School Food Funding Navigator

Find funding, incentives and purchasing options that can help your school bring more fresh, local food to students.

Find options for my school See funding at a glance
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Funding availableOngoing or dedicated money schools can use.
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Extra local incentiveAdditional reimbursement tied to local purchasing.
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Purchasing advantageA rule that can make local sourcing easier.
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Special pathwayA specific USDA purchasing route or vendor system.
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Competitive grantPeriodic funding that requires an application.

Start with the programs most schools already use

These are the resources most likely to matter first. Additional state-specific opportunities appear after you select your location.

Funding available

National School Lunch Program

Participating schools receive federal reimbursement for qualifying meals. School food-service resources can be used to purchase qualifying foods, including fresh produce.

What is NSLP?

NSLP is the federal school lunch program. Public schools, eligible charter schools, nonprofit private schools and qualifying residential child care institutions may participate.

USDA: Learn about NSLP ↗
Think local: School meal funds can support fresh produce purchases, creating opportunities to source seasonally from farms in your region.
Dedicated produce funding

Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program

Selected elementary schools receive dedicated funding to provide free fresh fruit and vegetable snacks outside regular meal periods.

Who can participate?

Elementary schools must participate in NSLP. States prioritize schools with the highest percentages of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals.

USDA FFVP Handbook for Schools ↗
Putting FFVP funding to work: Seasonal sourcing can help schools offer variety throughout the year while taking advantage of what is freshest from regional farms. Explore local produce options →
Purchasing advantage

USDA local purchasing rules

Schools may use geographic preference and, for qualifying agricultural products, specify “locally grown,” “locally raised,” or “locally caught.”

Does this mean extra money?

No. It is not a funding program. It is a procurement tool that can help schools intentionally source local food.

USDA: Procuring Local Foods ↗
Think regional: Local procurement can help schools build relationships with nearby farms, shorten the distance food travels, and serve produce closer to peak freshness. See regional sourcing options →

Choose your state to see additional opportunities

After the federal programs above, check what is specific to your state or the District. These are some of the most important differences for schools in the TFA service region.

Extra local incentive

DC local-food reimbursement

DC provides an additional $0.05 per day reimbursement when at least one component of a reimbursable breakfast or lunch is entirely locally grown and unprocessed, subject to program rules and reporting.

Why it matters: this is a true financial incentive for serving qualifying local food.

OSSE: Healthy Schools Act Nutrition Overview ↗
OSSE: Healthy Schools Act ↗
Make local count: Schools should maintain the farm and sourcing information needed to document qualifying local purchases. Find local produce →
Purchasing advantage

Maryland local food price preference

Maryland law authorizes a price preference of up to 10% for qualifying locally grown food from Certified Local Farms. The exact percentage used is stated in the applicable procurement or solicitation.

What that means: a qualifying local bid may be priced above the lowest nonlocal responsive bid by the stated preference percentage and still receive the local purchasing advantage. This is not a subsidy; it is a procurement preference.

Maryland law: Local price preference ↗
Maryland Certified Local Farm Program ↗
A local sourcing advantage: Maryland’s preference can make qualifying local products more competitive with conventional distribution channels. Connect with regional farms →

Maryland schools: check your FFVP status

Maryland public schools participate in NSLP statewide. Elementary schools may also receive dedicated FFVP funding for fresh fruit and vegetable snacks.

MSDE: 2025–26 FFVP school list ↗
Special pathway

Unprocessed Fruits & Vegetables Pilot

Virginia is a participating state. Eligible School Food Authorities may use USDA Foods entitlement for unprocessed fruits and vegetables through approved vendors, and geographic preference is permitted.

USDA: Unprocessed Fruits & Vegetables Pilot ↗
Why local matters here: The Pilot is designed to expand schools’ options for purchasing unprocessed fruits and vegetables, including opportunities to use geographic preference for regional sourcing.

Virginia schools: check your FFVP status

Virginia has already published the 2026–27 FFVP awards, allowing schools to confirm whether they receive dedicated fresh fruit and vegetable funding.

VDOE: 2026–27 FFVP information ↗

Additional USDA option

Special pathway

USDA DoD Fresh

Schools with USDA Foods entitlement may use some of those resources to obtain fresh fruits and vegetables through the DoD Fresh system.

Why is this listed separately?

Purchases run through approved DoD Fresh vendors. TFA is not currently positioned as a DoD Fresh vendor, so this is useful information for schools but not a primary TFA sales pathway today.

USDA: DoD Fresh ↗
Another way to access fresh produce: DoD Fresh gives schools an additional way to use USDA Foods entitlement for fruits and vegetables.

Competitive grants & future opportunities

Competitive grant

Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grants

Periodic USDA grants support farm-to-school projects, local food procurement, education and related infrastructure. These are competitive opportunities, not routine purchasing funds.

TFA can help school partners identify relevant future opportunities and distinguish grant funding from everyday food-purchasing resources.

USDA: Farm to School Grants ↗
The Farmers Alliance

Ready to put these resources to work?

The Farmers Alliance connects schools with fresh, seasonal produce from farms across our region — bringing products from multiple farms together through one trusted partner. We can work around menu needs, quantities, delivery schedules and procurement requirements.

Explore the School Farm Hub Visit The Farmers Alliance

Funding at a glance

ResourceDCMarylandVirginiaType
NSLP ✓ ✓ ✓ Funding
FFVP ✓ ✓ ✓ Dedicated produce funding
USDA local purchasing rules ✓ ✓ ✓ Purchasing advantage
DC local reimbursement +$0.05 per day for qualifying meals with a locally grown, unprocessed component — — Extra local incentive
MD local food price preference — Up to 10% price preference for qualifying locally grown food in applicable procurements — Purchasing advantage
Unprocessed Produce Pilot — — ✓ Special pathway
DoD Fresh ✓ ✓ ✓ Special pathway
Patrick Leahy Farm to School Periodic Periodic Periodic Competitive grant