Fiscal Year 2026 National School Lunch Program Equipment Assistance Grants

Summary

Under the leadership of Secretary Brooke Rollins, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is committed to strengthening strategies to encourage healthy choices, healthy outcomes, and healthy families. In support of this principle, we are pleased to announce the availability of $20 million to provide grants on a competitive basis to state agencies for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) Equipment Assistance Grants, as authorized under the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 (PL 119-4), and the Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026 (PL 119-37).

Program Description

The NSLP Equipment Assistance Grant provides funds to NSLP state agencies to administer competitive subgrants to eligible local education agencies (LEAs), school food authorities (SFAs), and schools for the purchase of equipment valued at greater than $1,000. The purpose of the NSLP Equipment Assistance Grant is to help ensure that schools have the equipment they need to serve healthier meals, improve food safety, and to support the establishment, maintenance, or expansion of the School Breakfast Program (SBP).

Since 2010, the NSLP Equipment Assistance Grants have been used to modernize school kitchens nationwide, address equipment disparities in underserved areas, and promote strategies that foster healthy choices for students. In previous years, the NSLP Equipment Assistance Grants have been provided on a non-competitive basis through the FNS regional offices. This competitive Request for Applications (RFA) is a new process, and state agency applicants should review the RFA thoroughly to ensure full understanding of the updated requirements and procedures.

As part of the application to this grant, state agency applicants must develop and submit the RFA they will use to competitively award the subgrant. State agencies may consider any LEA, SFA, or school participating in NSLP as eligible to receive an NSLP Equipment Assistance Grant award (subgrant).

Selection criteria that state agencies are encouraged to consider when awarding the subgrants may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Opportunities to improve the nutrition and quality of meals, including supporting the implementation of updated nutrition requirements for school meals.
Age or lack of appropriate food service equipment.
Ability of food service equipment to increase the efficiency of procurement, food storage, and distribution/service.
The availability of existing state and local funding for equipment purchases.
Strategies for adopting cafeteria changes that provide more convenience and appeal to the student.

A state agency may use up to 5% of its allocation for state-level administrative costs associated with awarding grants to eligible subgrantees.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants include state governments.

There are 54 states responsible for administering the NSLP that have agreements with FNS that are eligible to apply. In states where more than one agency has an agreement in place with FNS to administer the NSLP, the primary NSLP state agency (i.e. the agency that serves the majority of SFAs) is the agency that is eligible to apply for this grant opportunity.

In states with more than one agency, the primary agency is required to coordinate with the secondary NSLP state agency (which serves a smaller portion of SFAs) to ensure that all LEAs, SFAs, and schools can apply for NSLP Equipment Assistance Grants.

Applicants that do not meet the eligibility definition will be deemed ineligible and removed from competition without further consideration.