Regional School Food Infrastructure 2025 (Round 3)

The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets has announced the New York State Regional School Food Infrastructure Grant Program 2025 Round 3 under Request for Proposals RFP #0379. This initiative is designed to strengthen and expand the state’s school food system by improving infrastructure, encouraging the use of New York State farm products in school meals, and supporting workforce development in related fields. The program continues the state’s broader Farm-to-School strategy, aiming to reduce food insecurity, expand markets for New York producers, and build long-term resiliency in food distribution and meal preparation for K–12 students. The program makes $10,000,000 available in this third round of funding, which will be distributed through two separate $5,000,000 awards. These awards will go to two eligible regions that have not already received funding in prior rounds. Eligible regions include Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, Mohawk Valley, Capital Region, Mid-Hudson, and New York City. Previous awardees, including Western New York, North Country, Long Island, and Central New York, are excluded from Round 3 consideration. Each grantee must apply for the full award amount of $5,000,000, as partial awards will not be granted. Funding is limited to capital projects that support the preparation and distribution of New York-focused meals. This includes construction, renovation, alteration, rehabilitation, improvements, installation, acquisition, repair, or replacement of permanent facilities or equipment. Eligible costs may include salaries and wages tied directly to construction or project supervision, contractor services, equipment with at least a five-year useful life, vehicles for food transport, facility acquisition, and professional services such as architectural, engineering, or legal services. Ineligible costs include indirect overhead, application preparation costs, food purchases, insurance, and salaries not directly tied to the project. Applicants are required to provide a minimum 5 percent matching contribution of the total project cost, which may include cash or donated goods and services, but not in-kind labor. Eligibility for this program is limited to registered not-for-profit organizations with 501(c)(3) status, local municipalities, school districts, and Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES). Public schools are exempt from the prequalification requirement, but all other applicants must be registered and prequalified in the Statewide Financial System Grants Management System with an up-to-date document vault. For-profit organizations, private individuals, and entities outside New York State are not eligible. Applicants must also comply with specific administrative requirements, including New York State Charities Bureau registration, minority and women-owned business participation, and service-disabled veteran-owned business participation goals. Applications must be submitted exclusively through the Statewide Financial System Grants Management System. Faxed, mailed, or emailed applications will not be accepted. Proposals must include a business plan, a detailed project budget, and responses to program-specific questions. Evaluation will be based on a 100-point scoring system, with criteria including the strength of the business plan, reasonableness of costs, quantifiable project benefits, and the level of outside support from schools, districts, and agricultural partners. Projects scoring at least 65 points will be considered for funding, with awards granted until funds are exhausted. The official RFP was released on September 18, 2025. An informational workshop will be held on October 1, 2025, followed by a question submission deadline on December 12, 2025. Answers to submitted questions will be posted by December 19, 2025. Applications are due by January 20, 2026, at 3:00 PM. Grant awards are expected to be announced in April 2026, and funded projects will begin on March 15, 2026, with contract terms lasting five years. Payment will be provided on a reimbursement basis, with the option for an initial advance of up to 25 percent at the Department’s discretion. All inquiries must be submitted in writing to Matthew Wilson of the Farm-to-School Team at the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, 10B Airline Drive, Albany, NY 12235, or by email at [email protected]. Fax inquiries may be directed to (518) 457-1605. The Department will also provide templates for reimbursement requests, quarterly progress reports, and a final project report, all of which will be required to maintain compliance throughout the project’s five-year duration.