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2026-27 Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) Grant

Grantor:
CA Department of Education
Departmental Grant ID:
7439
Portal ID:
155100
Status:
Active
Opportunity Type:
  • Grant
Last Updated:
 | 
Categories:

Details

Purpose:

The purpose of this program is to provide an additional free fresh fruit or vegetable snack to elementary school students during the school day as a supplement to (and not part of) the School Breakfast Program (SBP) and the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), and to teach students about good nutrition. The FFVP also encourages grantees to develop partnerships at the state and local level for support in implementing and operating the program.

Description:

How Does It Work?

The California Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) is a reimbursement grant program funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and administered by the California Department of Education (CDE) Nutrition Services Division (NSD).

The USDA provides funds to the CDE NSD to administer the FFVP program according to federal requirements and the California FFVP Guidelines. As long as funds are available, the NSD provides reimbursement to awarded elementary schools for the cost of operating the FFVP and providing fresh fruits and vegetables to students, free of charge and during the school day.

As required by federal law, the selection criteria are based on a school’s percentage of free and reduced-price enrollment with priority given to schools with the highest percentages. To receive a grant, the school food authority (SFA) must apply on behalf of their elementary schools. The selected elementary schools then receive grant awards of $50–$75 per student for the school year. With these funds, schools purchase additional fresh fruits and vegetables to serve free to students as a snack outside of normal meal service and provide complementary nutrition education.

Grant Program Requirements

Upon award of the grant, grantees are required to have their Superintendent e-sign and submit a Grant Award Notification (GAN) and Supplemental Agreement for the first and second allocations for the FFVP. A complete set of grantee requirements are included in these documents. A few of the key requirements are highlighted below:

Make free fresh fruits and vegetables available during the school day as a snack to all enrolled children outside of NSLP and SBP operation.

Offer the FFVP snack a minimum of three times per week.

Offer nutrition education at least one time per week as part of the FFVP.

Follow all food safety requirements and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point guidance.

Widely publicize the availability of fresh fruit and vegetable snacks within the school.

Implement the FFVP in accordance with the USDA guidelines, the USDA FFVP: Handbook for Schools, and the California FFVP Guidelines.

Grantees must remain in good standing status over the course of the FFVP grant period.

Grantees are expected to spend 75–100 percent of their total award.

Grantees are expected to begin implementing the FFVP at the start of their school year. If the SFA has any participating FFVP elementary schools that have not implemented the FFVP by October 16 of the grant year, the CDE will amend the second allocation award of the school to zero dollars and remove the school from the FFVP.

Grant Reimbursement

The FFVP is a reimbursement grant; therefore, grantees must expend their own funds and then submit a claim for reimbursement to the CDE. SFAs participating in the FFVP submit monthly reimbursement claim forms to the NSD for review and approval. The NSD reimburses the SFA for the fresh fruit and vegetable, operational, and administrative costs to implement the program. Upon receipt of a claim, the NSD and the State Controller’s Office (SCO) will process the claim within 45 calendar days.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligible Applicants:

  • Nonprofit
  • Other Legal Entity
  • Public Agency

Public school districts, county offices of education, direct-funded charter schools, private schools, and residential child care institutions who are SFAs are eligible to apply on behalf of elementary school sites that participate in the NSLP, have 50 percent or more of its students eligible for free or reduced-price (F/RP) meals, and agree to provide free fresh fruits and vegetables to all enrolled children during the school day.

Important Dates

The date (and time, where applicable) by which all applications must be submitted to the grantmaker. Time listed as “00:00” equates to midnight.
The date on which the grantor expects to announce the recipient(s) of the grant.
June 30, 2026
The length of time during which the grant money must be utilized.
07/01/26-06/30/27

Funding Details

The total projected dollar amount of the grant.
$16,000,000
A single grant opportunity may represent one or many awards. Some grantors may know in advance the exact number of awards to be given. Others may indicate a range. Some may wish to and wait until the application period closes before determining how many awards to offer; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.
Dependent
Grant opportunities representing multiple awards may offer awards in the same amount or in varied amounts. Some may wish to wait until the application period closes before determining per-award amounts; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.
Dependent
Certain grants require that the recipient(s) provide a letter of intent.
No
Certain grants require that the recipient(s) be able to fully or partially match the grant award amount with another funding source.
No
The funding source allocated to fund the grant. It may be either State or Federal (or a combination of both), and be tied to a specific piece of legislation, a proposition, or a bond number.
  • Federal

Funding Source Notes:

The California Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) is a reimbursement grant program funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and administered by the California Department of Education (CDE) Nutrition Services Division (NSD). FFVP funding is contingent upon the award amount provided from the USDA to the CDE. As a result, the CDE adjusts the award amount granted per student from the first to the second allocation each school year.

The manner in which the grant funding will be delivered to the awardee. Funding methods include reimbursements (where the recipient spends out-of-pocket and is reimbursed by the grantor) and advances (where the recipient spends received grant funds directly).
  • Reimbursement(s)

Funding Method Notes:

The total amount of funding available is estimated; the actual amount will be released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture by June 2026. The amount of the individual school grant will depend on the total enrollment of the schools participating in the program. Per student award has a minimum of $50 and a maximum of $75.

How to Apply

State agencies/departments recommend you read the full grant guidelines before applying.

Resources

For questions about this grant, contact:
The FFVP Team, 1-800-952-5609, FFVP@cde.ca.gov

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