FY 2020 Farm to School Grant

The Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (NSLA) establishes a Farm to School program in order to assist eligible entities, through grants and technical assistance, in implementing farm to school programs that improve access to local foods in eligible schools.

To fulfill the farm to school mandate in the NSLA, $5 million is provided to the USDA on an annual basis to support grants, technical assistance, and the Federal administrative costs related to USDA’s Farm to School Program. The USDA Farm to School Grant Program is housed within the FNS Office of Community Food Systems (OCFS).

Additional funding for the Farm to School Grant Program was made available through the FY 2018 and FY 2019 Agricultural appropriations and, as a result, up to $10 million will be awarded under this solicitation.

Authorizing language in the NSLA directed the Secretary of Agriculture to award competitive grants, designed to improve access to local foods in eligible schools, for activities such as: Training, Supporting Operations, Planning, Purchasing Equipment, Developing School Gardens, Developing Partnerships, and Implementing Farm to School programs.

The Request for Applications (RFA) and other helpful documents are located under "Related Documents" on grants.gov! Please see the Grant Applicant Resources page for important supporting materials and RFA resources.