Description
The Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program is designed to increase the availability of local foods in schools and help 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 launch new farm to school programs or expand existing efforts. The Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Farm to School Grant awards projects of 24 months in length for funding up to $500,000. Eligible applicants may include schools and other institutions that operate Child Nutrition Programs, Indian Tribal Organizations, agricultural producers or groups of agricultural producers, nonprofit entities, and State and local agencies. Key aspects of the project include:
• Launching new farm to school programs or expanding existing efforts
• Increasing the availability of local foods in schools
• Connecting students to the sources of their food through education, taste tests, school gardens, field trips, and local food sourcing for school meals
• Providing funding up to $500,000 for projects of 24 months in length
• Requiring applicants to provide matching support of at least 25 percent of the total project budget in the form of cash or in-kind contributions