Sep. 25—ST. PAUL — The
Minnesota Department of Agriculture
is now accepting applications for grants to support Minnesota schools, early childhood education centers and licensed in-home family child care providers looking to serve locally sourced meals.
The Farm to School and Early Care Grant and Local Tots Cost-Share program both offer reimbursement for local food purchases of Minnesota grown and raised foods, a release said.
The
First Bite Farm to School and Early Care Grant
is intended for Minnesota K-12 school districts and ECE centers that are new to buying local foods and want to build skills and experience. Applicants may request a minimum of $2,500 and a maximum of $5,000 in funding, with no match requirement.
The
Full Tray Farm to School and Early Care Grant
is intended for school districts and ECE centers that have some experience buying local food and want to expand their offerings. Applicants may request up to $35,000 based on the number of meals served as a part of federal meal programs, including the National School Lunch Program or the Child and Adult Care Food Program.
Schools and ECE centers applying for either of these grants can also request up to $25,000 for kitchen equipment to process and prepare local foods. Equipment funding must be part of a grant request for local food purchases and cannot be requested on its own. A one-to-one cash match is required.
The
Local Tots Cost-Share
program is intended for family child care providers. It does not require a cash match for new participants. For participants who received a Local Tots Cost-Share award during the program’s first year in fiscal year 2025, a one-to-one cash match is required. MDA anticipates awarding approximately $1,000 per provider, but the final amount will depend on overall demand.
The MDA will award approximately $1.35 million through the Farm to School and Early Care grants and approximately $200,000 to the Local Tots Cost-Share program. The remaining funds will go toward First Bite, Full Tray and Equipment grants.
Funding for the Farm to School and Early Care and Local Tots Cost-Share programs is made available through the MDA’s
Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation (AGRI) Program,
which administers grants to farmers, agribusinesses, schools and more throughout Minnesota to advance the state’s agricultural and renewable energy sectors.
The MDA is accepting applications through 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 23.
For more information and to apply, visit the MDA’s
Farm to School and Early Care Programs webpage.