Opportunity Overview
The Connecticut Department of Agriculture is accepting FY 2027 CT Grown for CT Kids Grant Full Grant applications for farm-to-school projects. The Full Grant deadline is November 9, 2026 at 12:00 PM | Noon EST. The Department expects approximately $825,000 to be available for Full Grant applications within the approximately $950,000 FY 2027 program.
Funding and Eligibility
Full Grant applicants may request more than $5,000 and up to $50,000 for projects lasting 12 to 24 months. No match is required. The FY 2027 guidance lists local or regional boards of education, regional education service centers, private schools or institutions, colleges and universities including student-led groups, eligible cooperative arrangements, childcare providers, and organizations or entities administering or assisting with a farm-to-school program as program-eligible applicants. For this Full Grant record, Atlas treats only the Cafeteria and Classroom categories as authoritatively verified because the guidance’s dedicated Full Grant section expressly identifies those two categories. Applicants that received CT Grown for CT Kids funds for the past two years cannot apply this year, and each eligible applicant may submit only one application and select one grant category.
Eligible Full Grant Categories
Cafeteria projects may support local procurement capacity, kitchen capacity, food-service training, processing and equipment that make Connecticut-grown food purchases more feasible. Classroom projects may support experiential learning, AgTech and innovation, including school gardens, hydroponic or aquaponic systems, agricultural sensors and data collection, nutrition education, climate-smart agriculture and other hands-on farm-to-school learning. The dedicated Full Grant section expressly states that Full Grants are for Cafeteria and Classroom categories. Although the guidance’s summary table and later maximum-award language also mention Community, Atlas does not treat Community or ECE as verified Full Grant outreach pathways on the current record. Any applicant seeking a Community or ECE Full Grant should obtain direct Connecticut Department of Agriculture clarification before relying on that pathway.
Application Requirements and Restrictions
Applications are completed through the Department of Agriculture online grant portal. Depending on the project and applicant, required materials can include estimates or quotes for services and infrastructure and state vendor documents such as a W-9, Vendor Form and Direct Deposit Form. K-12 public schools are already registered in the state payment system and are not required to complete those vendor forms. Up to three signed letters of support on organizational letterhead are optional.
Ineligible costs include expenses incurred before contract execution, land acquisition or mortgages, borrowing costs, routine business expenses, tuition or scholarships, indirect or contingency costs, litigation expenses and lobbying. Personnel salary and fringe costs are limited to 25% of requested funds, up to $12,500, and may only support new employees. Capital expenditures must be justified. Grantees may request up to 50% of grant funds as an advance after full contract execution; remaining funds are reimbursed after project completion and acceptance of the final report.
Evaluation Priorities
The competitive review emphasizes project impact, readiness, work plan, measurable outcomes, budget reasonableness, sustainability and broad support. Published priorities include purchasing from Connecticut producers, serving Alliance Districts or other priority populations, demonstrating stakeholder support, maximizing long-term student benefit, participation in the FY 2025-2026 CT Fresh Ed: Buy Local Program where applicable, and creating at least one student or family activity during CT Grown for CT Kids Week.
Atlas Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 82/100. This is a well-defined Connecticut school and education funding opportunity with a $50,000 applicant ceiling, no match requirement, clear scoring criteria, broad education eligibility and an authoritatively stated deadline and time zone.
N9+ Fit Score: 0/100. The program is focused on farm-to-school, local food, nutrition education and agricultural learning. Although technology and equipment can be eligible in the Classroom and Cafeteria categories, the current guidance does not establish a legitimate connected-clinical-device use case. Atlas will not force a Nonagon N9+ device and platform role.
QC Healthcare Fit: 0/100. The current guidance does not establish a healthcare-service procurement or clinical-service role for QC Healthcare.
Next Steps
Confirm the applicant has not received CT Grown for CT Kids funding in each of the past two years, choose one eligible Full Grant category, align the project to the published scoring rubric, prepare the required organizational, financial, budget and project materials, and submit through the Connecticut Department of Agriculture portal by November 9, 2026 at 12:00 PM | Noon EST.
Official sources: CT Grown for CT Kids Grant webpage and FY 2027 Grant Application Guidelines.