Governor Newsom signs legislation securing permanent funding for nation-leading Farm to School Program championed by First Partner

First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom petting goats at Fiery Ginger Farm, a CDFA Farm to School Incubator Grant awardee that provides ag-based learning opportunities for students and supplies K-12 local schools and institutions with healthy, locally grown food.

First Partner’s leadership in the Farm to School initiative

The First Partner has championed California’s Farm to School Program to expand access to healthy, locally grown food for students. First launched in the 2021-2022 budget, the program has helped drive lasting change in California’s school food system. Administered by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Office of Farm to Fork, the Farm to School (F2S) Incubator Grant program supports sustainable, local food procurement, minimally processed school meals programs, and hands-on education for students from early childhood education through 12th grade. With ongoing funding secured in Governor Newsom’s 2026-27 state budget, in partnership with the Legislature, this program will continue to improve children’s health while strengthening local food systems and creating new opportunities for small and mid-sized farmers.

The initiative supports California farmers and local economies by helping schools purchase more food from nearby farms and producers, ensuring that more dollars stay within local communities. Through the F2S Incubator Grant Program, every $1 invested leads to $2.10 of economic activity generated for communities, illustrating the bigger impact beyond the cafeteria.  

Lasting impact to children

Under the leadership of the Governor, the First Partner, and the Legislature, California allocated $60 million over two years in the 2021-2022 state budget to sustain and expand the F2S Incubator Grant Program, which connects local producers and school food buyers; increases food education in classrooms, gardens, and on farms; and engages schools and students with the agricultural community. Since 2021, the Farm to School Incubator Grant Program has invested $86 million in 375 projects, benefitting 49% of all California public school students.

“Thank you Governor Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom for the many actions you have taken to support school children,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “Farm to school programming helps students build lifelong relationships with nutritious food while providing consistent demand needed to sustain local small farmers. It has been a pleasure helping 49% of California students benefit from the Farm to School Incubator Grant Program so far, and CDFA looks forward to continuing this important work of sustaining local, resilient food systems.”

To date, 80% of Incubator grantees are Title I schools and 100% of farmer grantees are small, mid-size, or socially/economically disadvantaged producers (veterans, women, indigenous, people of color, and limited-resource farm households). Additionally, 100% of producers funded through the grant program utilize climate smart, organic, and regenerative agricultural practices, providing a stable market for adoption.

Here are a few success stories:

• Los Angeles Unified School District: LAUSD utilized grant funding to connect cafeteria programs, career technical education, and an overhaul of their food procurement, warehousing, and distribution processes to increase local food procurement from small farmers, food hubs, and producers using climate smart, organic, and regenerative agricultural practices. They are on pace to purchase $4.7 million from these growers during the 2025-26 school year.

• SPORK Food Hub: When SPORK first applied for the program, the new Davis-based food hub served just four school districts and generated $80,000 in sales. Now, with grant funding investments in infrastructure, staffing, and equipment, the food hub serves over 40 school districts and generates $6.5 million in annual sales – an 812% increase that directly supports California small and midsize producers who access the institutional food market through the food hub.

• Burns Blossom Farm: This Chico-based organic farm invested grant funds in comprehensive food safety planning, production infrastructure, and new farming equipment to improve farm efficiency, safety, and production. Now, the farm is hosting school farm tours and planting new acreage to serve the growing school food marketplace.

The 2022-2023 state budget strengthened the state’s initial investment with an additional $30 million in funding for farm to school demonstration projects at priority, high-need schools, and included $600 million in funding available over three years for school kitchen infrastructure upgrades and equipment, food service employee training, and compensation for work related to serving universal meals using more fresh, minimally processed California-grown foods.