Introduction

Launched by the Henry P. Kendall Foundation in 2018, the New England Food Vision Prize Program aims to increase the amount of local and regional food prepared and served on New England college and university campuses and within K-12 public school districts, helping to strengthen the region’s food system.

Prizes are awarded to projects that build resilience, relationships, and capacity within New England’s academic institutional food supply chain, resulting in increased preparation, sourcing, serving, or use and consumption of local and regional food at K-12 schools and higher education institutions. 

We consider this program to be among our most impactful. Since the launch of the Prize, more than 60 teams across New England have increased regional sourcing in partnership with over 1,000 schools, reaching 400,000 of the region’s students.

The Opportunity

The New England Food Vision Prize will award up to $1.5 million in annual awards to projects that build resiliency, relationships, and capacity within New England’s educational institution food supply chain. 2026 Prize awards may range from $25,000 up to $100,000.

Eligibility

A primary objective of this program is to foster collaboration and create new ways of working together on shared challenges and goals. Primary applicants can be schools, nonprofit organizations, municipalities, or government agencies. At least one educational institution (K-12 or higher education) must be identified as a direct beneficiary of the project. A letter of support will be required from this institution.

2026 Prize Timeline

April 6, 2026 : Applications Open

April 29, 2026  |  3-4:30pm ET : Webinar with Foundation staff and Farm to Institution New England (FINE)

June 5, 2026 : Deadline for Letters of Interest 

June 30, 2026 : Invitation for Full Proposal 

August 7, 2026 : Proposal Deadline 

August – September 2026 : Proposal Review Period 

October 22, 2026 : Recipients Notified