Nebraska Department of Education RHTP Initiative 1.3 Request for Application: Farm-to-School Procurement and Policy Technical Assistance

Nebraska Department of Education · Posted June 15, 2026

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Application Due

August 31, 2026

in 45 days

Summary

The Nebraska Department of Education RHTP Initiative 1.3 Request for Application for Farm-to-School Procurement and Policy Technical Assistance provides approximately $8.34 million in federal funding to eligible rural, tribal, and frontier local farmers, ranchers, producers, cooperatives, and food suppliers. Grants up to $150,000 per eligible entity are intended to expand local food production, aggregation, processing, and distribution infrastructure for kitchen-ready products that support healthy scratch- and semi-scratch-cooked meal options in schools. Funding is restricted to equipment purchases (minimum $10,000 per item), such as refrigerators, trailers, packaging equipment, and food safety tools, that increase access to locally grown or raised foods in the school meal supply chain. Funds may not be used for administrative costs, food purchases, construction, or other ineligible activities. Priority is given to projects increasing local food access in rural/tribal/frontier communities and food deserts. Required activities include procurement process documentation, menu and school impact narratives, and participation in NDE-hosted technical assistance activities. Awards are subject to completeness, alignment with program purpose, demonstrated need, readiness, and compliance with federal grant requirements. All awards are discretionary and payments reimbursed upon submission of approved purchase documentation.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants are local farmers, ranchers, producers, cooperatives, and food suppliers serving rural and frontier counties, tribal communities, or food deserts in Nebraska. Applicants must demonstrate capacity and readiness to purchase, manage, and deploy equipment to increase the supply of locally produced, minimally processed foods for use in school meals.

Local FarmerRancherProducerCooperativeFood Supplier

Requirements Checklist

Applicants must submit a complete application and required documents, including: detailed project narrative describing equipment to be purchased and its intended use, identification of schools to be served, integration plan for local foods into school meals, three price quotes per equipment item, justification if lowest-priced vendor is not selected, documentation of procurement and purchase, readiness to use and manage equipment, and description of technical assistance and staff training needs. Entities must retain all procurement, purchase, and use records; participate in required NDE technical assistance; and submit required reporting. Non-allowable costs include administrative expenses, food purchases, construction, or purchases unrelated to food production, processing, aggregation, and distribution. Individual awards are limited to $150,000; equipment must have a per-item value exceeding $10,000. All documentation for reimbursement must be submitted by 07/01/2027.

Required attachments

Completed Application Form
Project Narrative (equipment description, use, schools served)
Three Price Quotes per Equipment Item
Justification for Non-lowest Quote
Procurement and Purchase Documentation
Implementation Timeline
Measurement and Reporting Plan
Letters of Support
Technical Assistance Description
Proof of Payment (for reimbursement)
Reporting forms as specified in grant agreement

Submission Instructions

Applications must be submitted via the Nebraska Department of Education Application Portal (https://nde.submitgrants.ne.gov) by 11:59 PM (Central) on 08/31/2026.

Source Documents

Primary: 1Supporting: 58Reference: 2

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Award Recipients (38)

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38 recipientsTotal: $8.45M

Application Prep

Application #: RHTP Initiative 1.3 RFA # not published

Reference: Initiative 1.3

Program: Rural Health Transformation Program

Match: Not required

Performance: 06/01/2026 - 06/30/2027

Key Dates:

RFA Release - 06/15/2026
Application Window Opens - 06/12/2026
Application Due - 08/31/2026
Period Start - 06/01/2026
Period End - 06/30/2027
Final Report Due - 06/30/2027

Review Criteria:

Completeness of application and required documentation
Alignment of equipment purchases with local food access goals
Demonstrated need and readiness for procurement
Identification of schools to be served and menu integration
Priority for rural/frontier/tribal/food desert communities
Compliance with grant requirements and documentation
Capacity for supply chain coordination and technical assistance participation

Portal: https://nde.submitgrants.ne.gov/

Budget Range

Minimum$10K

Maximum$150K

Contact

Nebraska Department of Education Nutrition Services

nde.nutritionservices@nebraska.gov

Nebraska Department of Education Nutrition Services

nde.nsweb@nebraska.gov

AddedMay 30, 2026

UpdatedJul 17, 2026

Confidence95/100