California will dole out $52.8 million in its latest round of farm-to-school grant funding, contributing to 195 projects across the state that will serve about 1.65 million students.

In total, these projects will serve 199 school districts and educational entities, 52 farms, eight food hubs and five California Native American tribes, according to the state Department of Food and Agriculture.

“Supporting healthy food access is foundational to giving our kids the best start in life and preventing chronic disease,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said. “Farm to School and the state’s other groundbreaking efforts in this space are making a real difference for thousands of California families every day, with countless benefits for our communities, local producers and the future of our state.”

Since 2021, CDFA’s Farm to School Incubator Grant Program has reached 49% of all California students through a total of $86 million invested in 375 projects, benefitting 2,850,196 students at 269 school districts.

For this round of funding, the Incubator Grant Program received 499 applications and $129 million in funding requests. This is almost double the number of project proposals from the previous grant cycle and six-times the number of project proposals from the inaugural year of 2021.

“These projects show the tremendous passion for farm to school in all corners of California,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “We’re excited to support each awardee with resources and training to ensure these programs continue making progress toward fresh, local foods in school cafeterias and classrooms.”

This grant round offers four distinctive funding tracks and provides opportunities for K-12 school districts, technical assistance providers, early care and education centers, agricultural producers and food hubs.

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

Farm to School projects help establish healthy eating habits that children can carry into adulthood. The state is guided in this effort by the recommendations of Planting the Seed: Farm to School Roadmap to Success, a report created through a collaboration championed by Ross and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom. Work to broaden the initiative’s reach to more students is ongoing.

Source: California Department of Food and Agriculture