Nebraska Department of Education · Posted June 15, 2026
RHTP 1.3 award-cap language updated
Nebraska’s 08/27/2026 Addendum 1 removes the prior maximum-award language in the Awards section. The same addendum later states that rolling awards are up to $150,000, so the $150,000 operative award limit remains displayed pending further clarification.
View 1.3 Addendum ↗Application Due
August 31, 2026
The Nebraska Department of Education RHTP Initiative 1.3 Request for Application: Farm-to-School Procurement and Policy Technical Assistance provides up to $8,344,000 in federal funds to eligible Nebraska farmers, ranchers, producers, cooperatives, and food suppliers. Grants of up to $150,000 per entity support the purchase of equipment (each item must exceed $10,000 in value) needed for local food production, aggregation, processing, and distribution—specifically to expand school meal program access to minimally processed local foods, including proteins. Eligible equipment includes refrigeration units, trailers, packaging equipment, pallet jacks, food safety equipment, and related infrastructure that enables farm-to-school supply chains. Administrative costs, food purchases, or construction are not allowable expenses. Projects serving rural, tribal, frontier, or food desert communities receive priority consideration. Successful applicants must comply with 2 CFR 200 and 2 CFR 300 federal procurement, inventory, documentation, and reporting requirements. Grant recipients are required to demonstrate readiness for timely procurement and installation, participate in NDE technical assistance and training, partner with schools on menu integration activities, and submit required outcome and purchasing reports. Applications are reviewed and funded on a rolling basis through August 31, 2026, or until funds are exhausted. All grant-funded activities must be completed and funds fully expended by June 30, 2027, with final documentation to NDE due by July 1, 2027.
Eligible applicants are local farmers, ranchers, producers, cooperatives, and food suppliers operating in Nebraska. Priority is given to those serving rural and frontier counties, tribal communities, and areas designated as food deserts. Applicants must be able to procure, install, and manage equipment, actively partner with schools for menu integration, comply with all federal/state requirements, and participate in technical assistance and reporting activities hosted by NDE.
Required attachments
Applications must be submitted electronically via the Nebraska Department of Education Application Portal (https://nde.submitgrants.ne.gov) by 11:59 PM Central Time on 08/31/2026. Alternatively, applications may be submitted to nde.nsweb@nebraska.gov as specified in the RFA.
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Application Prep
Application #: Not specified in RFA
Reference: Initiative 1.3
Program: Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP)
Match: Not required
Performance: 06/01/2026 - 06/30/2027
Key Dates:
Review Criteria:
Portal: https://nde.submitgrants.ne.gov/
Budget Range
Contact
Kayte.Partch@nebraska.gov
Nebraska Department of Education Nutrition Services
nde.nutritionservices@nebraska.gov
Nebraska Department of Education Nutrition Services
nde.nsweb@nebraska.gov