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Children and young people are more likely to achieve their learning potential when they have access to adequate and healthy food. Food secure school and preschool communities help children and young people to:
- have practical experiences in planting, tending and harvesting food
- access healthy food and foster healthy eating habits
- support their physical health and social, cultural and emotional wellbeing.
We provide funding for initiatives that build the capacity of schools and preschools to create a food secure community for children and their families.
2026 funding
Funding applications for 2026 have now closed. We will let schools and preschools know the results in Term 2, 2026.
In 2026, South Australian government schools and preschools can apply for two different types of grants designed to help their community learn about growing, accessing, and preparing healthy food.
Growing Food Grant up to $2000
Funding of up to $2000 to contribute towards creating, maintaining, or expanding gardens that grow food.
Food Security Grant up to $8000
Funding of up to $8000 for projects that build capacity of schools and preschools to create food secure environments for children and young people and their families.
Funding is available for projects that create or enhance:
- access to healthy food and foster health eating habits
- skills and knowledge in healthy food preparation
- lasting benefits for children and young people’s health and wellbeing.
Who can apply?
Applications can be made by:
- school or preschool staff
- governing councils or associated committees
- canteen staff.
Governing councils, committees and canteen staff will need to work with their school or preschool to lodge an application. A government school principal or preschool director must support the application, so working together is the best way to bring your proposal to life.
Priority will be given to new and innovative projects and for category 1 to 4 sites and category 1 preschools.
Have a great idea for a project?
You can still have a project even without grant funding.
If you’re a parent, carer, or community member and have an idea for a project that could benefit your local school or preschool, we encourage you to speak with your site leaders.
Project activity ideas
Below are some ideas of activities to inspire your project.
Growing food
- Building native bushfood gardens for cultural connection and knowledge sharing. Tools, soil, seeds and plants can be funded.
- Developing local food growing and sharing networks. Promotions and costs of organising can be funded.
- Building community gardens and orchards to grow and prepare fresh, seasonal locally sourced fruit and vegetables and develop social connection. Irrigation, soil, plants and tools can be funded.
- Learning about management of animals and insects, such as chickens and bees. Equipment to care and feed animals and structures can be funded.
- Connecting growing food to culture, curriculum and the environment, such as themed gardening and soil management workshops. Structures and equipment for composting, garden beds and plants can be funded.
- Contribute to staff or community training about developing edible gardens. Registration fees and reading materials can be funded.
Food security projects
- Community cooking workshops - Run hands-on cooking classes for families, students, and staff, focusing on affordable and culturally inclusive healthy recipes. Funds can support facilitation, ingredients, and take-home resources.
- Healthy lunchbox program - Provide a series of sessions for parents, carers and students about creating nutritious, budget-friendly lunchboxes, including demonstrations, printed guides, and starter packs with reusable containers.
- Food storage and preparation upgrades - Purchase refrigeration, shelving, or portable cooking equipment to improve food storage safety and preparation options for special school community food events.
- Pop-up community food pantry - Set up a small food pantry stocked with healthy staples for families experiencing hardship, supported by partnerships with local businesses and volunteers. Funding can cover initial stock, pantry setup, and volunteer training.
- Staff and volunteer upskilling - Provide professional development for staff or community volunteers on supporting food security, planning healthy menus, and delivering nutrition education.
- Seasonal cultural cooking events - Host shared food experiences celebrating the diverse cultural backgrounds of the school community, featuring hands-on cooking sessions and shared healthy meals.
- Student-led snack enterprise - Develop a small business project where students prepare and sell healthy food, learning about growing and preparing food, budgeting, and food safety. Funds can be used for ingredients, equipment, and promotions.
- Breakfast Clubs - Establish or expand a breakfast club, providing healthy morning meals to students in need. Funding could support dedicated storage, serving utensils or equipment. You can access free breakfast food supplies through the department’s Breakfast program providers.
