USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service recently announced approximately $2.3 million in funding that will allow more children to eat school breakfast and lunch at no cost to the family.
States that administer the National School Breakfast and Lunch Programs can apply for the Direct Certification Improvement Grant to improve their systems that automatically certify children to receive free meals.
Children are eligible for free meals when they live in households that participate in certain federal assistance programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, Medicaid, and others. This process of using cutting edge technology to determine a household’s participation in these programs is called direct certification.
This is a competitive grant and preference is given to states with the lowest direct certification rates for children who live in households receiving SNAP benefits. States with direct certification rates at 95 percent or higher must present a compelling case why they need additional funds to improve or maintain their direct certification system.
If your state needs a boost in serving school meals at no cost to eligible children, take a look at the Direct Certification Improvement Grant. Applications close on July 29, 2024.