LANSING, Mich. — School districts across Michigan now have a shot at state money to cook more lunches from raw ingredients instead of reheating processed food. A new Scratch Cooking Pilot run through the state agriculture department’s Farm to Family Program offers grants of up to $100,000 per district.
There is a catch on who can apply. Eligibility is limited to districts whose cafeterias are already purchasing food grown or made in Michigan, so the pilot is aimed at districts that have started down the local-food path and want to go further.
Districts can spend it on new kitchen gear, facility improvements, supplies, training for cafeteria workers and the paperwork side of running the program. Applicants pick one of six grant packages. A chopping package worth up to $25,000 covers gear for processing fruits and vegetables faster, and a blending package of the same size supports homemade sauces, soups, smoothies and rice dishes. Batch cooking and protein packages run up to $50,000 each, the batch option built around equipment such as tilt skillets and steam-jacketed kettles. A partnering package goes up to $75,000.
Every district that wins a grant also gets training, guidance and technical help. The state plans to use the pilot to measure how scratch cooking changes menu nutrition, how many students eat school meals, labor costs and local food buying.
Funding for the pilot was written into the bipartisan budget for fiscal year 2027, which Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed in July. State agriculture officials pitched it as a win for Michigan farmers and food producers too, since it opens a new market for their products in school kitchens. Michigan already makes free school meals the standard statewide.
The first step for interested districts is a letter of intent, due in late November, followed by an invitation to submit a full application through the state grant system. A virtual information session is set for Nov. 10 at 1 p.m. Eastern.
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