Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program
Active
- Assistance listing
- 10.522
- Agency
-
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Department of Agriculture
- Grant awards
- 58 $20,530,332 in federal obligations
Program facts
- Also known as
- FASLP; Food and Ag Service Learning
- Assistance type
-
- Project Grant
- Treasury account
-
- 12-0502-0-1-352
- More information
Program details come from SAM.gov Assistance Listings. Updated . Grant award figures come from USAspending.gov.
About this program
The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awards Project Grants under the Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program (CFDA 10.522) to fund school-based food, garden, and nutrition education initiatives, with the most recent grant award dated September 15, 2025.
The program funds experiential learning activities that connect K-12 students and communities to agriculture and nutrition through concrete interventions: school gardens, farm-to-school procurement and partnerships, cooking and nutrition instruction, farm field trips, student leadership internships, and curriculum development. Recent awards support hands-on garden programs in school classrooms and cafeterias, paid youth apprenticeships in agricultural and food-service work, teacher professional development in garden-based education, and service-learning projects that integrate agricultural knowledge with community engagement. A representative recent grant funded the Cook Project in Hawai'i, which provided afterschool cooking classes for middle-school students using locally grown ingredients, teacher workshops, and a train-the-trainer program for educators statewide. Another funded the Roots and Routes program in West Virginia, establishing paid high school internships combining agricultural training with local food procurement for school meals. A third supported elementary school garden programming across four school districts with farm field trips, taste tests of student-grown produce, and online school garden coordinator training.
Over the past five years, NIFA awarded 58 Project Grants totaling $20.5 million in federal dollars obligated (combined obligated total $21 million, indicating minimal cost-share). The award portfolio shows declining recent activity: 2023 saw 13 awards, 2024 saw 5, and 2025 saw 4 through mid-September. Individual award magnitudes cluster in the $200,000 to $240,000 range, though one outlier to the National 4-H Council for food loss and waste programming received $9.4 million. All 58 awards are Project Grants with no Cooperative Agreements or other assistance types.
A current solicitation (USDA-NIFA-NFASLP-32903) posted June 18, 2026, with a due date of July 20, 2026, specifies an award floor of $200,000 and seeks applications from a broad eligible group: state agricultural experiment stations, colleges and universities, research foundations, other research institutions, federal agencies, national laboratories, private organizations and foundations, individuals, and consortia of two or more such entities. Applicants must demonstrate prior experience in community food work, job training, curriculum development, or food insecurity reduction, provide at least three letters of support from school districts and agricultural producers, and show competency in food and agriculture service-learning program implementation. Project periods do not exceed two years.
Objective and description
- Objective
The purposes of the Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program (FASLP) are: (1) to increase capacity for food, garden, and nutrition education within host organizations or entities and school cafeterias and in the classroom; (2) to complement and
- Description
FASLP supports projects that increase agricultural science knowledge and improve children's nutrition by boosting capacity for food, garden, and nutrition education in schools and related settings. FASLP aims to strengthen connections between farms and schools, improve meal quality, reduce food loss, and foster leadership and food system career-readiness skills. Eligible activities include educational programming, mentoring, workshops, hands-on learning, and community engagement.
Eligibility
- Applicant eligibility
The Secretary may make grants to carry out research, extension, and education under this subsection to- (A) State agricultural experiment stations; (B) colleges and universities; (C) university research foundations; (D) other research institutions and organizations; (E) Federal agencies; (F) national laboratories; (G) private organizations, foundations, or corporations; (H) individuals; or (I) any group consisting of 2 or more of the entities described in subparagraphs (A) through (H).
- Beneficiary eligibility
The Secretary may make grants to carry out research, extension, and education under this subsection to- (A) State agricultural experiment stations; (B) colleges and universities; (C) university research foundations; (D) other research institutions and organizations; (E) Federal agencies; (F) national laboratories; (G) private organizations, foundations, or corporations; (H) individuals; or (I) any group consisting of 2 or more of the entities described in subparagraphs (A) through (H).
- Uses of assistance
In making grants under this section, the Secretary may consider projects that are carried out by entities that- (A) have a proven track record in carrying out the purposes described in subsection (b); (B) work in underserved rural and urban communities; (C) teach and engage children in experiential learning about agriculture, gardening, nutrition, cooking, and where food comes from; and (D) facilitate a connection between elementary schools and secondary schools and agricultural producers in the local and regional area.
- Length and time phasing of assistance
In accordance with statutory time limits, project periods, including no-cost extensions of time, are not to exceed two (2) years. Further details are provided in the Award document Form NIFA-2009 and the NIFA General Terms and Conditions Grants and Cooperative Agreements.
How to apply
- Criteria for selecting proposals
NIFA evaluates each application in a two-part process. First, each application is reviewed to ensure that it meets the administrative requirements set forth in the NOFO. Second, a peer-review process (https://www.nifa.usda.gov/nifa-peer-review-process-competitive-grant-applications) is used to evaluate the scientific and technical merit of applications that have met the administrative requirements. After each peer review panel has completed deliberations, the responsible NIFA program staff will either recommend an application for support from available funds or decline an application due to insufficient funds or unfavorable review.
- Award procedure
Within the limit of funds authorized, the NIFA awarding official will make grants to eligible applicants whose applications are judged most meritorious under the procedures set forth in the NOFO. A formal notification in the form of a Notice of Award (NoA), signed by the Authorized Departmental Officer, will be provided to the applicant organization for successful applications. The NoA is the authorizing document and will be sent via email to the recipient's Authorized Representative.
Grant opportunities
| Opportunity | Status | Posted | Applications due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program (FASLP) | Closed | ||
| Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program | Closed | ||
| Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program | Closed | ||
| Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program | Closed | ||
| Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program (FASLP) | Closed | ||
| Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program (FASLP) | Closed | ||
| Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program | Closed | ||
| Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program | Closed |
Grant awards
Latest 10 of 58 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Top recipients by federal obligations
| Rank | Recipient | Federal obligations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National 4-H Council | $9,422,454 | 46% |
| 2 | Growing Gardens | $464,818 | 2% |
| 3 | International Rescue Committee, Inc. | $416,971 | 2% |
| 4 | Foodcorps, Inc. | $351,163 | 2% |
| 5 | Mala‘ai | $240,000 | 1% |
| 6 | Rooted WI Inc. | $240,000 | 1% |
| 7 | West Virginia Food & Farm Coalition Inc. | $240,000 | 1% |
| 8 | University Of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc. | $240,000 | 1% |
| 9 | Regents Of The University Of Idaho | $239,997 | 1% |
| 10 | ST Peters Health Foundation | $239,403 | 1% |
10 of 54 recipients listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Federal obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Federal obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2026 | -$455,946 |
| FY2025 | $943,143 |
| FY2024 | $888,109 |
| FY2023 | $11,960,151 |
| FY2022 | $2,375,650 |
| FY2021 | $2,000,000 |
| FY2020 | $750,693 |
| FY2019 | $960,000 |
| FY2018 | $920,743 |
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 10.522?
Assistance Listing 10.522 is Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program, a federal grant program run by National Institute of Food and Agriculture (Department of Agriculture).
What is the CFDA number for Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program?
Its CFDA number is 10.522: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
How much funding has Assistance Listing 10.522 awarded?
58 grant awards under 10.522 have obligated $20,530,332 in federal funds to 54 recipients.
Who receives the most funding from 10.522?
The recipients obligated the most under Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program are National 4-H Council ($9,422,454), Growing Gardens ($464,818) and International Rescue Committee, Inc. ($416,971).
How much did 10.522 obligate in fiscal year 2025?
Grants under 10.522 obligated $943,143 in federal funds in fiscal year 2025.
Are there open grant opportunities under 10.522?
No opportunity listed under 10.522 is open now. The latest, Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program (FASLP), was posted on June 18, 2026.
On GovTribe
See this program's full record
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