Many of our partners across the country are facing devastating and quickly evolving challenges due to the ongoing funding freeze and cuts being made by the current administration. In February, Center staff visited Capitol Hill to talk to legislators about the effects of this uncertainty and what it means for people growing food, feeding their communities, and relying on institutions for their meals.

On March 7, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that the previously announced 2025 funding for Local Food for Schools and Child Care Cooperative Agreement (LFSCC) and Local Food Purchasing Assistance Cooperative Agreement program (LFPA) is being terminated. Both LFSCC and LFPA created opportunities for local farmers and producers to access and expand market channels through school and food bank purchases.

This reduction eliminates $1 billion in funding that would have supported farmers across the country to provide high-quality food to our communities through schools and food banks. Our partners at National Farm to School Network (NFSN) have launched an action alert and story collection page for individuals and organizations to share how these cuts are directly affecting communities and constituents, as well as a media coverage tracker.

In addition, the following resources offer connections to support and opportunities to join collective response and group advocacy efforts:

• National Resource Guide for Producers by the American Farmland Trust

• Grassroots Funding Freeze Mobilization Toolkit by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)

• Federal Cuts Map and Tracker for submission of media coverage about impacts and stories from federal workers, federal business partners, and grant or loan recipients

• National Young Farmers Coalition Call to Action

As one of the founding organizations in the Federal Good Food Purchasing Coalition, the Center engages in federal efforts to strengthen values-aligned procurement including defining strategic purchasing goals with Federal institutions, promoting the implementation of data and transparency from Department of Defense, and exploring opportunities for the USDA to support institutional purchasing values through commodity purchasing and programs such as Local Food for Schools.

Individuals can help promote policy that makes purchasing more just, healthy, and sustainable by joining coordinated efforts through the Federal Good Food Purchasing Coalition. Organizations interested in becoming part of the coalition are encouraged to contact the Federal Good Food Purchasing Coalition.

To learn more about the Center for Good Food Purchasing’s policy work, please contact Amy Nelms, Policy Fellow, at anelms@goodfoodpurchasing.org.