USDA: Farm to School Grant

 

WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 6, 2013 – Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan today announced the release of a request for applications (RFA) for the latest round of USDA’s Farm to School grants. These grants help eligible schools improve the health and wellbeing of their students and connect with local agricultural producers.

“USDA’s Farm to School grants connect schools with their local farmers, ranchers and food businesses, providing new economic opportunities to food producers and bringing healthy, local offerings into school cafeterias,” said Merrigan. “USDA continues to make improvements to the nutrition of food offered in schools, and investing in farm to school programs is yet another important opportunity to encourage our nation’s kids to make lifelong healthy eating choices.”

This year, three different kinds of grants will be available. Planning grants are intended for schools just getting started on farm to school activities, while implementation grants are available for schools seeking to augment or expand existing efforts. Additionally, eligible non-profit entities, Indian tribal organizations, state and local agencies, and agriculture producers or groups of producers may apply for support service grants in order to conduct trainings, create complementary curriculum, or further develop supply chains, among other activities. Proposals are due at midnight EST, April 24, 2013.

The Farm to School Grant Program is part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which authorized and funded USDA to assist eligible entities, through grants and technical assistance, in implementing farm to school programs that improve access to local foods in eligible schools. The Act provides $5 million annually to support grants, technical assistance, and the federal administrative costs related to USDA’s Farm to School Program. In this funding cycle, USDA anticipates awarding up to $5 million in grants.

Healthier school meals are a key component of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which was championed by the First Lady as part of her Let’s Move! campaign and signed into law by President Obama. The new meal requirements are raising standards for the first time in more than fifteen years and improving the health and nutrition of nearly 32 million kids that participate in school meal programs every school day.

Farm to School is one component of USDA’s Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food (KYF) initiative, launched in 2009 to coordinate the Department’s work on local and regional food systems and create new opportunities for farmers, ranchers, consumers and rural communities. An interactive view of USDA programs that support local and regional foods, including farm to school and farm to institution, is available in the Know Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass. The KYF Compass consists of an interactive map of USDA-supported local and regional food projects and anaccompanying guide to programs and results. In October 2012, the map was expanded and now includes projects from nine other federal agencies.

 

Program Description
The purpose of the USDA Farm to School Grant Program is to assist eligible entities in implementing farm to school programs that improve access to local foods in eligible schools. On an annual basis, USDA awards up to $5 million in competitive grants for training, supporting operations, planning, purchasing equipment, developing school gardens, developing partnerships, and implementing farm to school programs.

In this funding round, USDA is soliciting applications for three types of grants:

1. Planning grants are intended for school districts or schools just starting to incorporate farm to school program elements into their operations.
2. Implementation grants are intended for school districts or schools to help scale or further develop existing farm to school initiatives.
3. Support Service grants are intended for state and local agencies, Indian tribal organizations, agricultural producers or groups of agricultural producers, and non-profit entities working with school districts or schools to further develop existing farm to school initiatives and to provide broad reaching support services to farm to school initiatives.

Proposals are due at midnight EST, April 24, 2013. In all cases, a 25% cash or in-kind match of the total project cost is required.

Important Dates and Deadlines

• February 6, 2013: Request for Applications Released
• April 24, 2013: Proposals Due (Midnight EST)
• October 2013: Awards Announced and Funds Available (Pending the Availability of Federal Funds)

Webinars to Learn More
To assist eligible entities in preparing proposals for the fiscal year 2014 Farm to School Grant Program, USDA will host a series of webinars related to the application process. Information on how to access each webinar is below. Each webinar presentation will last approximately one hour, with an extra 30 minutes of question and answer time.

Grants.gov: Wednesday, February 27, 1:00 p.m. EST
Note: An Internet connection and computer speakers are required in order to see and hear the webinar. Representatives from grants.gov will discuss the application process and how to submit using the grants.gov portal. Access the webinar here: https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/usdafns/join?id=CQB39F&role=attend&pw=3cT+{P**H
Meeting ID: CQB39F
Entry Code: 3cT+{P**H

Planning Grants: Tuesday, March 5, 1:00 p.m. EST
Note: Both an Internet connection and telephone line are required in order to see and hear the webinar. Access the webinar here: https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/usda/join?id=ZS99Z2&role=attend
Phone: 888-603-8943
Passcode: 3927574

Implementation Grants: Wednesday, March 6, 1:00 p.m. EST
Note: Both an Internet connection and telephone line are required in order to see and hear the webinar. Access the webinar here: https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/usda/join?id=ZS99Z2&role=attend
Phone: 888-396-9185
Passcode: 3927574

Support Service Grants: Thursday, March 7, 1:00 p.m. EST
Note: Both an Internet connection and telephone line are required in order to see and hear the webinar. Access the webinar here: https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/usda/join?id=ZS99Z2&role=attend
Phone: 888-396-9185
Passcode: 3927574

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