Our Policy Priorities

In the 2025-2026 legislative session we are focused on passage of “An act establishing a Massachusetts Farm to School Program” which would codify the MA FRESH farm to school grant program and create a local food incentive program for schools and early education programs.

Farm to School Program

Farm to school programs strengthen student achievement, improve nutrition, and grow the local economy. A Massachusetts Farm to School Program within the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will support the infrastructure investments, staff training, and educational initiatives that lead to farm to school program success and sustainability. A local food incentive will help schools and early education programs consistently offer students healthy, locally grown foods as part of school meals. Providing schools with the resources they need to start up or expand local food sourcing and education activities is a win for our kids, our farmers, and our communities.

Contact your legislators and tell them why farm to school is important in your community and ask them to support the Farm to School bill (S.311 & H.565) this session, and Learn more and take action here.

Background on the Farm to School Grant Bill

The MA Food for MA Kids Coalition saw many successes in moving the Farm to School bill forward since its first introduction in 2021. In 2022 we were able to secure funding to implement a pilot grant program, but this one-time appropriation does not establish a permanent Farm to School Grant Program here in Massachusetts. 

2023 - 2024 Highlights:

  • State Representative Pignatelli and Senator Comerford filed H.558 and S.243 to establish a permanent Farm to School grant program within the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

  • In the spring of 2023, 16 K-12 schools and early education programs received nearly $500,000 in the inaugural round of FRESH grants. For a complete list of grant recipients and more information about their projects, read more.

  • In February 2024 H.558 and S.243 was referred favorably out of the Education Committee to the Ways & Means Committee for consideration.

  • In Spring of 2024, DESE awarded the second round of FRESH Grant awards totalling $400,000 to 23 school districts and childcare centers across the Commonwealth to support local food and local food education in schools. 

  • Together DESE received over $4M in funding requests between the two application rounds of 2023 & 2024.

2021 - 2022 Highlights

  • State Representative Pignatelli and Senator Lesser filed H.686 and S.349, respectively, in March 2021 to establish a farm to school grant program within the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

  • Massachusetts Farm to School (MFTS) hosted a well attended policy briefing on October 19th, 2021 with a diverse panel of supporters for the bill

  •  In December 2021, Senator Lesser, along with the support of the Legislature, was successful in getting $1,000,000 in funding included in the COVID appropriations bill to fund the first year of this program with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.

  • On January 4th, 2022, the Massachusetts Joint Education Committee held a public hearing for the bill where 12 individuals testified in favor of the bill– including educators, students, school nutrition staff and community members. 

  • Unfortunately, the bill did not pass out of the Joint Education Committee before the February 2nd deadline.