OLYMPIA, WA – Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) is opening the Farm to School Purchasing Grant application for the 2025–2027 biennium. Applications are due by 5:00 PM PST on July 3, 2025.

The grant provides funds for schools and early learning services to source and prepare high quality, nutritious, culturally relevant foods for their meal programs. The program emphasizes procurement from small and direct marketing farms and food businesses.

The competitive, reimbursement-style grant is available to school districts, childcare centers and organizations that operate a USDA Child Nutrition Program. It is also available to schools and early learning centers operated by federally recognized tribes that do not participate in a USDA child nutrition program. Grant awards may range from $1,000 to $300,000. Full grant guidelines and application information are available on the WSDA website.

Since 2008, WSDA’s Farm to School Program has worked with schools, farms and supporters to increase procurement of local food. The Farm to School Program’s Purchasing Grants help achieve this goal by addressing the budget barrier that many schools face to sourcing Washington-grown food from small and direct marketing farms.

Purchasing Grants represent direct investment in Washington’s local food and farm economy while making it possible for more schools to purchase local foods as part of a high quality, nutritious, scratch made meals for students.

With the support of ongoing funding from the Washington state legislature, WSDA has invested over $8.5 million since 2021 in purchasing grants to schools and childcare programs resulting in over 140 types of local foods purchased from over 360 unique Washington farms and food businesses.

Local producers interested in selling to schools can visit the WSDA Farm to School Toolkit or email farmtoschool@agr.wa.gov for assistance connecting with their local school district.