With one-time funding from a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm to School grant, Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) is now accepting applications for the Wisconsin Farm to School Grant Program.
Donor Name: Wisconsin Department of Agriculture Trade and Consumer Protection
State: Wisconsin
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 02/02/2024
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
The goal of the Wisconsin Farm to School Grant Program is to enable communities to develop farm to school partnerships, implement farm to school initiatives, and strengthen Wisconsin’s statewide farm to school network. Successful projects will gather impact and outcome data, measure demand for this grant program and capture success stories to leverage ongoing support and funding for this grant program.
The purpose of this program is to expand existing farm to school activities or establish new farm to school activities. Funds are not intended to supplant or continue existing programming nor provide one time funding for Farm to School meal offerings.
Priorities
This grant program prioritizes projects that:
- Build, strengthen or expand farm to school community teams through developing and implementing farm to school projects
- Increase school and early childcare education (ECE) procurement of locally sourced whole or minimally processed foods
- Increase equitable access to the benefits of farm to school in underserved communities
- Increase culturally appropriate, locally sourced foods served to students through meal and snack programs in school and ECE environments
- Incorporate farm to school education into food service, snack and mealtimes
- Implement lessons on farm to school career opportunities
- Incorporate local food and sustainable agriculture education into core curriculum and elective activities
- Build and expand school gardens, farms, food production and processing
- Promote farm to school projects, services, menus to students, staff, families and the community
The Wisconsin Farm to School Grant Program is made possible by an award that DATCP received from the USDA Food and Nutrition Service’s (USDA-FNS) Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program. USDA-FNS’s Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Progam is funded by the Richard B. Russell Naitonal School Lunch Act (NLSA) and has the objective of improving access to local foods in eligible schools through comprehensive farm to school programming that includes local procurement and agricultural education efforts.
Funding Information
A total of $250,000 is available and will be awarded through a competitive grant process. Grant awards can range from $10,000 up to $40,000.
Project Activities
Projects must include one or more eligible project activities. Eligible project activities could include but are not limited to the follow examples:
- Agriculture and nutrition education
- Culinary development
- Food production
- School garden and farm development
- Promoting farm to school activities
- Supply chain partnership development including food production, processing, distribution, and aggregation
Eligibility Criteria
To be considered eligible, applicants must engage in eligible farm to school activities targeted for youth. All projects require having or putting together a team of three or more farm to school partners. Applicants must identify a partnership with a school food service director and/or an ECE authorized representative of a school or community nutrition program. Eligible applicants include:
- K-12 schools/school districts (nutrition directors; teachers; school boards; parent–teacher organizations; and school advisors of student groups such as green school teams, student councils, or student sustainability teams)
- Organizations running afterschool programs
- Early childcare education (ECE) centers
- Summer community nutrition programs
- Farm businesses (food producing or composting companies)
- Non-profit or other farm to school support organizations.
- Local food businesses such as processors or aggregators and distributors
- Local and tribal governments
- Contracted school meal vendors or food service management companies
- Statewide organizations that work in a community or with a specific school/school district
For more information, visit DATCP.
