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Funding opportunities
Funding for food education
Since its inception in 2001, schools have been supported in implementing the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program through a number of different national and state government funding opportunities. These grants represent part-funding for the Program, with schools expected to contribute the balance from their own resources and community networks.
Please note as of May 2012 the Foundation has been successful in securing further funding from the Australian Government. This funding, provided by the Department of Health and Ageing, will make the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program more affordable, flexible and accessible to Australian schools with a primary curriculum. Please register your interest and we will contact you directly regarding how this affects your school.
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 is 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'). Since 2007 the Victorian Government has 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.
National opportunities
Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden National Program - Australia
Funding has been available to schools through the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden National Program. The Australian Government committed $12.8 million to fund the rollout of the Kitchen Garden 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 from 2008 to 2012. Applications for the fourth round of funding closed in June 2011.
'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 register interest?
The 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