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Massachusetts FRESH Grant

The Massachusetts FRESH (Farming Reinforces Education and Student Health) Grant is a statewide farm to school and farm to early care grant program. The program is administered by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Office of Food and Nutrition Programs (DESE FNP). The program is designed to support K-12 and licensed early education and care centers to start up or expand their local foods purchasing and education efforts.

New to the grant cycle in 2027 is the addition of a new grant category: the MA FRESH CORP Planning Grant. The purpose of the “MA FRESH CORP Planning Grant” category is to support applicants seeking future state, federal and/or private/foundation funding that covers the cost of new staff salaries, stipends or consultant fees that ensure local food system activities are strategically integrated, institutionalized and sustained into programs that promote food literacy.

Read below for more information on the grant program guidelines.

The FY27 MA FRESH application is now live!
Applications are due by Friday, May 22, 2026.

Approximately $400,000 is available and awards are dependent upon state appropriations.

The MA FRESH Grant has five categories broken out for early education programs running Child and Adult Care Food Programs (CACFP) and K-12 school districts running National School Lunch Programs (NSLP). Applicants may apply for funding between $3,000 and $40,000 in one of the following categories, with all activities completed by June 30, 2027:  

  • New* K-12 Farm to School Initiative Grants
  • New* Farm to Early Education Initiative Grants
  • Expanding K-12 Farm to School Initiative 
  • Expanding Farm to Early Education Initiative 
  • Massachusetts Farming Reinforces Education and Student Health Coordination and Optimization of Resources and Partnerships (FRESH CORP) Planning Grant**

* ‘New” farm to school/early education applicants engage in none or only one of the farm to school three “C’s”: Classroom, Cafeteria, and Community. Applicants that have been dormant in all farm to school activities for the last three years also qualify as “new.” The category of new versus expanding pertains to the applicant (not the proposed grant project) and relates to whether the applicant is new to farm to school or expanding existing farm to school programming.

**The MA FRESH CORP Planning Grant is open to both Early Education Programs and K-12 Schools.

Prospective Applicants

Coming Soon – FY27 FRESH Grant Information Session

If you are interested in applying for the next round of funding, Mass. Farm to School staff are available to provide support. Project activities must be completed by June 30, 2027. 

Individual Coaching Sessions are available to interested applicants.
Book an individual application coaching session.
*If you need an evening coaching session, please contact Abby Getman Skillicorn at abby@massfarmtoschool.org to schedule.

MA FRESH Questions

Please watch this recorded GEM$ walk through from DESE on how to get set up in GEM$, DESE’s Grant Management Software. 

All RFQ questions must be received in writing no later than Friday, May 8, 2026 and can be emailed to Grant Contact Maggie Nowak. A list of questions and responses from DESE will be available on the DESE MA FRESH grant page. 

MA FRESH Recipients

FY 26 Grantees

In the fall of 2025, DESE awarded $1.2 million in state- and federally-funded MA FRESH and FRESH CORPS grants to 24 school districts and 10 early education and care programs to help them grow or procure local food and educate students, teachers, school nutrition professionals and staff about the local food system.

Read Project Descriptions.

MA FRESH Grantees

  • Andover Public School District: $20,750
  • Beverly Children’s Learning Centers: $29,846
  • Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield: $30,000
  • Chicopee Public School District: $9,858
  • Collegiate Charter School of Lowell: $28,987
  • Easthampton Public School District: $29,063
  • Greater Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical: $30,000
  • Greater Lowell Family YMCA: $17,645
  • Innovation Academy Charter District (in Tyngsborough): $27,947
  • Department of Youth Services: $14,642
  • Lowell Public School District: $30,000
  • Lowell Community Charter District: $28,905
  • Making Opportunity Count (in Fitchburg): $14,792
  • Merrimack Valley YMCA: $21,871
  • Morris Professional Child Care Services (in Springfield): $3,000
  • North Adams Public School District: $30,000
  • Old Rochester Public School District: $30,000
  • Revere Public School District: $30,000
  • Springfield Public School District: $28,859
  • The Salvation Army Massachusetts Division: $4,880
  • Warwick Public School District: $24,400

MA FRESH Coordination and Optimization of Resources and Partnerships Grantees (Continuation Funding): 

  • Acton-Boxborough Public School District: $69,911
  • Boston Public School District: $85,500
  • Bristol County Agricultural Public School District: $85,500
  • Chicopee Public School District: $55,825
  • Collaborative for Regional Educational Service and Training (CREST) (in Andover): $14,203
  • Crispus Attucks Children’s Center (in Boston): $33,560
  • Frontier Public School District: $75,509
  • Gloucester Public School District: $14,716
  • MetroWest YMCA: $42,817
  • Nauset Regional Public School District: $55,153
  • Northampton Public School District: $45,885
  • Robbins Children’s Programs (in Attleboro): $60,499
  • Salem Public School District: $84,845
  • Watertown Public School District: $82,946

FY 25 Grantees

In early 2025, DESE awarded MA FRESH grants of over $500,000 to 25 school districts and childcare centers, and awarded MA FRESH CORP grants of $350,000 to 15 school districts and early education centers across the Commonwealth. These grants support not only local food and food education in schools, but also capacity building for farm to school programs.

Read project descriptions.

MA FRESH Grantees

K-12 Schools

  • Billerica Public Schools ($16,668)
  • Boston Public Schools ($30, 000)
  • Brockton Public Schools ($20,000)
  • Chicopee Public Schools ($1,985)
  • Dennis-Yarmouth Public Schools ($26,870)
  • Gill-Montague Regional School District ($27,540)
  • Hatfield Public Schools ($3,848)
  • Leominster Public Schools ($10,565)
  • Lowell Public Schools ($30,000)
  • New Bedford Public Schools ($28,054)
  • North Middlesex Public Schools ($6,550)
  • Orange Public Schools ($6,710)
  • Oxford Public Schools ($2,950)
  • Provincetown Public Schools ($8,000)
  • Taunton Public Schools ($29,985)
  • Westford Public Schools ($16,600)
  • Whitman-Hanson Public Schools ($30,000)

Early Education Programs

  • Brockton Day Nursery, Inc ($30,000)
  • Communities United, Inc. (Lexington) ($21,112)
  • Community Action, Inc (Haverhill) ($28,053)
  • East End House (Cambridge) ($29,214)
  • Merrimack Valley YMCA (Lawrence) ($20,785)
  • People Incorporated (Fall River) ($22,871)
  • South Shore YMCA (Quincy & Hanover) ($21,648)
  • Worcester Public Schools ($30,000)

MA FRESH CORP Grantees

  • Acton-Boxborough Public Schools ($28,961)
  • Boston Public Schools ($48,316)
  • Bristol County Agricultural Public School District ($35,420)
  • Chicopee Public Schools ($16,620)
  • Collaborative for Regional Educational Service and Training (Andover) ($14,950)
  • Crispus Attucks Children’s Center (Dorchester) ($17,600)
  • Frontier Regional School District ($27,372)
  • Gloucester Public Schools ($16,075)
  • MetroWest YMCA ($15,023)
  • Nauset Public Schools ($17,700)
  • Northampton Public Schools ($15,125)
  • Robbins Children’s Programs, Inc (Attleboro) ($26,591)
  • Salem Public Schools ($44,039)
  • Watertown Public Schools ($26,200)

FY 24 Grantees

In early 2024 DESE awarded over $400,000 to 23 school districts and childcare centers across the Commonwealth to support local food and local food education in schools. This second round of applications saw over $2.5M in requests from nearly 80 applicants.

Read 2024 Grant Report. 

K-12 Schools

  • Codman Academy
  • Community Charter School of Cambridge
  • Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School
  • Greenfield Public Schools
  • Haverhill Public Schools
  • Holyoke Public Schools
  • Lenox Public Schools
  • Mashpee Public Schools
  • Medway Public Schools
  • Norfolk County Agricultural High School
  • Prospect Hill Academy
  • Salem Public Schools
  • Webster Public Schools
  • Westford Public Schools

Early Education & After School Programs

  • ABCD Head Start and Children’s Service
  • Boys & Girls Club of Metro South
  • Community Action Pioneer Valley Head Start & Early Learning Program
  • Ellis Early Learning
  • Holyoke Chicopee Head Start
  • MetroWest YMCA
  • Mystic Valley YMCA
  • PACE Head Start
  • Waltham Boys & Girls Club

FY 23 Grantees

Read 2023 Grant Report.

K-12 Schools

  • Boston Public Schools
  • Bridge Boston Charter School
  • Fitchburg Public Schools
  • Gloucester Public Schools
  • Medway Public Schools
  • Northampton Public Schools
  • Provincetown Public Schools
  • RFK Alliance/Dr. Franklin Perkins School (Lancaster)
  • Shaloh House (Boston)
  • Somerville Public Schools
  • Springfield Public Schools

Early Education Centers

  • Assonet Day Care (Freetown)
  • Guild of St. Agnes (Worcester)
  • Metro North YMCA
  • Rainbow Child Development Center (Worcester)
  • South Shore YMCA
  • Springfield Public Schools

Want to Help Advocate for a Permanent Farm to School Grant Program?

Please visit mafoodformakids.org to learn about current policy action alerts and ways to get in touch with your legislators.

Additional Resources

Mass. Farm to School is supporting the implementation of FRESH grants through technical assistance and trainings. If you are a current grantee please contact Abby Getman Skillicorn at abby@massfarmtoschool.org for more information about grantee support.

There are many resources you can access to support the implementation of your farm to school program. From school garden support organizations to educator professional development providers, we encourage you to explore partnerships that will strengthen your program. Please find a list of some of these programs and the services they can provide.  If you are looking for resources in a particular geographic region or have resources you would like to share with applicants, please be in touch.

External Trainings & Events

Framingham State University
Framingham State University offers professional development for educators to promote the addition of food literacy lessons or garden activities to school curriculum. The following four-week online graduate courses for educators and school professionals align with the MassFRESH grant requirements:

  • PRDV 73627 | Exploring Food: From the Ground Up
  • PRDV 70423 | Growing Your School Garden
  • PRDV 73230 | Integrating Nutrition Education One Bite-Sized Step at a Time

Please visit the MassSchoolWellness.org Initiatives web page for course descriptions, cost, and instructions on how to register.

School Wellness Initiative for Thriving Community Health
Coming Soon!  Sign up for SWITCH updates to stay informed about these new resources coming in SY 26-27!

  • Two new 4-week online food literacy courses 
  • Harvest of the Month classroom lessons

The John C. Stalker Institute (JSI) of Food and Nutrition at Framingham State University
JSI offers professional development for kitchen staff in preparing fresh meals using local ingredients as outlined in the MassFRESH grant requirements. Please visit the JSI Culinary Workshops to Go web page for workshop descriptions, cost, and instructions for requesting a workshop.

Need help deciding which workshops and trainings to choose? Schools are encouraged to join the CECAP (Creating & Executing a Culinary Advancement Plan) program for access to the JSI Culinary Consultant to customize training recommendations for school nutrition teams to build culinary skills, strengthen kitchen efficiencies, and elevate goal setting for scratch cooking success! Take the survey to get started!

Nutrition Bites for Child Care

Check out the Nutrition Bites webpages for no cost educational resources, online training modules, menu planning tools, and culturally relevant recipes for childcare providers.

Organizations and Businesses Supporting School Gardens & Food Education Programs

Agriculture Resources

Questions? Contact Abby


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