Center for Regional Food Systems Michigan Farm to School

East Lansing, MI— Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub announced today that it will open the second round of a funding opportunity for collaborations of local food system leaders who want school meals to better reflect our region’s harvests and cultural diversity, particularly as 1.4 million kids in Michigan eat school meals every day. Grant applications open on Feb. 14, 2025. and the Hub will host a launch webinar on Feb. 27.        

Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and convened by the Illinois Public Health Institute (IPHI), the Innovation Hub offers grants up to $100,000 to build pathways for local and nutritious food to reach more schools across Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Indiana—especially in areas that don’t have equitable access to resources. The Innovation Hub seeks applicants who have ideas to strengthen our local school food system and want to join collaborative teams to bring those ideas to life.  

“We’re looking forward to see people across Michigan from farmers and food suppliers to food service directors and community-based program leaders—come together to help the food that kids eat at school be more local, more nourishing and more loved,” said May Tsupros, Director of Farm to Institution Programs at Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems, a leading member of the Innovation Hub. “The grants will give us the opportunity to address historical inequities in our school food system and better serve our communities.”   

This year, grants from $30,000 to $100,000 are available to teams that may include farmers, food suppliers, school foodservice directors, food industry partners, community-based program leaders and more. The Innovation Hub will invest in community-driven ideas of all sizes and scopes—from hyper-local projects to multistate collaborations—as long as projects direct more resources to students, schools and local economies. The Innovation Hub welcomes all applications and will prioritize investments in communities that have been underserved. This includes applications from people of color; people who live in rural areas; and people with limited incomes. More information about eligible applicants can be found at InnovateSchoolFood.org/what-we-fund. 

“I brought my experience as a small farmer to the creation of the Innovation Hub applications, and I’m thrilled to see this initiative come to life,” said Angie Kuehl, Pomona, IL. “It is critical for our students that we celebrate our cultures at home and at school, and I believe the community will come together with new, innovative ideas to provide more comfort and nourishment to school meals. We look forward to strengthening old relationships and building new ones as funding becomes available to address racism, discrimination and historically underserved communities.”  

“IPHI is thrilled to have the opportunity to work with partners in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin to fund innovative school meal projects across the region,” said Crystal Tyler, CEO of the IPHI. “Communities are the best designers of innovative projects that will help students get the nourishing meals they need to thrive. We can’t wait to see—and support—innovations that will transform the school food system and address historical inequities in ways that better serve Midwest communities.” 

The Innovation Hub is hosting a launch webinar to provide interested participants with an overview of the grant opportunity and to get applicants connected to grant application support. The webinar will be held on Feb. 27, 2025, at 10 a.m. CST/11 a.m. EST in Spanish and at 11 a.m. CST/12 p.m. EST in English. Registration is now open at this link (in English) or this link (in Spanish). Additionally, a representative from Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems is available to help guide prospective grantees from idea to application submission.   

For more information, visit InnovateSchoolFood.org. To explore resources, join office hours and/ or connect with the State Lead Team at Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems, please complete our Interest Form. 

Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub nurtures community-driven collaborations that reimagine students’ meals. By working together, we’re building pathways for local, nutritious and culturally relevant food to reach more schools across Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Indiana—especially in areas that don’t have equitable access to resources. We offer funding, training and other help to collectives of schools, school districts, organizations, farmers, producers, suppliers, distributors, and other food industry partners who are transforming our school food system to better serve our communities. We are funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative and convened by the Illinois Public Health Institute. Organizations leading the initiative include Seven Generations Ahead (Illinois), Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems (Michigan), NWI Food Council (Indiana), Kids Forward (Wisconsin), healthTIDE (Wisconsin), and Action for Healthy Kids. InnovateSchoolFood.org