What is the Portland Public Schools (PPS) Food Fund?

The PPS Food Fund is a collaboration of the Foundation for PPS and Food Fuels Learning (FFL) and is made possible through generous donations by the community. The PPS Food Fund was established to provide community members the opportunity to invest in grassroots, school-based projects that build food security for PPS students and their families.

The PPS Food Fund is not accepting applications at this time.

How do I know if I can apply?
Please review this Request for Proposals for comprehensive information and details about the PPS Food Fund and application process. 

All applicants must illustrate that the proposed project falls within these criteria: 
  • Project Area: within the Portland Public School District
  • Age Range: families with children or PPS students
  • Project Reach: more than a single family unit
  • Project must be related to immediate and/or long-term food security
What is the grant range?
Grants are available between $100-$500
Questions?
If you have questions about the application or PPS Food Fund, please contact zoe@ccfoodsecurity.org.

Ready to Apply?

Before applying, please review this Request for Proposals. 

Then, submit your application by completing the online application below by March 22, 2023.

How to Donate

A secure online contribution can be made at:
https://foundationforpps.kindful.com
In the select a campaign drop down menu, please choose: PPS Food Fund.
(Please note – all contributions made online are assessed a fee from the payment processor (Stripe.) This will decrease the amount of your gift by about 3 percent.)
Checks should be made payable to:
Foundation for Portland Public Schools (or FPPS)
353 Cumberland Avenue
Portland, ME 04101
Attn: Jeanine Bischoff
In the memo line, please write:
PPS Food Fund

PPS Food Fund Grantees 

Spring 2023 Grantees ($7,850 granted in total)
  • Locker Project
  • Presente Maine
  • Talbot Community School Garden
  • East End Community School Garden
  • Lyseth Elementary School Garden
  • Talbot Community School Charitable Food
  • King Middle School Community Action Days
  • Ndebanje's Food Ministry
  • Presumpscot Elementary School Food Pantry
  • Greater Portland Family Promise
  • East End Community School Community Coordinator
  • FoodCorps/Cultivating Community
  • East End Community School ESOL
  • Rowe Elementary School Garden
  • Portland High School ESOL
  • Unified Asian Communities
  • Deering High School ESOL
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Spring 2022 Grantees ($17,750 granted in total)
  • Deering High School Extended Learning Opportunities
  • The Locker Project
  • Cumberland County Head Start
  • Unified Asian Communities
  • Portland Public Schools Multilingual Office
  • Presente Maine
  • Greater Portland Family Promise
  • Talbot Community School Garden
  • Lyman Moore Middle School Social Studies

Summer 2021 Emergency Grantees ($1,500 granted in total)
  • Unified Asian Communities - Theresa Kim
  • PPS Social Workers - Maureen Clancy

Spring 2021 Grantees ($10,350 granted in total)
  • Presente Maine - Crystal Cron  
  • Breathe Program - Elizabeth Sommo
  • Cumberland County Head Start - Kelly Donohoe
  • Cafeteria at Rowe Elementary School  & East End Community School - Jessica Puzak & Ailish Dennigan
  • Greater Portland Family Promise - Michelle Lamm

Spring & Summer 2020 Emergency Grantees
($28,783.40 granted in total)
  • The Locker Project - Kathryn Sargent
  • PPS Food Service - Jane McLucas  
  • PPS Social Workers - Susan Wiggin  
  • Cultivating Community - Lily Chaleff  
  • East End Community School  - Naila Wissa  
  • Food For All Services - Khadija Ahmed  
  • FoodCorps - Rachel Solomon  
  • Presente Maine - Crystal Cron

Fall 2019 Grantees ($900 granted in total)
  • King Food Pantry - Becky Bell 
  • Talbot (Riverton) Elemenary School - Alison Richards  
  • Casco Bay High School - Nancy Berang

Grantee Project Highlights

​We are kicking off our new round Food Fund Spotlights with this exciting project from PPS Elementary Cafeteria Team Leaders Ailish Dennigan and Jessica Puzak! They've created the "Take Home the Harvest of the Month" project to provide take-home bags at East End Community School and Amanda C. Rowe Elementary School. This effort promotes the Harvest of the Month program and local Maine products at the elementary level, and provides supplementary nutritious food, enrichment, and resources to as many students as possible for the months of April, May, and June 2021.
Head Start Cumberland County will use the grant money to purchase locally grown food from farms that support New American Farmers.
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Kelly, the Head Chef and Kitchen Manager at Head Start of Cumberland County says, "We look forward to partnering with
Somali Bantu Community Association Liberation Farms and Cultivating Community to nourish our young students and to teach them about the many benefits to eating Maine grown produce. This work supports our mission to nurture safe and trusting relationships so that all members of our community know they matter and believe in their potential to impact their world".​
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​Be sure to follow us on facebook to see more of the exciting projects that have developed through our PPS Food Fund Grantees!


Food Fuels Learning believes all students have the right to nutritious food that allows them to attain their full potential.
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