CDFA awards $25.5 million for Farm to School projects across California

As part of California’s nation-leading investment in farm to school programs, the California Department of Food and Agriculture Office of Farm to Fork (CDFA-F2F) is excited to announce $25.5 million in funding for 120 farm to school projects across the state.

In total, these projects represent 1,489,364 students, 163 school districts and educational entities, over 50 farms, four food hubs and enormous support from California’s urban, rural and suburban communities.

The 2022 California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program offered four funding tracks, with opportunities for K-12 school districts, early care and education centers, agricultural producers and farm to school partnerships to receive funding.

“Each of these projects will help us build a healthy, equitable, resilient food system, and will give California farmers more opportunities to share fresh, nutritious, delicious, and locally grown products with our schoolchildren” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross.

The 2022 grant cycle received over $58 million in application requests and triple the number of project proposals from the previous year, highlighting the growth of farm to school across the state.

“Our investments in farm to school are investments in our health, our local economies, and our planet,” said First Partner of California Jennifer Siebel Newsom. “I am grateful for each of these projects for their commitment to supporting California children and our California farmers.”

Visit the CA Farm to School Incubator Grant Program website to view the full list of 2022 grantees. To learn more about CDFA’s farm to school programs, visit the CDFA Farm to School Program webpage.