Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program

Funding for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) is available for the 2020-21 school year through the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-234). The program is designed to help create healthier school environments and combat childhood obesity. The FFVP expands the variety of fruits and vegetables children experience, increases their fruit and vegetable consumption, and can positively impact their present and future health.

Funds provided to each school cover the costs associated with administering the program, including the cost of food, labor, supplies, and equipment costs.  Nebraska will be awarded a specified amount for the grant period of July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021. The grant will be awarded to schools in two parts: July 1 – September 30, 2020 and October 1, 2019 – June 30, 2021.

Overview of USDA’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program

Awarded schools offer fresh fruits and vegetables to students, at no cost to the students, during the school day. Schools must establish an implementation plan that includes service methods and frequency (serving a minimum of two days a week), integration of nutrition education, FFVP marketing and promotion and overall program administration and monitoring.

Schools with the highest enrollment of students eligible for free and reduced-price meals are given priority for participation in the FFVP based on the school data reported each October. To meet eligibility for the program, schools must:

• Be an elementary school.
• Represent the highest percentage of students certified for free and reduced-price benefits (at least 50 percent of enrolled students).
• Participate in the National School Lunch Program.
• Complete the FFVP application each year (available at the end of each school year, for the following school year).

Funding to each school  is based on the school’s enrollment for the participating grades, with a $50per-student allocation for the 2020-2021 school year.

List of FFVP Awarded School Buildings 2020-2021

Resources for School Year 2020-21 FFVP Participating Sites

School Year 2020-21 FFVP Grant Award Requirements and Instructions

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Operations for SY 2020-21 during COVID-19, Memo SP 23-2020

USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Handbook

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Fees in FSMC Contracts, Memo SP 33-2012

FFVP Application

A pdf version of the SY 2020-2021 FFVP Application can be reviewed here: PDF Reference Version of Application.

May 29, 2020 was the deadline for submitting the SY 2020-2021 FFVP application. Applications are no longer being accepted. NDE will notify all SY 2020-21 FFVP Grant Recipients the status of awards by mid-August, pending announcement by USDA of state allocation amounts.