KIT Fund
2026 KIT Funding for Hands-On Food Education
California named a new funding source for hands-on food education in school gardens: the Kitchen Infrastructure and Training (KIT) Fund. School districts and the other agencies that run school meals can now spend KIT funds on garden-based education through their food and nutrition services departments, and community-based organizations (CBOs) can partner with them to provide the programs.
As of October 19, 2026. This funding came from our 2026-27 campaign, with the leadership of Senator Sasha Renée Pérez. Read the story.
Who's eligible
Generally, school districts. Technically, school food authorities (SFAs).
An SFA is a school district, county office of education, or charter school that runs both federal school meal programs: the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program. Most are school districts.
KIT funds are managed by each SFA's nutrition services department, led by its food service director. State law (Education Code section 49507) calls these agencies local educational agencies (LEAs) in the meal programs, where an LEA is an SFA.
See what your SFA received in 2022 and 2025.
The KIT Fund at a glance
$500M
One-time, five program areas
$500 million in a one-time allocation to SFAs, to spend on any of five program areas:
- Kitchen infrastructure that supports serving fresh, whole foods
- Some staffing and training that supports serving fresh, whole foods
- Procurement of fresh, whole, sustainably grown California foods
- School food pantries
- Hands-on food education, including activities in school gardens, on farms and in culinary classes
School food pantries and hands-on food education are new in 2026. In the 2022 round, staffing and training covered roles such as a farm to school coordinator, and training food service staff in scratch cooking, local foods and reducing food waste. It did not cover training staff outside food service.
What this means
For SFAs
- How the money is released
- By formula from the California Department of Education (CDE), not a competitive grant. Every eligible SFA that opts in receives an allocation. Food service directors opt in through a short online form that includes a high-level budget.
- Who receives it
- SFAs that take part in the federal school meal programs. CDE allocates the money to each SFA's nutrition services department.
- Priority
- Under Education Code section 49507, every SFA gets a base amount, with priority for SFAs that did not receive the last round, then more for SFAs with high shares of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals; the rest follows total meals served. In 2022, each SFA got a base of about $100,000 plus a share based on meals served.
- Program area 5
- An SFA can spend its money on any combination of the five areas, including all of it on hands-on food education.
- Staffing
- Because the money is one-time, permanent positions are discouraged. An SFA can use it to hire or expand its food service staff, to continue a partnership with a CBO that provides school garden education, or to start one, and CBOs can help pair KIT funds with other or matching sources to keep a program going.
- Permanence
- Program area 5 is now permanent in state law as an allowed use of KIT funds. The funding is not: the $500 million is one-time, and any future round needs a new budget appropriation. KIT has had four one-time rounds: $150 million in 2021, $600 million in 2022, $145 million in 2025 and $500 million in 2026-27.
- Still to be decided by CDE
- The allocation formula and each SFA's amount; which costs qualify, such as staff time, supplies, teacher training, or garden and farm infrastructure; reporting, where CDE expects more than in past rounds, including tracking spending; and the dates to opt in and receive the money.
For community organizations
- Community-based organizations
- CBOs do not apply. They can partner with an SFA as a contracted provider. Contracts follow the district's own procurement rules (a micro-purchase, an invitation for bid or a request for proposals), and thresholds vary by district, so check with the district's business office.
- What is allowed
- CDE has not set spending criteria for program area 5 yet and plans a webinar on allowable costs. Until then, the 2022 and 2025 KIT guidelines are the best reference. Based on earlier rules, such as those for spending school meal funds on nutrition education, activities could be expected to connect to the school meal program, for example standards-aligned garden-based instruction where students grow fruits and vegetables and prepare healthy dishes that encourage healthy eating.
When the money arrives
July 2026
Signed into law
SFAs can begin planning next year's programs.
Fall 2026
CDE sets how the money is allocated and other administrative procedures
By December 2026
CDE sends the opt-in request to SFAs
CDE's target date.
First half of 2027
Money allocated to SFAs that opt in
Expected; CDE sets the exact dates.
June 30, 2030
Deadline to commit the money
Signed contracts or purchase orders in place.
June 30, 2031
Final report due
How the money was spent.
We'll email you when CDE sets its spending criteria.
How we work with partners
We work with both sides of a KIT partnership: SFAs, which receive the money, and community organizations, which can partner with them to provide the programs.
Share our fact sheet with your SFA
Tell your SFA about the KIT Fund: one page, ready to attach to an email. · PDF
Watch our announcement webinar
The October 21 session's recording, slides and summary.
Take our October 2026 KIT Fund survey
Tell us which districts you work with, what you can offer and what you need.
School districts
We help SFAs put KIT funds into hands-on food education.
Get our newsletter
Training for SFA staff on using KIT funds for hands-on food and garden education, including webinars co-hosted with CDE. We'll email you when the next session is set.
Toolkit for SFAs
What the money can pay for and how to contract with a partner. In development.
Coalition members near you
Find your SFA to see the members near it who run garden and food education programs. We'll introduce you.
Community organizations
We train community organizations to partner with their district's SFA and put its KIT funds into hands-on food education.
Get our newsletter
Training that prepares community organizations to be effective SFA partners. We'll email you when the next session is set.
Toolkit for community organizations
For community organizations that partner with SFAs. In development.
Your district's food service director
We introduce you to the person who manages your district's KIT funds. Find your SFA to start.
Write to us at hello@caschoolgardens.org about your plans.