USDA Invests Nearly $30 Million to Boost School Nutrition

USDA recently announced an award investment of nearly $30 million in subgrants to 264 school districts across 44 states and the district of Columbia, reaching students in some of our nation’s highest need schools. The grant is part of a cooperative agreement to develop and implement the USDA’s Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative, Action for Healthy Kids. The funding demonstrates the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to creating healthier, brighter futures for our children. These grants are the largest targeted investment USDA has ever made for school meal programs in small and rural communities, ensuring every child in America can attend a school with high quality, nutritious meals.

Click here to view the list of school districts. 

Each small and/or rural school district will receive up to $150,000 to support them in improving the nutritional quality of their meals and modernizing their operations, through efforts which could include:

• Innovative staff training programs
• Kitchen updates and renovations
• Redesigning food preparation and service spaces
• Other school-district led efforts to support school meals and school nutrition professionals.

An online map features the selected school districts and their grant amounts. The map will be updated on a rolling basis as schools formalize their grant agreements.

USDA and Action for Healthy Kids opened applications on June 30, 2023, for the Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards. All school districts in the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the United States Virgin Islands are invited to apply. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis through June 30, 2025.

September 21, 2023 – Recognition Award Webinar (3:00 – 4:00 PM EST) – Register now!

Action for Healthy Kids will manage the grants to school districts, Recognition Awards, and Healthy Meals Summits with the support of The Chef Ann Foundation and Rocky Mountain Center for Health Promotion and Education.

USDA’s Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative also includes the School Food System Transformation Challenge Grants, which aim to support innovation in the school meals market by increasing collaboration between schools, food producers and suppliers, and other partners. Applications for the Challenge Grants are expected to open in late 2023 or early 2024.

To learn more about other resources USDA provides to strengthen school meal programs, visit the USDA Support for School Meals webpage.

USDA Invests Nearly $30 Million to Boost School Nutrition in 264 Small & Rural Communities through Partnership with Action for Healthy Kids | Food and Nutrition Service