Revised 8/28/2015

Oregon Farm to School Grant –Funds available for ALL Oregon school districts

Senate bill 501 (announced as HB 2721) directs the Oregon Department of education to award funds to school districts in Oregon for reimbursement of costs incurred in purchasing Oregon grown and processed food and for funding food-based, agriculture-based and food-based educational opportunities.

First, a bit of a brief background on what’s happened so far: Currently, we just finished our second round of a competitive farm to school grant that enables Oregon school districts to be reimbursed for purchasing Oregon grown or processed food at the rate of .15 cents per portion, and also for garden, agriculture or food-based educational opportunities. The current grant distributed$1.2 million to 22 school districts around Oregon for this purpose.

For the upcoming biennium, which covers school year 2015-2016 & 2016-2017, the current grant has again been included in the Governor’s budget. This means the $1.2 million we administered during the last cycle will be “rolled over” to be used again at least in its current state.

However, the new bill (SB 501) has some interesting and major changes in store:

  • Funding has been increased to bring the total amount funded from its current state to $4.5 million.
  • The “reimbursement of Oregon grown or processed food” would be NON-COMPETITIVE, meaning that ALL Oregon school districts that participate in in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) would be eligible.
  • Language has been changed enabling school district to use the funds to purchase Oregon grown or processed food in any of the CNP programs: Lunch, breakfast, summer meals, afterschool snack.
  • Language has been changed enabling school districts to get reimbursed for items as they see fit, rather than limiting them to the .15 cents per portion.
  • The “non-food” portion of the grant (garden, agriculture or food-based educational opportunities) would remain a COMPETITIVE grant.
  • A mandatory online training & short survey will be required to participate in this program.
  • More information will be posted on our website as it becomes available. Go to and click on the “Grants and Funding Opportunities” link. ALSO, if you join our listserv, you will be notified about upcoming changes to the grant. Our listserv link is also located at the above website in the “join us” link.

NOTE: Indirect charges are not allowed for this grant!

Rick Sherman
Farm To School / School Garden Coordinator
Child Nutrition Programs
Office of Learning / Student Services
Oregon Department of Education
255 Capital St. NE, Salem OR 97310
 (503) 947-5863Fax: (503) 378-5156
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