply chain connecting producers, processors, distributors, and CNPs. Building on more than eight years of similar work, FFFC will help 10 school districts overcome common barriers to local protein purchasing, including vendor onboarding, pricing, yields, storage, and staff readiness to handle raw proteins.
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Honoré Farm and Mill, a 2023 Farm to School grantee, will increase access to healthy, local, sustainably grown whole grains for California students by connecting regional wheat farmers with CNPs and introducing an appealing whole-wheat product designed specifically for school meals. The project expands procurement of California-grown whole-wheat flour and berries and develops a whole-wheat cheese cracker made from a locally grown heritage wheat variety.
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Iowa Department of Education, A 2020 and 2022 Farm to School grantee, will launch "Cooking Up Connections: Iowa Farms, Food Hubs and Schools in Action." Partnering with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, this project will expand Iowa schools' access to minimally processed local fruits and vegetables through the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program. Participating food hubs will receive grant support for the space, supplies, and time needed to process local foods, and in return, will provide a weekly local produce item for 10 weeks to at least 5 schools. Partnering schools will cover the cost of the featured item.
We hope you will take time to learn more about these and other Farm to School Grant projects awarded this year by visiting the Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program website.
Just getting started
Again, congratulations to this year’s incoming awardees, who stood out in a highly competitive field of applications. We look forward to sharing stories about 2026 grantee projects in the future as projects begin to take root and flourish.
Stay tuned for additional FY 2026 awards in the future.
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