Cherokee Nation
Good News! SUN Bucks is Available in Your Location
- Website: Summer EBT Program
- Hotline: 539-234-3265 or 800-256-0671 ext. 5275
- Email: wicsebtc@cherokee.org
An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.
The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.
You are now leaving the USDA Food and Nutrition Service website and entering a non-government or non-military external link or a third-party site.
FNS provides links to other websites with additional information that may be useful or interesting and is consistent with the intended purpose of the content you are viewing on our website. FNS is providing these links for your reference. FNS is not responsible for the content, copyright, and licensing restrictions of the new site.
Designed to increase the availability of local foods in schools, Patrick Leahy Farm to School grants can help farm to school programs get started or expand existing efforts. Funds support a wide range of activities from training, planning, and developing partnerships to creating new menu items, establishing supply chains, offering taste tests to children, purchasing equipment, planting school gardens, and organizing field trips to agricultural operations.
This introduction covers a brief background of the Farm to School Census, the purpose of the survey, and advice on how to avoid common mistakes in data collection and reporting.
The Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (NSLA) establishes a Farm to School program in order to assist eligible entities, through grants and technical assistance, in implementing farm to school programs that improve access to local foods in eligible schools.
To fulfill the farm to school mandate in the NSLA, $5 million is provided to the USDA on an annual basis to support grants, technical assistance, and the Federal administrative costs related to USDA’s Farm to School Program. The USDA Farm to School Grant Program is housed within the FNS Office of Community Food Systems (OCFS).
Additional funding for the Farm to School Grant Program was made available through the FY 2018 and FY 2019 Agricultural appropriations and, as a result, up to $10 million will be awarded under this solicitation.
Authorizing language in the NSLA directed the Secretary of Agriculture to award competitive grants, designed to improve access to local foods in eligible schools, for activities such as: Training, Supporting Operations, Planning, Purchasing Equipment, Developing School Gardens, Developing Partnerships, and Implementing Farm to School programs.
The Request for Applications (RFA) and other helpful documents are located under "Related Documents" on grants.gov! Please see the Grant Applicant Resources page for important supporting materials and RFA resources.
This webinar will provide an overview of how to apply for the fiscal year 2020 Farm to School grant program RFA. Become familiar with the requirements of the RFA and how to submit your completed application on Grants.gov.
This checklist is intended to help new Farm to School grantees complete the "new grantee enrollment process." Grantees must complete all the necessary steps of the enrollment process prior in order to begin receiving grant funding.
Washington, DC, July 16, 2019 – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced today the award of more than $9 million in USDA Farm to School Program grants that will increase the amount of healthy, local foods served in schools and create economic opportunities for nearby farmers.
This year marks an all-time high of funding and projects in the program, with grants supporting 126 selected projects across 42 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. These projects are expected to serve more than 3.2 million students in over 5,400 schools.
“The farm to school grants announced today connect schools with the farmers, ranchers, and producers in their communities,” Secretary Perdue said. “Everybody wins with Farm to School. USDA is proud to help the next generation better understand where its food comes from, while strengthening local economies.”
This record-breaking year for the USDA Farm to School Grant Program was made possible by increased funding from Congress for fiscal years 2018 and 2019, which enabled USDA to award 52 more grants than the previous highest year of 2016 when 74 were granted. Grants range from $20,000 to $100,000 and fund equipment purchases and experiential learning activities, including planting school gardens, offering taste tests to children, and organizing field trips to local farms and food producers.
Among the organizations that will receive Farm to School Grants are:
In addition, two agricultural producers, Green City Growers, LLC (Somerville, Mass.) and the North Country Farmers' Cooperative (Colebrook, N.H.) were also awarded grants.
Farm to school activities strengthen local economies. USDA's 2015 Farm to School Census found that in the 2013-2014 school year alone, schools purchased more than $789 million in local food from farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and food processors and manufacturers. Schools provide producers stable markets and long-term revenues, and the program introduces students to agricultural career paths.
“Our nation's food supply depends on more young people entering the field of agriculture as farmers retire,” said Perdue. “Farm to school inspires young people to consider careers in agriculture and food systems.”
Since 2013, the USDA Farm to School Grant Program has offered annual grants to schools, school districts, nonprofits, state agencies, agricultural producers, and Indian tribal organizations to plan, implement, or provide training on farm to school activities. FNS is committed to working with schools and agricultural partners to ensure healthy habits take root in early childhood.
Please visit the USDA FNS website for more information about Farm to School projects and grant awards: https://www.fns.usda.gov/cfs/grant-awards.
USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) works to reduce food insecurity and promote nutritious diets among the American people. The agency administers 15 nutrition assistance programs that leverage American's agricultural abundance to ensure children and low-income individuals and families have nutritious food to eat. FNS also co-develops the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which provide science-based nutrition recommendations and serve as the cornerstone of federal nutrition policy.
#
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.
The Farm to School Census is a survey of farm to school activities, including local food procurement and nutrition education. This document provides additional clarification for school food authorities (SFAs) on the Farm to School Census and the data collection process.
This page offers resources to help state agencies, school food authorities, and their partners, prepare for and complete the Farm to School Census.
This document addresses common questions regarding the impact of the Act on school gardens and other similar small producers commonly used as sources for local food.
The Farm to School Census is a national survey conducted by USDA FNS of farm to school activities .