2025 New England Food Vision Prize Winners

Celebrating Farm to School Partnerships Across New England

We are thrilled to announce the winners of the June 2025 New England Food Vision Prize!

We received 32 applications from teams across all six New England states, requesting a combined $2.9 million in funding. After a competitive review process, we are awarding 12 Prizes, distributing more than $1 million to strengthen our regional food system.

These Prize programs and projects represent partnerships that connect public schools and higher education institutions with local farmers, fishermen, food hubs, and distributors. Together, they will increase access to regionally produced food for over 350 schools in both rural and urban communities – from western Connecticut and northern Vermont to the cities of Boston, MA, Burlington, VT, and Portland, ME.

When federal grant cancellations disrupted food systems this spring, we reconsidered whether to move forward with the 2025 Prize. With support from our board and guidance from our community, we made key changes:

• A simplified application process
• Multiple application cycles
• Capped requests at $100,000 to fund more projects

These changes to the Prize are helping us meet this moment of uncertainty with responsiveness and resolve – ensuring continued investment in our region’s schools, producers, and communities.

This year’s winners reflect that spirit. From halal meals made with Maine-grown ingredients to school-ready breads baked with Vermont grains, Prize programs and projects are putting more local foods on school menus. Food hubs and processors will expand their institutional markets with new equipment and distribution capacity and revolving funds will provide a new tool to better align the growing season with the school year.  

Whether sustaining previous work or launching new programs – these Prizes are pushing farm-to-school forward.

Congratulations to all our June Prize recipients working to grow a stronger, more resilient New England food system, and thank you to our five Prize reviewers who helped to determine the winning Prizes.

Winning Food Vision Prizes

• Food Connects: Growing the Institutional Supply Chain and Driving Demand for Local Food in K-12 and Higher Education, VT
• Fresh Flavor Café: Expanding Global Taste with Local Foods, CT
• Growing Collaborative Menu and Crop Planning with Maine School Nutrition Directors and Farmers, ME
• Growing Farm-to-School’s Impact in Rural Vermont: Addressing Procurement, Supply Chains, and Training,
• Local Food Procurement by Addison County Central School District, VT
• Intervale Food Hub – Infrastructure Capacity to Grow Local Institutional Markets, VT
• Leveraging Commodity and Local Produce to Improve School Meals, MA
• Local Food Works for Farmers and Educational Institutions Year-Round, MA
• Maine Halal Food Initiative, ME
• Maine Marinara Collaborative – New Product Innovation for Sustainability, ME
• On the Rise: VT Bread for VT Schools Fresh Flavor Café: Expanding Global Taste with Local Foods, VT
• Unlocking Institutional Markets: Growing Farmer Capacity, Compliance, and K–12 Partnerships at New Entry Food Hub, MA

READ ABOUT THE JUNE 2025 PRIZE WINNERS

Looking Ahead: Apply for the October Prize Round

We are excited to announce that the next round of funding will open August 11th. We invite school nutrition teams, campus dining services, and their nonprofit, government, municipal, and for-profit partners to submit proposals for the October Prize round.

Applications are due September 12th, and awards will be announced on October 17th.

As a reminder, the Prize has two primary goals:

1. To increase the amount of regionally produced food served in K–12 schools, colleges, and universities across New England
2. To elevate student awareness, interest, and engagement with local food systems as active consumers

We look forward to seeing how your ideas will continue to shape a resilient food future for New England.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE OCTOBER FOOD VISION PRIZE