The annual Louisiana Farm to School Conference brings together educators, farmers, school nutrition staff, school administrators, and community leaders from across the state to learn, share, and connect. This year’s theme, Seeding Change, Harvesting Healthy Futures, highlights the impact of fresh ideas and strong partnerships in creating healthier school food systems. Join us on October 8th at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge. Attendees will participate in engaging sessions led by farm to school champions and build lasting relationships to nurture healthier futures for Louisiana’s young learners.
Student Success Grants, offered by the National Education Association (NEA) Foundation, are for projects that help students learn how to think critically and solve problems in order to improve student learning. Learning & Leadership Grants, offered by the NEA Foundation, are for professional development opportunities for individuals or groups. Grants are available to current members of NEA who are educators in public schools or public institutions of higher education. Preference is given to proposals that incorporate STEM and/or global learning into projects, which can include farm to school activities. Two levels of funding are available: $2,000 and $5,000. Apply for a Student Success Grant here or a Learning & Leadership Grant here.
Schools can apply now to win a Captain Planet Foundation Project Learning Garden through partnerships with grocery retailers around the country. Grand Prize Winners will receive a one-year supply of DOLE Fruit Bowls and a Project Learning Garden provided by Captain Planet Foundation, including: 5 garden beds or garden expansion (for schools with an existing garden), mobile garden cooking cart, standards-based Learning Garden lessons and lesson supply kits, and online teacher training. Learn more about the Project Learning Garden and apply here.
FTPF and Dreyer's are planting orchards across the country in a collaborative program called "Communities Take Root," and your town could be next! They invite your community to apply for this exciting opportunity to grow fresh fruit, beautify neighborhoods, strengthen relationships and build community food security—all through the simple act of planting fruit trees. FTPF is currently accepting the first 100 qualified applications for the next round of the program, which involves a public online vote to select the final recipients.* FTPF provides all plants, related materials and equipment, community workshops and training, and our team will work with your community volunteers to install the orchard. Recipients must have the appropriate space and commitment to the orchard to qualify. Download the application here and submit via email only. *Schools are not eligible to apply. Please visit the Fruit Tree 101 Grants page for more information about the school orchard program.
Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools is a comprehensive grassroots public health effort to mobilize and engage stakeholders at the local, state and national level to support salad bars in schools. Their vision is to significantly increase salad bars in schools across the country until every child has the choice of healthy fruits and vegetables every day at school. Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools is an initiative of the Food Family Farming Foundation, National Fruit and Vegetable Alliance, United Fresh Produce Association Foundation, and Whole Foods Market to support First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative. The goal of the Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools program is to fund and award 6000 salad bars over the next three years.