Literacy for Life Grants

The Literacy for Life Grants, funded by the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom, aim to foster agricultural literacy among K-12 students in California. With grants up to $500, educators can initiate or expand projects integrating agriculture into their curriculum. This initiative not only supports educational growth but also recognizes outstanding educators making a significant impact on their students' learning experiences. Explore various project ideas to inspire innovative agricultural education in classrooms.

The Literacy for Life grants, sponsored by the Oreggia Family Foundation, are designed to help initiate new projects or expand existing ones that promote agricultural literacy. Grants of up to $500 are provided to California K-12 educators to support the integration of agriculture into regular classroom instruction.
Explore the list of project ideas and read how previous recipients have used this funding to improve agricultural learning opportunities on their campuses. The applications are also used to select the Outstanding Educator of the year. Thank you Oreggia Family Foundation for helping these amazing K-12 teachers as they make a difference for California's 7 million students.
Outreach
Host a farm day.Host a agriculture-based assembly.Host a farm day for a local elementary school.Host an agricultural careers day at your school.Celebrate National Agriculture Day with a field trip or class speaker about agriculture's impact in California.Set up a pen pal program with another county or state. Have students write letters to their pals to learn about agriculture in different geographical locations.Host an agriculture-based assembly for the entire school.
Field Trips
Host a field trip or farm tour.Visit a production farming operation, greenhouse or nursery.Tour your local farmers market while learning about the commodities that are grown in your area.Visit an agriculture trade show such as the World Ag Expo or a county fair.
Science
Grow a pizza garden! Have students plant and harvest vegetables to make a pizza.Choose a fruit or vegetable that can be picked in season and preserved for later enjoyment. Research the preservation process and have students create a poster to illustrate it.Purchase materials to implement a CFAITC lesson plan.Purchase agriculture-related literature from CFAITC Teacher Resource Guide for the school library.Build a chicken coop and study the process of egg formation.
Nutrition
Perform taste tests in your classroom to educate students about the health benefits of fruits and vegetables.Compare the look, taste, and smell of organic and conventionally grown fruits and vegetables. Have students research both farming practices and record their observations in a chart or diagram.Have students select a commodity, state the nutritional benefits and then research the by-products that are made from that commodity. Bring the commodities in for a classroom presentation.

Eligibility

Literacy for Life grants are available to certified K-12 teachers throughout California.The proposed grant project must be completed within the upcoming school year.