New Farm to School Grant Opportunities
diciembre 19, 2024
Explore three new funding opportunities from the United States Department of Agriculture to support your Farm to School program.
Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Programs
The USDA has opened two Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program opportunities for the 2025 fiscal year to increase the availability of local foods in schools and connect students to the sources of their food through education, taste tests, school gardens, field trips and local food sourcing for school meals. Grants can be used to launch new Farm to School programs or expand existing efforts.
The FY 2025 Farm to School Turnkey Grant awards projects of 24 months in length for funding up to $50,000. Applicants are required to provide matching support of at least 25 percent of the total project budget in the form of cash or in-kind contributions. Eligible applicants for the Turnkey Grant may include schools and other institutions that operate child nutrition programs, Indian Tribal Organizations, agricultural producers or groups of agricultural producers, non-profit entities and local agencies.
The FY 2025 Farm to School Implementation Grant awards projects of 24 months in length for funding up to $500,000. Applicants are required to provide matching support of at least 25 percent of the total project budget in the form of cash or in-kind contributions. Eligible applicants for the Implementation Grant may include schools and other institutions that operate child nutrition programs, Indian Tribal Organizations, agricultural producers or groups of agricultural producers, non-profit entities and local agencies.
Specialty Crop Block Grant Program
We are also excited to announce that The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) is a participating state in the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service’s (AMS) Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. FDACS will accept applications for the 2025 SCBGP, evaluate the applications for compliance with the SCBGP program guidelines and fit with state and industry priorities, and administer any resulting awards. The deadline for submitting an application is January 31, 2025.
The purpose of the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program is to award funds to projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. Specialty crops are broadly defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts and horticulture products, including floriculture.
Lists of eligible and ineligible crops may be found on the USDA-AMS website.
The goal of the SCBGP is to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops by:
- Leveraging efforts to market and promote specialty crops
- Assisting producers with research and development relevant to specialty crops
- Expanding availability and access to specialty crops
- Addressing local, regional and national challenges confronting specialty crop producers
FDACS has established funding priorities for the SCBGP for the State of Florida, including projects to research soil health, ground water, surface water, nutritional value, growth and yield of specialty crops, research mitigation of pollinator risk, pollination efficiency and pollinator best practices in specialty crop and more.
Proposals will be accepted from non-profit organizations, producer organizations, government agencies, universities and other organizations related to Florida’s specialty crop industry. Individuals, individual producers, for-profit businesses or commercial entities may submit proposals. However, the project must focus on research, education or demonstration and must benefit the specialty crop industry in a manner that can be replicated by other organizations.
For more Farm to Schoo, grant opportunities you can visit our Grants page.