Choose Iowa Local Food for Schools Program

Choose Iowa Local Food for Schools Program

“Back-to-school season is an exciting time for Iowa students, families and educators, and it is also a great opportunity to put more Iowa grown and raised food on school menus,” said Secretary Naig. “The Choose Iowa Local Food for Schools Program connects Iowa farmers and food businesses with new markets while giving students the opportunity to enjoy healthy local foods produced right here in Iowa. After seeing strong interest in the pilot program, I was pleased to lead the effort to make this program permanent through the bipartisan Iowa Farm Act and secure permanent funding to continue it into the future.”

Available Funds

$200,000 has been appropriated to this program. Public and private K-12 school districts are eligible for grant funding.

School districts must provide a minimum of a one-to-one (1:1) financial match for the program award. In-kind contributions are not accepted. Funding will be divided between all eligible school district applicants. School districts will be assigned a Food Hub Sponsor. The food hub will be responsible for pre-authorization of purchases and vendor payments.

Application

Applications will be accepted from eligible school districts August 11 - August 31, 2026. Apply here.

Eligible Producers

To be eligible for funding, food must be purchased from Choose Iowa members. A current list of members can be found in the Find Local Directory. If schools wish to purchase from specific Iowa producers, please encourage them to apply to become a Choose Iowa member as soon as possible to avoid reimbursement delays if they are not already members of the Choose Iowa brand program. Members enjoy a variety of benefits beyond being eligible to participate in this Choose Iowa Food Purchasing Pilot. Visit the Choose Iowa website for more details on membership benefits. If producers need help enrolling in the program or have any questions, please direct them to chooseiowa@iowaagriculture.gov. The Choose Iowa team is happy to help producers.

Eligible Purchases

Schools may purchase meat and poultry, dairy products other than milk, flour and small grains, eggs, honey and produce.

Every school district participating in this program will work with a Food Hub Sponsor (FHS) to assist them with grant requirements. The food hubs serve two roles: 1) grant assistance and 2) source of food. The Food Hub Sponsor will pre-authorize purchases, issue farmer payments and manage the sub-awards and match balances for the school. The school is allowed to purchase from any Choose Iowa member.

The Food Hub Sponsor manages the Choose Iowa awards for the schools, and there is no requirement to buy from them. Schools can purchase from any farm or food hub that is a member of the Choose Iowa program. Food hubs are local food system experts and are a great resource to help schools connect to local food.

Selection Criteria

To be eligible for the Choose Iowa Local Food for Schools program, K-12 school districts must participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) or School Breakfast Program (SBP). Food is to be used in meals and activities during the school day. Each School Food Authority (SFA) can submit one application. Funds will be divided between all eligible applicants. Applicants will be notified of their award amount the week of September 8, 2026.

Procurement and Reimbursement Examples

A. Sample School wants to buy produce from their local food hub. 

  1. School applies for Choose Iowa award.
  2. School is assigned a Food Hub Sponsor (FHS).
  3. Food hub sends school a product availability list. Choose Iowa products are noted.
  4. School completes procurement process.
  5. School places order with food hub. 
  6. Food hub delivers product to the school with an invoice. 
    1. 50% of the invoice will be paid by the school as match. 
    2. 50% of the invoice will be submitted to IDALS for payment
  7. Food hub pays the farmer. 
  8. Food hub updates the schools award and match trackers.

B. Sample School wants to buy apples from a local orchard (aka Farmer Distribution)

  1. School applies for Choose Iowa award.
  2. School is assigned a Food Hub Sponsor (FHS).
  3. School completes procurement process.
  4. School notifies FHS their intention to buy from the orchard (farm and price)
  5. FHS confirms the farmer is a Choose Iowa member and approves or denies the purchase.  
  6. Farmer delivers apples to the school with an invoice.
  7. School sends invoice to Food Hub Sponsor for payment and tracking. This step also serves as proof of delivery. 
    1. School will pay the food hub 50% of the invoice as match. 
    2. 50% of the invoice will be submitted to IDALS for payment
  8. Food hub pays the farmer. 
  9. Food hub updates the schools award and match trackers

C. Sample School is nearing the end of their sub-award and does not have enough funds remaining for final purchase. 

  1. School applies for Choose Iowa award. 
  2. School is assigned a Food Hub Sponsor (FHS).
  3. School completes procurement process.
  4. School notifies FHS their intention to buy from a farmer. The purchase will be $400, but they only have $300 left of their award. 
  5. Farmer delivers product to the school with an invoice.
  6. School sends invoice to FHS for payment and tracking.
  7. FHS submits invoice portion to IDALS for payment. 
  8. FHS sends invoice to school for the match plus any other funds due. School pays food hub. 
  9. Food Hub pays the farmer.

D. Sample School wants to buy broccoli from a farmer that is not a Choose Iowa member. 

Unless the farmer is willing to become a Choose Iowa member, Choose Iowa dollars cannot be used for this purchase. The school may pay the farmer directly outside of this program.

Reporting Information

Participating organizations will need to provide information about the number of students served and any additional quotes or relevant information would also be appreciated so that IDALS can report to the Iowa Legislature on the program. 

Food hubs will report on producer and product purchased information.

Submitting Information

Submit requested reporting information to ChooseIowaGrant@IowaAgriculture.gov

Key Dates

Application Period for school districts: August 11 - August 31, 2026

School districts notified of funding: Week of September 8, 2026

Local food purchasing timeline: September 8, 2026 - June 30, 2027

Questions?

Please contact ChooseIowaGrant@IowaAgriculture.gov

Questions?

Please reach out to Choose Iowa at chooseiowagrant@iowaagriculture.gov. We would be happy to work through any issues or details with you.