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THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234

Office of P-20 Education Policy
Child Nutrition Program Administration
89 Washington Avenue, Room 375 EBA, Albany, NY 12234
Phone: (518) 473-8781 Fax: (518) 473-0018
To: 
School Food Service Directors/Managers
From: 
Child Nutrition Program Administration
Date: 
Thursday, March 14, 2024
Subject: 
**Reminder**Awardees of the Healthy Meals Incentives (HMI) Grants for Small and/or Rural School Food Authorities (SFA)

Awardees of the Healthy Meals Incentives (HMI) Grants for Small and/or Rural School Food Authorities (SFA) 

As part of a cooperative agreement to develop and implement the USDA Food and Nutrition Service’s (FNS) Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative, Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK) announced that it is awarding nearly $30 million in grants to 264 SFAs across 44 states and the District of Columbia, reaching students in some of our nation’s highest need schools. These funds are being provided by USDA FNS. 

Each small and/or rural SFA 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 featuring the selected SFAs, and their grant amounts, is available at https://healthymealsincentives.org/grantees/. The map will be updated on a rolling basis as SFAs formalize their grant agreements. 

After using grant funds to make improvements to school meals, grant recipients are required to apply for one or more of the HMI Recognition Awards to demonstrate to their students and community that nutritious school meals are critically important to support child health and school achievement. The Recognition Awards application portal and helpful resources to complete the application are available at https://healthymealsincentives.org/recognition-awards/. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis through June 30, 2025. All SFAs in the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the United States Virgin Islands are invited to apply.

SFAs that meet Recognition Award criteria will receive benefits such as national and local recognition; an awardee toolkit that includes digital assets; travel stipends to attend a national Healthy Meals Summit; access to diverse best practices, training activities; and more. 

For more information about HMI, please visit https://healthymealsincentives.org/.

 

 

Original date of posting: August 11, 2023.

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

  1. mail:
    U.S. Department of Agriculture
    Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
    1400 Independence Avenue, SW
    Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
  2. fax:
    (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
  3. email:
    Program.Intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Click here for Nondiscrimination Statement translations.

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