Choose Iowa Local Food for Schools Program

The Choose Iowa Local Food for Schools Program supports Iowa K-12 school districts in purchasing Iowa-grown and Iowa-raised foods for use in school-day meals and activities. The program is associated with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Choose Iowa initiative, which connects Iowa farmers and food businesses with local markets. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig described the program as an opportunity to put more Iowa-grown and raised food on school menus while creating new markets for Iowa farmers and food businesses. Following strong interest in an earlier pilot, the program was made permanent through the bipartisan Iowa Farm Act, with permanent funding intended to continue the program into the future. For the current funding opportunity, $200,000 has been appropriated. Public and private K-12 school districts located in Iowa are eligible to apply. Each School Food Authority may submit one application, and funds will be divided among all eligible school district applicants. Food purchased through the program must be used in meals and activities during the school day. Eligible purchases include meat and poultry, dairy products other than milk, flour and small grains, eggs, honey, and produce. Program funds may only be used for food purchased from Choose Iowa members. A school that wishes to purchase from an Iowa producer that is not currently a Choose Iowa member cannot use Choose Iowa program dollars for that purchase unless the producer becomes a member. School districts must provide a minimum one-to-one financial match for their program award. In-kind contributions are not accepted. The examples provided by the program illustrate the match as the school paying 50 percent of an eligible invoice while the other 50 percent is submitted to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship for payment. If a school has insufficient award funds remaining to cover its share of a final eligible purchase, the Food Hub Sponsor can submit the eligible award-funded portion for payment and the school is responsible for the required match plus any additional amount due. Every participating school district will be assigned a Food Hub Sponsor to assist with grant requirements. Food Hub Sponsors provide grant assistance, pre-authorize purchases, issue farmer payments, and manage school sub-award and match balances. Schools are not required to purchase food from their assigned Food Hub Sponsor and may purchase from any farm or food hub that is a Choose Iowa member. When purchasing directly from another producer, the school notifies its Food Hub Sponsor of the intended purchase, including the farm and price, and the sponsor confirms Choose Iowa membership and approves or denies the purchase. Invoices and proof of delivery are then used for payment and tracking. Schools must also complete their applicable procurement process. Applications from eligible school districts are accepted from August 11 through August 31, 2026. Each School Food Authority may submit one application. The source refers applicants to an application link but does not provide the application's questions, required uploads, or other application components in the supplied material. Funds are divided among all eligible applicants rather than awarded according to a stated competitive scoring rubric. Applicants are expected to be notified of their award amounts during the week of September 8, 2026. The local food purchasing period runs from September 8, 2026 through June 30, 2027. Participating organizations must provide information on the number of students served. Additional quotes and relevant information are also requested to support reporting by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship to the Iowa Legislature. Food hubs will report information on producers and products purchased. Requested reporting information is submitted to ChooseIowaGrant@IowaAgriculture.gov. Questions about the grant may also be directed to ChooseIowaGrant@IowaAgriculture.gov, while producers needing assistance with Choose Iowa membership may contact chooseiowa@iowaagriculture.gov. Although the source states that the program has been made permanent and permanent funding has been secured for its continuation, it does not explicitly establish an annual or other fixed recurrence schedule for future application rounds.

Verify that intended producers are Choose Iowa members before purchases; coordinate purchases with the assigned Food Hub Sponsor for pre-authorization and payment; complete the school's procurement process; maintain the required 1:1 financial match; use funded food in meals and activities during the school day.