Grants / Department of Agriculture / Food and Nutrition Service

USDA-FNS-CN-24-DC: Direct Certification Improvement Grant

Closed Closed July 29, 2024 Opportunity USDA-FNS-CN-24-DC ☆ Save

This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: Harvest to Hallways: National School Lunch Program, Equipment Assistance Grants (USDA-FNA-CN-HTH-NSLP-EAG-2027). Status: Closes January 11, 2027 (65 days left). It is in our archive of Food and Nutrition Service notices from 2024.

• Award ceiling$1.0 million
• Total funding$2.3 million
• Expected awards5
• Cost sharingNot required
• Funding typeGrant

Key dates

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to state and local governments.

• State governments

State agencies that administer the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), with priority award to those with the lowest direct certification rates for children who are members of households receiving SNAP benefits.

More grants for state and local governments.

Is this a realistic fit?

• Past Child Nutrition Discretionary Grants Limited Availability awards averaged $954,532; this notice allows up to $1.0 million per award.
• Most of the program's money (55% over five years) went to state and local governments.
• No cost sharing or match is required.

What the grant funds

The USDA Food and Nutrition Service invites State agencies that administer the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) to apply for Direct Certification Improvement Grants to fund the costs of improving their direct certification rates with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and other assistance programs, as allowed under Federal statute and regulations. Under this request for applications (RFA), approximately $2.3 million is available for competitive grants to NSLP State agencies with the lowest direct certification rates for children who are members of households receiving SNAP benefits to fund direct certification improvement projects. However, as discussed in more detail in Section 3 of the Request for Applications, Eligibility Information, applicants who have direct certification rates at 95 percent or higher, as reported in the latest Direct Certification in the National School Lunch Program Report to Congress, must present a compelling case in their application proposals as to why additional funds are necessary for improvements in their direct certification system or processes for them to maintain rates at or above the mandated 95 percent benchmark. The legislative authority for this grant agreement announcement is Section 749(h)(1)(A) and (C)(i) of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 (Public Law 111–80).

Category: Agriculture, Food and Nutrition.

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, USDA-FNA-CN-HTH-NSLP-EAG-2027, which is open now.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.