This page is a resource that will help you decide if the fiscal year 2026 Patrick Leahy Farm to School grant is right for your project by providing an overview of the purpose, eligibility, and other key information. This does not serve as a replacement for the Request for Applications. Carefully and completely review the full RFA and associated documents for detailed information about the application components and required documents for submission.
Purpose
The Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program, authorized in the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (NSLA) (42 USC 1751 et seq.), is designed to increase the availability of local foods in child nutrition program (CNP) operations and connect students to the sources of their food through education, taste tests, school gardens, field trips, and local food sourcing for CNP meals. The objective of the FY 2026 Farm to School Grant is to improve access to local foods in eligible CNP sites through comprehensive farm to CNP programming that includes local sourcing and agricultural education efforts. See Section 1.3 of the RFA.
Program Basics
All grants will be awarded for a 24-month period with an anticipated start date of July 1, 2026.
The minimum federal request is $100,000 and the maximum federal request is $500,000.
Applications must include a funding match of at least 25% of the total project cost from non-federal sources.
Priorities
The FY 2026 Farm to School Grant Program supports USDA’s commitments to putting farmers first, supporting local innovation, and promoting healthy choices, healthy families, and healthy outcomes. As demonstrated by the increased funding amount and updated requirements, we are prioritizing innovative projects that scale up farm to school efforts, strengthen partnerships, expand reach, and enhance state-level capacity. Grant applicants must demonstrate how they meet at least three of the following priorities:
- Use strategies that scale up and expand the reach of farm to CNP efforts.
- Focus on partnership building through such strategies as collaboration, network building, and peer learning.
- Demonstrate innovative methods to ensure lasting success and impact beyond the immediate target audience, project partners, and period of performance.
- Create new or expand existing opportunities to connect America’s farmers to child nutrition programs.
- Enhance innovation and capacity for states providing farm to school support.
Eligibility
Eligible Entities
The following entities are eligible for the FY 2026 Farm to School Grant. The entity types marked with * must apply as a partnership. See Section 3.0 in the RFA.
- State agencies
- Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs)
- CNP operators*
- Local agencies*
- Agricultural producers* and groups of agricultural producers*
- Nonprofit entities*
Partnerships
Partnership Applications
- For the purposes of the FY 2026 Farm to School Grant Program, a partnership is a group of multipleentities that apply jointly to the Farm to School Grant Program.
- All eligible entities except state agencies and ITOs must apply as a partnership.
- A partnership applicant must list at least two partners in the project narrative and supply two partnership letters to be eligible.
- Partnerships must identify a coordinating entity to serve as the applicant and grantee. The coordinating entity will submit the proposal in Grants.gov and, if awarded, will be responsible for administering the grant. See Section 3.2 in the RFA.
Partners
All applicants must list and describe partners in their application, with the number of required partners varying by entity type. For all applications, the applying entity or at least one partner must be a CNP operator or administrator. See Section 4.4 in the RFA for partner, partnership letter, and CNP operator or administrator details.
Application Tips
- Register on SAM.gov and obtain your Unique Entity Identify (UEI) right away. These steps can take up to six weeks to complete.
- Download and carefully review the RFA and related documents from Grants.gov.
- Use the additional support resources available on the Resources for Applicants page, including registering for any webinars the Farm to School Team may offer.
- Use the provided templates to ensure your application contains the required components and is formatted correctly.
- Check that you have calculated the match correctly and have met the 25% requirement. The budget numbers in the SF-424, SF-424a, budget narrative, and match letters should be the same.
- Refer to Appendix F in the RFA for instructions for completing the SF-424 and SF-424a forms.
- Submit your application at least two days before the deadline in case there are technological or other issues.
Contact and Resources
- Visit the Resources for Applicants page for technical assistance, including webinars and more.
- For questions related to the Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program, email SM.FM.FarmtoSchool@usda.gov.