USDA Makes Record-Breaking Investments in Farm to School Programs to Improve Child Health and Support American Agriculture

Department awards first cohort of grants, announces new funding for kitchen equipment

Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded the first cohort of fiscal year (FY) 2026 Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grants, kicking off the largest ever financial investment in the history of the grant program. For FY 2026, USDA will award nearly $20 million to support projects that bring more nutritious, local food to America’s schoolchildren while expanding economic opportunities for farmers and food producers.

“USDA’s reinvigorated Farm to School Grants will help connect our nation’s children to the world’s safest, most abundant food supply, grown right here in America. This historic investment is funding innovative partnerships that will bring farm-fresh, nutrient-rich food to more school cafeterias across America,” said Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services Patrick A. Penn.

Building on this momentum, USDA is also opening applications today for $20 million in National School Lunch Program (NSLP) Equipment Assistance Grants. These grants help schools modernize kitchen infrastructure so they can prepare and serve healthier meals made with real food, as recommended by the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030.

Penn announced these dual investments during a visit to Missouri’s East Trails Middle School, a partner of the FY 2026 Farm to School Grantee, Foundation for Food and Farm Connections. Together, these grants are another step forward in fulfilling Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins’ commitment to encouraging healthy choices and healthy outcomes by rooting USDA’s nutrition programs in the bounty of American agriculture.

Farm to School Grants: Helping Healthy Habits Take Root

The Farm to School Grant Program connects farmers to children by incorporating local foods into school meals, summer meals, and child care settings. USDA implemented several improvements to the grant program for 2026, attracting the most applicants in the history of the program. These improvements were designed to streamline the grant application process, remove barriers, promote larger-scale partnerships, and empower farm to school programs to achieve bigger, bolder goals.

For example, first-time grantee Foundation for Food and Farm Connections will partner with 10 school districts, a large food service company, the Missouri Farm Bureau, and the Missouri Association of Meat Producers on their project, Powered by Protein. This project will expand schools’ access to locally sourced beef, pork, and poultry by strengthening every link in the farm to school supply chain—from producers and processors to school nutrition staff and classrooms.

“Farm to school is a model of what our child nutrition programs can be at their very best,” said Deputy Under Secretary Penn. “Nutrition programs are strongest when they are rooted in the power of American agriculture, with our nation’s farmers, ranchers, fishers, and producers leading the way.”

USDA announced the first cohort of FY 2026 grantees today, awarding grants to 52 projects. Additional FY 2026 grants will be awarded in the future. Project descriptions can be found on the Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program website.

Since the Farm to School Grant program first launched in 2013, USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has awarded more than $115 million in grants, funding more than 1,250 projects throughout all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico.

Equipment Assistance Grants: Supporting Healthier Meal Preparation

School meals are the nation’s largest food service operation from Monday to Friday. The NSLP Equipment Assistance Grants help schools purchase modern, efficient equipment—such as combination ovens, refrigerators, and steamers—that support scratch cooking, improve food safety, incorporate local foods, and more.

“School meals reach about 30 million children each school day. Those kids need nutritious, real food to fuel their success in the classroom and beyond,” said Deputy Under Secretary Penn. “Making sure schools have the modernized equipment and storage to safely prepare and serve fresh, minimally processed meals is a common‑sense solution.”

Through these grants, FNS continues to partner with states and local school meal operators, giving them resources to lead innovation in child health. Nutritious school meals have impacts that last a lifetime – helping to Make America Healthy Again, one child at a time.

Any state agency operating the NSLP is eligible to apply for an Equipment Assistance Grant. FNS will accept applications through May 28, 2026. Local program operators should contact their state to learn how to apply for subgrants.