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The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) released the Draft Request for Applications (RFA) for the 2022 California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program with the application period likely opening March 2022. Applications are anticipated to be due in May 2022. The total funding availability for this program is $25.5 million.

What is the purpose of the California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program? The purpose of this program is to support projects that cultivate equity, nurture students, build climate resilience, and create scalable and sustainable change.

What are eligible projects for this program? To support a systems approach to advancing farm to school throughout the state, the 2022 California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program offers the following four funding tracks:

Track 1: The California Farm to School K-12 Procurement and Education Grant

Track 1 will fund individual public school districts, county offices of education, and directly funded charter schools, including those located on Indian Reservations, in California to establish new or expand existing farm to school programs that:

• coordinate the school nutrition services program with educational opportunities for students in cafeterias, classrooms, and outdoor learning spaces; and
• procure new and California grown or produced, whole or minimally processed foods for incorporation into school meals, especially foods that are culturally relevant, climate smart, and from small to midsize food producers, veteran food producers, socially disadvantaged food producers, and/or limited-resource farm households in California; and
• if desired, employ farm to school staff and/or offer farm to school professional development for staff.

Farm to school implementing organizations must serve as a School Food Authority (SFA) and operate the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and/or School Breakfast Program (SBP) to be eligible for Track 1. Please note that farm to school implementing organizations that typically operate the NSLP or SBP but currently operate the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) during the school year instead are still eligible to apply.

Allowable costs for Track 1 include food procurement costs (for school meals and/or school education); infrastructure, equipment, materials, and supplies to coordinate the school nutrition services program with educational opportunities for students in cafeterias, classrooms, and outdoor learning spaces; staff time and labor costs; school kitchen costs; and travel, contractual and indirect costs (up to 10 percent).

Track 2: The California Farm to School Partnership Grant

Track 2 will fund regional and statewide farm to school partnerships (see Page 13 of the Draft RFA for full eligibility guidelines) in California to establish new or expand existing farm to school initiatives that:  

• implement farm to school procurement and/or education strategies as part of larger regional or statewide food system development plans; and/or
• increase collaboration and coordination between California food producers and school nutrition services departments to increase procurement of California grown or produced, whole or minimally processed foods for incorporation into school meals, especially foods that are culturally relevant, climate smart, and from small to midsize food producers, veteran food producers, socially disadvantaged food producers, and/or limited-resource farm households in California; and/or
• provide farm to school procurement and/or education technical assistance or capacity-building support to more than one farm to school implementing organization, i.e., public school districts, county offices of education, and/or direct funded charter schools.

Allowable costs for this funding track include personnel costs; infrastructure, equipment, materials, and supplies; food procurement costs (for student education); travel, contractual, and indirect costs (up to 10 percent). 

Track 3: The California Farm to Early Care and Education (ECE) Grant

Track 3 will fund intermediary organizations and multi-site child care centers (see Page 14 of the Draft RFA for full eligibility guidelines) in California to establish new or expand existing farm to ECE programs that:

• coordinate food- and garden-based hands-on learning and play opportunities for young children; and
• procure California grown or produced, whole or minimally processed foods for incorporation into meals, snacks, taste tests, and/or food boxes for young children, especially foods that are culturally relevant, climate smart, and from small to midsize food producers, veteran food producers, socially disadvantaged food producers, and/or limited-resource farm households in California; and
• offer ECE providers farm to ECE technical assistance and/or peer learning spaces; and
• if desired, employ farm to ECE staff.

The CDFA encourages Track 3 projects to incorporate parent and family engagement and to build connections with K-12 and the Child and Adult Care Food Program.

Allowable costs for this funding track includes food procurement costs; hands-on learning and play costs; technical assistance and peer learning costs (including equipment, materials, and supplies); mini grants to fund ECE providers to implement food and garden-based hands-on learning; staff time/labor costs; ECE kitchen costs; travel, contractual, and indirect costs (up to 10 percent.)

Track 4: The California Farm to School Producer Grant

Track 4 will fund California food producers (see Page 15 of the Draft RFA for full eligibility guidelines) to increase food production, processing, and/or distribution for the school food market. Track 4 will also fund California food producers to provide educational opportunities for youth that complement food sales to schools. To be eligible, a producer must show evidence of an established relationship with at least one school nutrition services department. Funding will prioritize small to midsize food producers, veteran food producers, socially disadvantaged food producers, and/or limited-resource farm households in California, as well as producers utilizing climate smart agriculture practices and production systems.

Producers may use funds to:

• upgrade infrastructure and equipment and purchase supplies to increase production, processing, and/or distribution capacity to sell food to schools; and/or
• upgrade infrastructure and equipment and purchase supplies to establish or enhance the use of climate smart agriculture practices, production systems, and other regenerative strategies when producing food to sell to schools; and/or
• cover staffing costs dedicated to farm to school work; and/or
• pursue certifications, licensures, or insurance that the producer needs to sell food to schools; and/or
• establish new or expand existing education activities that engage students from partner schools such as field trips, producer visits to the cafeteria or classroom, etc.

Allowable costs for Track 4 include infrastructure, equipment and supplies costs to increase production, processing and/or distribution capacity to sell food to schools and/or to establish or enhance the use of climate smart agriculture practices, production systems, and other regenerative strategies when producing food to sell to schools; staffing/labor dedicated to farm to school work; costs related to pursuing and attaining certification, licensure, or insurance that the producer needs to sell food to schools; infrastructure, equipment, materials, and supplies related to establishing new or expanding existing education activities that engage students from partner schools such as field trips, producer visits to the cafeteria or classroom, etc.; and travel, contractual, and indirect costs (up to 10 percent).

What are the funding priorities for this program? The California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program will award additional points during the grant review process for projects that:

• Engage students from underserved communities
• Serve schools located among priority populations that are especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change
• Include small to midsize California food producers
• Include veteran California food producers, socially disadvantaged California food producers, and/or limited-resource farm households in California.
• Include California food producers who utilize climate smart agriculture practices, climate smart agriculture production systems like certified organic or transitioning to certified organic, or other regenerative strategies that increase resilience to climate change, improve the health of communities and soil, protect water and air quality, increase biodiversity, and help store carbon in the soil.

What is the project duration for this program? For all funding tracks, the grant term is up to 24 months. Grant funds cannot be expended before September 1, 2022 or after August 31, 2024.

What are the funding levels for each funding track?

Track 1 (The California Farm to School K-12 Procurement and Education Grant): The maximum award amount for Track 1 projects is up to $1 million. There is approximately $15 million available for this funding track.

 Track 2 (The California Farm to School Partnership Grant): Award amounts range from $100,000 to $500,000 for this funding track. Approximately $4.5 million is available.

Track 3 (The California Farm to ECE Grant): For Track 3, award amounts range from $50,000 to $200,000 with approximately $1 million available for this funding track.

 Track 4 (The California Farm to School Producer Grant): Award amounts range from $5,000 to $150,000 with approximately $5 million available for Track 4.

Is cost share required? Matching funds are not required.

When is the deadline? While the deadline has not yet been published, it is expected that applications will be due in May 2022.

The full 2022 Draft Request for Applicants (RFA) can be found here.

For more information on this grant or how to apply with Morrison’s assistance, please contact the Morrison Grants Team by email at grants@morrisonco.net or call us at 530-893-4764.