Who we are

The California School Garden Coalition is a network of more than 90 organizations that teach in school gardens across the state: nonprofits, school districts, county offices of education and farms. We started in 2022 to win a lasting source of state funding for garden education.

What just happened

In 2026 California put $500 million into school kitchens and food education through the Kitchen Infrastructure and Training Fund. For the first time, hands-on garden and nutrition education is one of the things a district can spend it on. The coalition and its members spent two years making that case in Sacramento.

Why we need your help now

The money goes to district food service departments, which usually do not run education programs. Without training, tools and outreach, it goes to familiar kitchen costs, and the chance to pay for the lessons that change what students eat is lost.

We are raising $80,000 to carry the coalition through mid-2027, the window in which districts decide how to use the funds. That pays for:

Training. Webinars with the California Department of Education for district staff, and sessions that prepare community organizations to be effective district partners.
Tools. A district toolkit with allowable uses, sample scopes of work and budget templates, and a community organization toolkit with outreach templates, talking points and case studies.
Reach. Getting those resources to the people who decide.

Every gift, at any size, helps keep a garden educator in front of students.

Thank you

The organizations that have funded this work so far: Garden School Foundation, Growing Together, Life Lab, Living Classroom, One Cool Earth, Sage Garden Project, The School Garden Doctor and Ventura County Farm to School.

Growing Together Bay Area Inc, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 88-2293022), is the coalition's fiscal sponsor and receives gifts on its behalf. Your donation is tax-deductible.

Put California's new school food money to work in the garden

The state just set aside $500 million for school kitchens and food education. Help us advocate for that money to go towards funding hands-on garden and nutrition education.