State secures ongoing funding for Farm to School incubator program

The governor’s office said it has established ongoing funding for California’s Farm to School Incubator Grant Program, making the state’s nation-leading Farm to School effort permanent.

The office said the program has invested $86 million, funded 375 Farm to School projects and benefits 4.2 million California public school students; the administration also reported approximately 3.5 billion free school meals served under state policies that guarantee breakfast and lunch to every public school student.

The office described the program as supporting child nutrition, climate-smart agriculture and local farm economies. Eighty percent of Farm to School Incubator grantees are Title I schools, the office said, and 100% of farmer grantees are small, mid-sized or socially and economically disadvantaged producers; the office added that every $1 invested through farmer grants generates an estimated $2.10 in economic activity.

The governor’s office said the Farm to School Incubator Grant Program is administered by the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Office of Farm to Fork and that ongoing funding was secured in the 2026-27 state budget in partnership with the Legislature; the office said the funding will continue efforts to put locally grown food into school meals and to expand hands-on food education from early childhood through 12th grade.

First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom co-hosted the statewide Farm to School Summit at Soil Born Farms in Rancho Cordova, the office said. Jennifer Siebel Newsom said, "Healthy kids. Stronger farms. Smarter climate action." The summit, the office said, brought together farmers, chefs and school nutrition professionals and included partners such as the Center for Ecoliteracy, the Alice Waters Institute and the National Farm to School Network.

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