Connecticut Grown for Connecticut Kids Grant Program

The Connecticut Grown for Connecticut Kids Grant Program, administered by the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, provides funding to strengthen long-term Farm to School programs in Connecticut. The program is intended to assist schools, school districts, childcare centers and homes, and organizations in increasing the availability of local foods in child nutrition programs, using hands-on educational techniques to teach nutrition and Farm to School connections, sustaining relationships with Connecticut farmers and producers, enriching students' educational experiences, improving children's health, and enhancing the state's economy. The Department of Agriculture has approximately $950,000 available for projects, with approximately $125,000 anticipated for Microgrant applications and $825,000 anticipated for Full Grant applications. Eligible applicants include local or regional boards of education, regional educational service centers, private schools or institutions, colleges and universities including student-led groups, cooperative arrangements pursuant to section 10-158a of the Connecticut General Statutes, childcare centers, group childcare homes and family childcare homes, and organizations or entities, including Connecticut farmers, administering or assisting in the development of a Farm to School program. Applicants that received CTG4CTK funds for the past two years cannot apply this year. Each eligible applicant may apply under only one category, must choose either the Microgrant or Full Grant path, and may submit only one application per year. Community category eligibility also includes producers, producer cooperatives, food hubs, farm aggregators, ECE providers and networks, home care providers, municipalities, agencies, nonprofit organizations, and other service organizations for preschool-age children. Funding is organized around Cafeteria, Classroom, and Community activities. Cafeteria projects may support local procurement capacity, culinary and food-service training, processing, storage, and equipment needed to sustain purchases of Connecticut Grown and regionally grown foods. Classroom projects may support hands-on agriculture, school gardens, hydroponics or aquaponics, agricultural technology, culinary and nutrition education, farm visits, staff training, climate-smart agriculture, cultural food projects, pollinator habitats, and composting. Community projects may support producer capacity building through Microgrants and ECE and family engagement activities. Eligible producer projects can include equipment, season-extension or storage infrastructure, required training and certifications, and marketing initiatives. Expenses such as farmers market vouchers, SNAP/WIC/FMNP doubling, pre-contract costs, land acquisition, borrowing costs, organization start-up expenses, tuition, routine business expenses, litigation costs, indirect or contingency costs, and lobbying are not eligible. Personnel salary and fringe costs may not exceed 25 percent of requested funds, up to $12,500, and may only support new employees. No matching funds are required. Microgrants are for awards of $5,000 or less and have simplified application, contracting, and reporting requirements. Microgrant projects generally have a six- to twelve-month timeframe and must be completed within twelve months of contract execution. Full Grant requests are for more than $5,000 and no more than $50,000, with projects having a twelve- to twenty-four-month timeframe and completion required within twenty-four months of contract execution. Producers and producer cooperatives are limited to Community Microgrants not exceeding $5,000. Grantees may request up to 50 percent of awarded funds as an advance after full contract execution, with remaining funds reimbursed following project completion and Department acceptance of the final report. Contract and project extensions are at the Department's discretion and are not guaranteed. Applications must be completed through the Department of Agriculture's online grant portal. Required or applicable supporting material includes estimates or quotes for services and infrastructure and organizational and financial documentation. Applicants that have not contracted with the State of Connecticut within the previous five years must submit the W9, Vendor form, and Direct Deposit form available through the portal, although K-12 public schools already registered in the state payment system are exempt from these forms. Applicants may also provide conceptual drawings, stories, and videos related to their projects. Up to three letters of support are optional; to receive consideration, each must be signed by its author and appear on organizational letterhead. Narrative information must be entered directly into the online application form and will not be reviewed when submitted only as an attachment. The CTG4CTK Grant is competitive. Only complete and timely applications are evaluated. The Department first conducts an administrative review, after which applications are evaluated by an advisory team. Evaluation emphasizes project impact and the work plan, with criteria addressing purchases of Connecticut Grown products, participation in the CT Fresh Ed: Buy Local Program, CACFP sponsorship, Alliance District or School Readiness status, the population served, applicant readiness, contribution to Farm to School programming, project outcomes, reasonable timelines, sustainability, budget reasonableness and cost effectiveness, measurable community impact, and broad support and stakeholder input. Awarding priorities also include applicants purchasing from Connecticut producers and growers, applicants serving priority communities, projects with broad organizational and community support, sustainable and cost-effective projects benefiting students over multiple years, eligible boards of education that participated in the FY 2025-2026 CT Fresh ED: Buy Local Program, and projects providing at least one student or family activity during CT Grown for CT Kids Week. The guidance was released August 11, 2026, and a webinar and Q&A session is scheduled for August 25, 2026, from 1:00 to 2:00 PM. Individual virtual grant coaching is offered after that webinar. Microgrant applications are due September 9, 2026, at 12:00 am, Midnight EST, while Full Grant applications are due November 9, 2026, at 12:00 pm, Noon EST. Awarded applicants must execute a State of Connecticut agreement, provide required insurance, complete the project within the contractual period, attend at least one grantee meeting, participate in Department technical assistance, submit final project and financial reports with invoices and proof of payment, and agree to a post-project site inspection if applicable. Questions may be directed to Program Coordinator Kaylee Carlisle at Kaylee.Carlisle@ct.gov. The source does not state an award notification date.

Prioritize a clear explanation of the audience served, applicant readiness, Farm to School impact, reasonable work plan, cost-effective budget, measurable outcomes, sustainability beyond the grant, and broad stakeholder support. Identify Connecticut producers and growers when purchases are proposed. Explain how stakeholder input informed the project, particularly capital expenditures. Applicants serving 10 or fewer students per year should use the Microgrant path to remain competitive. Capital expenditures should support long-term project goals and must be justified.