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Program funders
Funding for food education
Schools implementing the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program are supported through a range of varying national and state government funding opportunities. In addition to these part-funding opportunities, schools are expected to contribute the balance to run the Program from their own resources and community networks.
National opportunities
Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden National Program - Australia
In August 2012 the Australian Government committed further funding of $5.4 million to support the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden National Program over three years and provide opportunity for 400 new schools to join, bringing the total number of schools running the Program to over 650. Click here to find out more about joining the Program.
Previous funding between 2008 and 2012 saw the Australian Government commit $12.8 million to fund the rollout of the Kitchen Garden National Program and build kitchen and garden infrastructure in up to 190 primary schools across Australia. Infrastructure grants of up to $66,000 (GST inclusive) per school were allocated in grant rounds over a four-year period.
State opportunities
Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Queensland Program
In 2011 the Queensland Government announced almost $2 million in funding to help schools implement the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Queensland Program.
The funding was in the form of infrastructure grants of up to $66,000 (GST inclusive) per school.
Read about the official announcement of the successful schools here.
Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Victorian Program
Funding has been available to Victorian schools through the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Victorian Program (formerly the ‘Go for your life' Kitchen Garden Project with Stephanie Alexander'). From 2007 the Victorian Government provided $3.94 million in three phases for the rollout of the Kitchen Garden Program into Victorian government schools with primary enrolments.
Each successful school received a grant of $62,500, with $12,500 apportioned towards building a kitchen and garden, and $50,000 towards staffing the Kitchen Garden Program for two years.
'Establishing a Kitchen Garden Program in your school is well worth the effort; the benefits to the students are essential and multifarious. I believe that some of what is learned will continue to influence these students long after they have moved on from their years in the kitchen garden. The more entrenched the philosophy becomes in the school the richer the learnings can be.'
Why should my school apply to join?
The experience-based Kitchen Garden Program has many benefits for the entire school community.* These include:
- Increasing students' knowledge, confidence and skills in cooking and gardening
- Developing a greater understanding of healthy and sustainable eating among students
- Increasing students' willingness to try new foods
- Engaging disengaged students, particularly ‘non-academic learners' and children with challenging behaviours
- Potentially improving academic learning
- Supporting your school's curriculum requirements
- Benefiting the family home as students share and apply their learnings outside the Program
- Helping create links between schools and the community.
The Foundation provides all schools with ongoing training and support to ensure their Kitchen Garden Program is successful and sustainable in the long term.
*Based on an independent evaluation.