Program Overview
Farm to school and early childhood is a broad term. It defines a variety of efforts aimed at educating and engaging children and young adults on the connections that exist between agriculture, nutrition, community and health. The Vision Grant is designed to support innovative projects that engage youth in addressing contemporary problems such as climate change, food security, food sovereignty, nutrition and health equity, racial justice, and agriculture workforce development through farm to school and early childhood activities.
Strong proposals will be scalable and/or replicable, will prioritize youth leadership, and will demonstrate a significant impact on Vermont youth.
Applications open now! Apply by April 11, 2024.
This is a two-year grant with a maximum award of $50,000. Successful applicants will be required to provide a match equal to twenty-five percent of the total grant award. Matching funds can be in the form of cash, in-kind services or a combination of both.
Applicants will be required, through qualitative and/or quantitative evidence, to identify a farm to school and early childhood related challenge impacting their community. Applicants will then need to demonstrate how their proposal seeks to address that challenge. Proposals must center youth in their scope. Strong proposals will:
- Clearly articulate the problem they seek to address
- Engage multiple community stakeholders
- Demonstrate a high likelihood of success
- Demonstrate an ability for the project to be easily scaled and/or replicated
- Demonstrate the likelihood of continued impact beyond the grant period
Eligibility
Vermont schools, school districts, licensed and/or registered childcare providers and licensed afterschool programs are eligible to apply for this grant. Both individual organizations, as well as consortiums are eligible to apply.
Non-profits or community organizations that conduct programming in Vermont are also eligible, but must demonstrate partnership in their application with a school, childcare provider, afterschool program, or another organization in the Vermont Farm to School and Early Childhood Network.
How to Apply
- Read the 2024 Farm to School and Early Childhood Vision Grant Request for Applications.
- Register in WebGrants (may take up to two business days).
- Complete your application in WebGrants using our Application Guide. Application deadline is Monday April 11, 2024 at 11:59 PM.
Informational Webinar
A webinar providing an overview of the funding opportunity and walk-through of the application was offered for prospective applicants on March 14 at 11 AM. The webinar was recorded and is available below.