Introduction
Carolina Hunger Initiative has a new grant opportunity for school district nutrition programs in North Carolina. This funding is available to help districts reach more kids with healthy meals or sustain their current program, fill gaps created by the pandemic, and improve the quality of foods being offered.
This funding is provided by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina through a sponsorship with the Carolina Hunger Initiative and UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention.
Instructions
This application should take less than an hour to complete. A "save and resume later" option and a progress bar are located at the bottom of each page.
Applicants can move freely between pages. The application will check for unanswered required questions only when you reach the end of the form and select "submit." You might need to move between pages to find unanswered required questions.
Eligibility
This grant opportunity is open to all school districts in North Carolina that serve meals through USDA child nutrition programs.
Applications will be evaluated based on the need in an area and how many students can be connected with healthy food.
Timeline
Applications are due by Friday, November 12, 2021 at 11:59pm.
Applicants will be notified about the decision by Friday, November 19.
Funding contracts will be executed through a partnership with the NC Alliance for Health.
Funds are expected to be dispersed to grant recipients by Wednesday, December 15, 2021.
Funds are expected to be used, and plans implemented, by the end of the 2021-2022 school year (June 30, 2022). A mid-grant report will be due the end of April 2022, and a final grant report will be due the end of July 2022.
Use of Funds
Funds are intended to support school districts in overcoming the challenges of getting meals directly to children during the extreme conditions of pandemic response, and to sustain vital nutrition services during uncertain economic times.
Each applicant's budget should be between the minimum grant amount of $5,000 and the maximum grant amount of $25,000. Last year, the average awarded grant amount was $10,000.
Examples of what funding may be used to purchase include:
- Supplies and equipment including: grab and go carts, insulated coolers/warmers, packaging equipment and supplies, refrigerators, and retrofitting existing equipment to meet new needs
- Funding temporary or permanent staff positions
- Transportation costs associated with meal delivery, such as refrigerated trucks or fuel
- Costs associated with COVID-19 preparedness, such as no-touch point of service machines, hand washing stations, PPE equipment, and cleaning supplies
- Program outreach, enrollment assistance, and marketing costs
- Additional expenses as needed
We understand that meal service plans might change during the school year. We also understand that school nutrition programs are facing unprecedented challenges in the supply chain and labor areas. Base your application on your current plan for meal service. If you are awarded funds, you will be required to submit a simple mid-grant report update that will give you a chance to inform us of changes as meal service adjusts to this uncertain environment.
Assistance
For any questions about the application or assistance completing the application, don't hesitate to contact CarolinaHungerInitiative@unc.edu.
Get Started
In order to move to the next page, please read the instructions, indicate below that you have read them, and click 'Next'.