USDA-Food & Nutrition Service (FNS) is offering 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. The USDA Food & Nutrition Service (FNS) is charged with implementing the farm to school program. In this first funding cycle, FNS anticipates awarding up to $3.5 million in grant funding to support efforts that improve access to local foods in eligible schools.

Grant funds will be made available on a competitive basis, subject to availability of Federal funds. Applicants are encouraged to first submit a Letter of Intent and then apply for either a Planning Grant or an Implementation Grant. Planning grants are expected to range from $20,000 - $45,000 and represent approximately 25 percent of the total awards. Implementation grants are expected to range from $65,000 - $100,000 and represent approximately 75 percent of the total awards. For both types of grants, the applicant must provide at least 25 percent of the costs of the grant project as the Federal share of costs for this grant cannot exceed 75 percent of the total cost of the project, as required by the HHFKA.


Important Dates and Deadlines
April 17, 2012: Request for Applications Released
May 18, 2012: (Suggested) Letter of Intent Deadline
June 15, 2012: Proposals Due
(Pending the Availability of Federal Funds) Shortly after October 1, 2012: Awards Announced and Funds Available

Two webinars will be offered so that grant applicants can learn more about this grant opportunity.
May 15th, 1:00 EST Implementation grants
Thursday, May 17th, 1:00 EST Planning grants

Application packets as well as sample proposals can be found on FNS's website. 

The Monsanto Fund is offering Farmers the opportunity to support their local schools in their communities with the America's Farmers Grow Rural Education Program.  Farmers can nominate their public school district to compete for a grant of up to $25,000.  In all, the program will allow local school districts in 1,245 counties across 39 states to add over $2.3 million to their math and science programs.

Nomination entries for this program must be received between January 6, 2012, and April 15, 2012 and can be found here. 

Farmer Eligibility – Entrants must be 21 years or older and actively engaged in farming of 250 acres of corn, soybeans and/or cotton; or 40 acres of openfield vegetables (as defined above); or 10 acres of tomatoes, peppers and/or cucumbers grown in protected culture (glasshouse, nethouse, plastic).
The program is open to all public school districts in the eligible counties within the designated 39 states. To see if your school qualifies click here. 

The Monsanto Fund will award 199 grants in 39 states. Grant applications must be submitted by the school district; individual schools may not apply. Two grant amounts will be awarded: $10,000 and $25,000. Each eligible school district will only be entitled to apply for one grant and must determine the grant amount for which it will apply.

Eligible grant requests will need to focus on increasing interest or improving instruction or learning in science and/or math. School districts must be nominated by a farmer in one of the eligible counties in order to apply for the grants. Once a school district is nominated, that district will be notified and sent an invitation code to apply for a grant at www.MonsantoFund.org.
For more details click here.

The National Gardening Association has partnered with Jamba Juice on a grant program for schools, communities and non-profit organizations to teach kids about growing their own food, nutrition and science.  Recipients will be selected based on plans to promote nutrition education, ideas for incorporating fruit and vegetable activities into the curriculum, and ability to sustain the program over multiple years.

It’s All About the Fruit and Veggies Grant program is open to schools, community organizations, and non-profit programs in the United States gardening with at least 15 children between the ages of 3 and 18. Schools must be located within a 50 mile radius of a Jamba Juice store

Annually, the National Gardening Association’s KidsGardening.org together with Jamba will award 20 grant recipients with a check for $150 to be used to purchase soil amendments and fruit and vegetable plantings and $350 in gardening supplies including composter, planters, tools, and a curriculum guide from the Gardening with Kids Shop. The total award package is valued at over $500.

Applications are due by February 15, 2012 and decisions will be made my March of 2012.  For more information and the application click here. 

The National Gardening Association (NGA) and The Home Depot Garden Club are offering Youth Garden Grants (YGG).  Schools, youth groups, community centers, camps, clubs, treatment facilities, and inter-generational groups throughout the United States are eligible to apply.  Gardens and programs should contain some of the following: educational focus or curricular/program integration, nutrition or plant-to-food connections, environmental awareness/education, entrepreneurship, social aspects of gardening such as leadership development, team building, community support, or service-learning.Five winners will receive gift cards valued at $1,000, and 95 winners will receive $500 gift cards, for the purchase of gardening materials and supplies specific to the needs of their program from their local Home Depot store.

Applicants must plan to garden with at least 15 children between the ages of 3 and 18 years.


Applications must be submitted by November 28th, 2011and can be found here.  Award announcements will be made on March 1, 2012 and distributed later that month. 

Grant awardees will be required to submit a year-end impact report due in August of 2012.

I have two funding opportunites to pass along to you today for your community and local school.

The Monsanto Fund is launching their America’s Farmers Grow Communities program in which farmers may select their favorite non-profit organization to receive $2,500 within their county. Counties are chosen to participate in the basis of at least 30,000 acres of corn, soybeans or cotton. The grants are randomly selected per county and the program will run from August 1 through November 30, 2011. The process is very simple where farmers spend 2-3 minutes on growcommunities.com website and enter their name and preferred organization. No purchase is required and it’s simply a way for them to give back to local communities. A random drawing of one registered farmer from each county will result in $2,500 going to that farmer’s designated organization. 


Whole Kids Foundation School Garden Grant Program will be accepting online applications for school garden grants! In partnership with FoodCorps, Whole Kids Foundation will grant 1000 schools $2000 each to build or expand their school garden.  School gardens are a vital educational tool. Every seed planted sprouts a new opportunity for kids to cultivate healthy eating habits. Teaching kids to garden helps them learn about complex topics like sustainability and conservation, food systems and community awareness. Not to mention an appreciation for food from seed to plate  Applications can be found on Whole Kids Foundation Website and are due December 31, 2011.

The long hot days of summer have turned most corn fields their harvest time gold, the leaves on the trees are just starting to think about turning, the wind has a crisp cool feeling to it and school buses are rolling every morning to take kids back to school. With that all being said I have a couple of grants that related directly to youth education to pass along to you today.

The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program is funded through the USDA National Institute of Agriculture (NIFA). The SARE program works primarily through competitive grant programs administered the North Central Region which includes 12 states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. There are currently 2 grant opportunities available focusing on Youth and Youth Education.

Youth SARE Grant- This grant is for youth, ages 8 – 18 and eligible projects include: on-farm research, demonstration, or education projects. Research and demonstration projects are for hands-on efforts to explore Sustainable Agriculture issues and practices. Education projects can involve teaching others about Sustainable Agriculture or attending a Sustainable Agriculture conference, workshop, or camp. The maximum grant award is $400 projects must be finished within one year and applications are due January 14, 2011. For more information go to http://www.sare.org/ncrsare/cfp.htm

Youth Educator SARE Grants- Grants for educators to provide programming on Sustainable Agriculture for youth with a $2,000 maximum. This grant program focuses on Sustainable Agriculture and how it relates to profitability; and the effects it has on families, communities, quality of life; and the environment long term. NCR-SARE encourages you to be creative and innovative, and to work directly with local farmers and ranchers who practice Sustainable Agriculture. Please note: 21st Century Farming does involve growing food and fiber and can include market gardens and urban agriculture. Applications are due January 14, 2011. For more information go to http://www.sare.org/ncrsare/cfp.htm

Some other grant programs that would also be of interest to schools and educators are:

National Garden Association-Youth Garden Grants Program-Home Depot and the National Gardening Association (NGA) have partnered as sponsor for the Youth Garden Grants 2011. NGA annually awards Youth Garden Grants to schools and community organizations with child-centered garden programs across the United States. These gardens should ber used to instruct at least one of the following initatives; educational focus or curricular/program integration, nutrition or plant-to-food connections , environmental awareness/education, entrepreneurship , social aspects of gardening such as leadership development, team building, community support, or service-learning. Eligible applicants include Schools, youth groups, community centers, camps, clubs, treatment facilities, and intergenerational groups throughout the United States. Applicants must plan to garden with at least 15 children between the ages of three and 18 years. Grant funds can range from $500 -$1,000 and applications are due November 1, 2010. For more information visit http://www.kidsgardening.com/YGG.asp

Target Company Field Trip Grants-Target will be awarding 5,000 grants of $700 each to schools for the upcoming school year. Teachers can use a grant to fund a school field trip that connects their curriculum to out-of-school experiences. Applications are due before September 30, 2010 and more information can be found at

"Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good morals and happiness." -Thomas Jefferson