USDA Invests More Than $77 Million in School Meals as Farm to School Funding Tops $47 Million in 2026, a Record
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Administration announced in Washington on October 30 two major investments to strengthen school meals: more than $27 million in additional Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grants and the availability of an additional $50 million in National School Lunch Program (NSLP) Equipment Assistance Grants. Together, the investments total more than $77 million and will help schools procure more local foods, strengthen partnerships with farmers and producers, connect school children to nutrition and agricultural education, and modernize cafeteria infrastructure.
The Farm to School funding brings total support in 2026 to more than $47 million across 149 projects nationwide, the largest annual investment in the program's history; USDA announced earlier rounds of farm to school awards in April and July. Building on awards announced in August, the additional NSLP Equipment Assistance Grants will provide state agencies with non-competitive funding to support cafeteria upgrades, including cold storage, stoves, and other modern equipment that help schools prepare and serve fresh, locally sourced foods.
The announcement builds on USDA's Harvest to Hallways initiative, the newest phase of the Trump Administration's actions to improve school meals by expanding connections between American agriculture and America's school children, and provides support for schools implementing USDA's Pledge for Healthier School Meals.
"Every child deserves real, nutritious food grown by American farmers and ranchers on their lunch tray, and that is exactly what Harvest to Hallways delivers," said Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins. "Under President Trump's leadership, we are making the largest investment in farm to school in history and equipping school cafeterias to serve healthy, wholesome meals every day."
"Making America Healthy Again starts with what we put on our children's plates," said Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., adding that the investments put real food at the center of school meals, support the farmers who feed the country, and help children build healthy habits for life.
Source: GSM · USA
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国农业部总部杰米·惠滕大楼（素材库 federal-core 固定图）。Preston Keres／美国农业部摄，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / The Jamie L. Whitten Building, headquarters of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (GSM asset library, federal-core pack). Photo by Preston Keres / USDA, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
