CN farm to school grant

The Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service awarded Iowa City Community School District $498,259 on May 1, 2026, under the Farm to School Grant Program (CFDA 10.575), a Project Grant supporting local food procurement for school meals, school garden development, integration of agricultural education into curricula, and infrastructure improvements. The 24-month award runs through June 30, 2028, with place of performance in Iowa City, Iowa. The program funds eligible entities including schools, school districts, local agencies, agricultural producers, and nonprofits to scale or develop farm-to-school initiatives that increase access to local foods in Child Nutrition Program schools. The district's student population exceeds 13,000 and qualifies as high-need for federal child nutrition programming purposes. Implementation grants, which this award represents, are competitively reviewed on criteria including the degree to which the project serves schools with high free and reduced-price meal enrollment, project readiness and likelihood of success, alignment with program goals, project design and management, sustainability and transferability, and budget appropriateness. Grantees may apply for a one-time six-month no-cost extension for bonafide need and must retain records for three years after final report submission.