Salad Bars to Schools is a grant program from the Salad Bars to Schools Partnership that provides K-12 schools with in-kind salad bar equipment valued at approximately $2,800 to increase student access to fresh fruits and vegetables during the school day. The program supports schools in transforming their lunchrooms to serve healthier meals by equipping food service staff with the tools needed for fresh food service.

Eligible applicants are K-12 schools enrolled in the National School Lunch Program, with self-managed food services and a minimum enrollment of 100 students. Applications for the current cycle are due March 31, 2026. Grant writing and management resources are also available to help applicants through the process.

The Lunch Box | Salad Bars to Schools School food has become increasingly more processed and less healthy. With the right knowledge and tools, schools can transform their kitchens and lunchrooms to support student health, wellbeing, and academic success. Recipes and menus are the heart of school food change.

These recipes have been developed by school food professionals, kid-tested, and perfected in school kitchens. Management is a general term for: fiscal management, human resources, facilities, assessment, and wellness policies. In order for a district’s food service department to be successful, the director has to be adept in a vast array of subjects.

Roadmap for the School Year Healthy School Food Pathway Wellness Policy & Smart Snacks Procurement is one of the most complex processes within food service departments. In the event of shifting a program from using processed, ready-to-heat foods to scratch cooked recipes, many processes change.

Values-Aligned Procurement Examples of Values-Aligned Procurement Marketing in food service ranges from finding local sponsors, to creating a brand and promotional materials, to engaging students in cooking and menu design. Lunchroom education activities engage students with food-focused learning opportunities. Explore the wide world of fun food programs!

This section is dedicated to the “Big Ideas” - areas we think make a huge impact and will play a large role in the future of school food. Apply for a Grant or Program Our grants and programs help schools serve students fresher, healthier, and tastier meals. Grant Writing & Management Apply for a grant or program Apply for a grant or program School food has become increasingly more processed and less healthy.

With the right knowledge and tools, schools can transform their kitchens and lunchrooms to support student health, wellbeing, and academic success. Recipes and menus are the heart of school food change. These recipes have been developed by school food professionals, kid-tested, and perfected in school kitchens.

Management is a general term for: fiscal management, human resources, facilities, assessment, and wellness policies. In order for a district’s food service department to be successful, the director has to be adept in a vast array of subjects. Roadmap for the School Year Healthy School Food Pathway Wellness Policy & Smart Snacks Procurement is one of the most complex processes within food service departments.

In the event of shifting a program from using processed, ready-to-heat foods to scratch cooked recipes, many processes change. Values-Aligned Procurement Examples of Values-Aligned Procurement Marketing in food service ranges from finding local sponsors, to creating a brand and promotional materials, to engaging students in cooking and menu design. Lunchroom education activities engage students with food-focused learning opportunities.

Explore the wide world of fun food programs! This section is dedicated to the “Big Ideas” - areas we think make a huge impact and will play a large role in the future of school food. Apply for a Grant or Program Apply for a Grant or Program Our grants and programs help schools serve students fresher, healthier, and tastier meals.

Grant Writing & Management Our vision is for every school in the United States to offer a salad bar as part of their meal program—ensuring every student, from elementary school through high school, has daily access to fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and healthy proteins. Salad Bars to Schools grants K–12 schools the equipment and technical assistance they need to successfully implement a salad bar.

The 2026 Salad Bars to Schools grant applications are open! Our vision is for every school in the United States to offer a salad bar as part of their meal program—ensuring every student, from elementary school through high school, has daily access to fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and healthy proteins.

Salad Bars to Schools grants K–12 schools the equipment and technical assistance they need to successfully implement a salad bar. The 2026 Salad Bars to Schools grant applications are open! Our Salad Bars to Schools program provides schools with equipment grants that include a salad bar and related accessories, as well as staff training and marketing resources to support the successful implementation of a salad bar.

Expand student access to a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. Support schools with planning, implementation, and educational resources to ensure the success of their salad bar programs. Reduce packaging waste and promote more sustainable school meal practices.

Salad bar kits come with all the necessary parts to implement a salad bar during meal times. Kits include: Salad bar, including tray rails and sneeze guards Camchillers (to keep food cold) These 6-foot-long, five-well salad bars are suitable for locations that serve at least 100 reimbursable meals per day. Research shows that marketing your salad bar(s) is important for increasing students’ fruit and vegetable consumption.

All schools can download and print our eye-catching marketing materials to boost participation at your salad bar. Grantees receive professionally printed materials as part of their grant package.

How to Use Your Salad Bar Poster Salad Bar Sustainability Hints and Tips Poster (Elementary School Level) Salad Bar Sustainability Hints and Tips Poster (Middle and High School Level) Local Procurement Labeling Cards to identify food items as School Garden Grown, Locally Grown, or Harvest of the Month I Ate a Rainbow Sticker to encourage students to select diverse colors of fruits and vegetables Grantees receive two free enrollments for our School Food Institute’s Salad Bars in Schools self-paced online course .

Determine where you will locate your salad bar. Designate a location before the point of sale (POS) in a central, visible location that fits in the natural flow of the lunch line. This ensures that all students are encouraged to make daily salad bar selections, and it is part of the reimbursable meal offering.

Come up with a procurement plan. How will you need to adjust your purchasing practices to keep the salad bar well-stocked with fresh, appealing produce? See our procurement guide for support.

Get inspired with composed salad recipes. Check out our composed salad bar recipes to plan for delicious salads students will love. Plus, this is a great way to begin scratch cooking!

Train your staff. Assess your team’s skills and develop a training plan engage your team in this change and to build confidence. Check out our salad bar staff training resources .

Determine where you will locate your salad bar. Designate a location before the point of sale (POS) in a central, visible location that fits in the natural flow of the lunch line. This ensures that all students are encouraged to make daily salad bar selections, and it is part of the reimbursable meal offering.

Come up with a procurement plan. How will you need to adjust your purchasing practices to keep the salad bar well-stocked with fresh, appealing produce? See our procurement guide for support.

Get inspired with composed salad recipes. Check out our composed salad bar recipes to plan for delicious salads students will love. Plus, this is a great way to begin scratch cooking!

Train your staff. Assess your team’s skills and develop a training plan engage your team in this change and to build confidence. Check out our salad bar staff training resources .

To be eligible for a Salad Bars to Schools grant, schools must: Participate in the National School Lunch Program Offer the salad bar as part of the reimbursable meal Run a self-operated food service department, not managed by a food service management company Serve any grade level between K-12 Have a school enrollment of at least 100 students Have the food services director be involved in applying, with verification form support from the superintendent To be eligible for a Salad Bars to Schools grant, schools must: Participate in the National School Lunch Program Offer the salad bar as part of the reimbursable meal Run a self-operated food service department, not managed by a food service management company Serve any grade level between K-12 Have a school enrollment of at least 100 students Have the food services director be involved in applying, with verification form support from the superintendent Application Cycle & Funding Process Schools and districts can apply to Salad Bars to Schools grants on a rolling basis any time throughout the year.

The number of salad bar grants available each year depends on funding availability. After schools or districts submit a complete application, the applicant will receive confirmation that their application is on the salad bar applicant list, ready to be considered during the funding round. We issue grants once per year between May and June.

Schools or districts that were selected to receive a salad bar grant package(s) are notified by email. Schools or districts not selected will be notified by email and will invited to renew their application the following year. We consider the length of time a school or district has been on our salad bar applicant list when reviewing renewed applications.

Note: Starting in 2026, schools or districts must renew their application annually to remain on the Salad Bar Applicant List. Application Cycle & Funding Process Schools and districts can apply to Salad Bars to Schools grants on a rolling basis any time throughout the year. The number of salad bar grants available each year depends on funding availability.

After schools or districts submit a complete application, the applicant will receive confirmation that their application is on the salad bar applicant list, ready to be considered during the funding round. We issue grants once per year between May and June. Schools or districts that were selected to receive a salad bar grant package(s) are notified by email.

Schools or districts not selected will be notified by email and will invited to renew their application the following year. We consider the length of time a school or district has been on our salad bar applicant list when reviewing renewed applications. Note: Starting in 2026, schools or districts must renew their application annually to remain on the Salad Bar Applicant List.

The 2026 Salad Bars to Schools grant applications are open! Submit an application today. Applications close on March 31, 2026.

If you have any questions, please contact saladbargrant@chefannfoundation. org . The 2026 Salad Bars to Schools grant applications are open!

Submit an application today. Applications close on March 31, 2026. If you have any questions, please contact saladbargrant@chefannfoundation.

org . Who should fill out the application? It is most common for the food services director to be the applying contact, however another school employee may be the applying contact as well as long as the food service director and their contact information is listed in the application details.

Other common examples of the applying contacts are: Community engagement specialist Sustainability coordinator What is needed to complete an application? Please view the sample application (PDF) before beginning the simple application process.

Examples of the required information include: District enrollment numbers Free and reduced (F/R) participation percentage Answers to multiple choice questions about your school lunch program and how your school will support a salad bar program throughout the school year Contact information for the food services director School district shipping address Superintendent contact information and district address Note: Approval and support from district administrators, as well as district readiness, are essential to the grant application.

Verification and signature forms must be signed by both the food services director and the superintendent and be returned to us before your application can be approved. How long will it take to receive a salad bar after our application has been approved? Our grant applications are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year.

Funding decisions are made each spring, and applicants will be notified if they have been awarded a Salad Bar grant. Schools or districts that are not funded in a given year are encouraged to renew their application for the following cycle, which will also be reviewed and decided in the spring. I work for a school district that would like to apply for multiple salad bars at one time.

Is that possible? Yes. Districts can apply for multiple salad bar packages at once.

Please note that only one Salad Bars to Schools grant is allowed per school site. Districts that have been approved for multiple salad bars may receive an initial notice that funds have become available for some, but not all, of their salad bars; these will be shipped in approximately 4-6 weeks. The remainder of the salad bars will ship once they become fully funded.

My school is private, not public. Can we still apply for the grant? Any self-operated school, public or private, participating in the National School Lunch Program is eligible to apply for the grant.

Schools that are not eligible are encouraged to take advantage of the free resources throughout this site and at The Lunch Box to assist you in planning and implementing a salad bar in your school. What does the evaluation involve? The evaluation survey will take approximately 15-20 minutes.

The evaluation will include providing information regarding the salad bar implementation, such as lunch participation, impact on fresh produce purchase levels, menu and budget adjustments, and general attitude from the students and staff regarding the salad bar program. Who do I contact if I still have questions? Email us at saladbargrant@chefannfoundation.

org with any other questions. Special Thanks to Our Program Sponsor Provides school districts with individualized technical support to begin their journey towards scratch cooking. Our Bulk Milk program helps schools transition from serving milk in single-serve containers to serving milk using bulk dispensers and reusable cups.

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