Sonoma County students will soon be building animal facilities, working in an apiary and earning food-handling credentials through a new round of Career Technical Education (CTE) grants.
CTE Foundation Sonoma County has awarded $140,274 to 15 programs at 13 school sites for the 2026–27 school year. Several of the grants support agricultural and culinary education, giving students practical experience while improving facilities and equipment.
At Elsie Allen High School in Santa Rosa, a $7,500 grant will fund a concrete floor for the school’s agriculture barn, making its livestock program safer.
“Our students are going to lay rebar and pour concrete next to a contractor who does this for a living, and at the end of it they’ll have built something their school actually needed,” said agriculture mechanics teacher and FFA advisor Zachary Davis. “That’s a very different lesson than reading about it.”
Geyserville New Tech Academy received $7,000 to expand its animal husbandry facilities and equip its apiary. Students will also design and construct a chicken coop that integrates the school’s agriculture mechanics and science curricula.
At Windsor Middle School, $7,500 will help bring the student-run Culinary Café closer to professional standards. The program serves 284 students, offering early exposure to culinary and hospitality careers.
Journey Academy, operated by TLC Child & Family Services in Sebastopol, received $15,000 for an after-school culinary program leading to food-handler certification, along with design and screen-printing workshops.
The foundation said its grants are intended to connect classroom learning with viable local careers. Since 2013, it has awarded $5.8 million through its Partnership Funding Opportunity to Sonoma County schools, supporting programs in agriculture, hospitality, construction, health care, manufacturing and other fields.
A complete list of the 2026–27 grants is available at ctesonomacounty.org/grants.