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The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is seeking public comment on its draft Request for Applications (RFA) for the Cohort 4 California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program. The Budget Acts of 2025 and 2026 provide up to $40 million for this grant cycle, with CDFA expected to make up to $38 million available across three funding tracks. Public comments on the draft RFA are due by 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time on September 11, 2026, and application materials are expected to open in October 2026.

What is the purpose of the program?

The California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program supports projects that cultivate equity, nurture students, build climate resilience, and create scalable and sustainable change. The program is intended to strengthen farm to school systems that connect students with California grown or produced, whole or minimally processed foods through school meals, hands-on food education, and stronger relationships between schools, early care and education providers, food producers, food hubs, and technical assistance providers.

What are the program priorities?

The program will award additional points during the review process for projects that engage students from underserved communities; include small to midsize California food producers; include veteran, socially disadvantaged, and/or limited-resource California food producers; and include California food producers using climate smart agriculture practices, climate smart production systems, or other regenerative strategies. Some tracks also prioritize scratch cooking and the elimination of ultra-processed foods.

CDFA also plans to distribute awards geographically across California to the extent possible and set aside up to 10% of available grant funding for California Native American Tribes, Tribal-based nonprofit organizations, and eligible Tribal schools.

What funding tracks are available?

Under the draft guidelines, the Cohort 4 California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program includes three funding tracks:

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

Track 1 will support individual public-school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and Tribal schools in California that are School Food Authorities. Projects must support procurement of California grown or produced, whole or minimally processed foods for school meals and engage students in hands-on food education opportunities that complement California food procurement efforts.

Track 2: California Farm to School Technical Assistance Subaward Grant

Track 2 will fund increased staff capacity, access, and resources by providing pass-through funding for California School Food Authorities, California Early Care and Education sites, California food producers, and eligible Tribal entities to implement resilient and sustainable farm to school programming. Track 2 projects must have statewide reach and focus subaward funding in one of the program’s identified categories.

Track 3: California Farm to School Producer and Food Hub Grant

Track 3 will support California food producers and food hubs seeking to increase production, processing, and/or distribution capacity to sell California grown or produced, whole or minimally processed foods to the California school food market. Applicants must provide a letter of intent showing an established relationship with each California School Food Authority to which they intend to sell food.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility varies by funding track. Potential applicants include California School Food Authorities, eligible Tribal schools and Tribal organizations, California food producers, food hubs, early care and education-related organizations, nonprofit organizations, Resource Conservation Districts, public universities, county agencies, local governments, and other eligible technical assistance organizations, depending on the applicable track.

Eligible entities must select one funding track and may submit one application, although they may serve as project partners in multiple funding tracks as long as projects and costs are not duplicative.

How can grant funds be used?

Allowable uses depend on the selected funding track. In general, the program may support activities such as:

• Procurement of California grown or produced, whole or minimally processed foods;
• Hands-on food education opportunities connected to school meal programs;
• Technical assistance and pass-through subawards for farm to school implementation;
• Infrastructure, equipment, and supplies to increase producer or food hub capacity;
• Staffing costs dedicated to farm to school activities;
• Certifications, licensures, or insurance needed to sell eligible foods to schools; and
• Activities that support climate smart agriculture practices, certified organic or transitioning-to-organic systems, or other regenerative strategies.

What funding is available?

CDFA expects to make up to $38 million available across the three funding tracks. Track 1 awards are based on the number of students served, with requested award amounts required to fall between $50,000 and $750,000. Track 2 award amounts range from $500,000 to $1.5 million depending on category. Track 3 applicants may request between $20,000 and $200,000, and up to $2.4 million is expected to be set aside for food hubs within Track 3.

The program does not require matching funds, and CDFA will fund up to 100% of total project costs. This is a reimbursement grant program, although eligible grant recipients may be able to receive advance payments for project expenditures.

When are comments and applications due?

Public comments on the draft RFA are due by 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time on September 11, 2026. Draft RFAs, draft application questions, and draft review criteria for all three funding tracks are available on CDFA’s California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program website. Stakeholders may submit comments through CDFA’s online comment form or during one of the live information sessions scheduled during the public comment period.

Application materials are expected to open in October 2026, with applications due by 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time on December 31, 2026. Awards are expected to be announced in March 2027, and the grant term is expected to run from July 1, 2027, through March 30, 2029.

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.