The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is seeking to fund a state policy campaign that aims to ensure Healthy School Meals for All.
Donor Name: Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)
State: Selected States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 06/12/2022
Size of the Grant: Up to $70,000
Grant Duration: 15 months
Details:
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 30 million children participated in the school meals program, and most of the participants (nearly 80 percent) are from low-income households. When the pandemic shuttered schools across the country, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a series of waivers to allow schools to operate in this new normal; one of the waivers allowed schools to provide a free breakfast and lunch to every student through June 2022, effectively providing Healthy School Meals for All.
Healthy School Meals for All promotes nutrition, advances equity, and supports school nutrition programs. As the expiration date on the federal waivers rapidly approaches and permanent federal implementation of Healthy School Meals for All is unlikely, state action is needed to ensure that students do not lose access to meals. In 2021, California and Maine became the first two states to pass statewide legislation to ensure every student has access to free school meals.
Currently, CSPI is prioritizing policies that provide free breakfast and lunch for all students, regardless of household income. However, we will consider policies that increase access to either breakfast or lunch, or increase access to free meals up to a certain income threshold (e.g., eliminating the reduced-price category).
Key Application Priorities
- Applications are from diverse organizations who are either representative of the population for which a policy is focused or are directly partnering with individuals and or community organizations representing the population. If the application is from a white-led organization, we recommend that a minimum of 25% of your grant supports organizations and/or individuals from communities most impacted by health disparities.
- Projects are informed by community needs and applicant organizations partner with diverse stakeholders.
- Priority will be given to applicants from organizations based in or with an advocacy network in the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Vermont. These represent priority states for federal advocacy related to school meals.
- Funded campaigns must seek to secure a binding government policy. Voluntary or programmatic initiatives are not eligible.
Funding Information
Applications can be submitted for up to $70,000 in direct costs for a duration of up to 15 months and can support non-lobbying and lobbying activities.
Who can apply?
To apply for grants offered by CSPI, organizations must be located in the United States or U.S. Territory, AND
- Be a nonprofit with a 501(c)(3) public charity or other tax-exempt designation from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), OR
- Be fiscally sponsored by a nonprofit as described above If you are an emerging, grassroots, and/or community-based organization that does not yet have tax-exempt status or a fiscal sponsor, please reach out to us as they may have future grant opportunities available to you, or there may be other ways that you can partner with us.
For more information, visit CSPI.
