School Breakfast Program and Summer Meals Start-Up and Expansion Grants

The California Department of Education (CDE) administers the 2026–27 School Breakfast Program (SBP) and Summer Meals Program (SMP) Start-Up and Expansion Grants to support the development and enhancement of nutrition programs at public educational institutions throughout the state. These grants are intended to assist School Food Authorities (SFAs) in initiating new sites or expanding services at existing SBP or SMP sites. Recognizing the importance of student access to nutritious meals, especially in communities with high rates of students qualifying for Free and Reduced Price (F/RP) meals, the program is part of a statewide effort to improve student health and academic performance through consistent access to breakfast and summer meals. The grant program provides competitive funding of up to $15,000 per site, with each SFA eligible to apply for up to 10 sites, resulting in a potential maximum award of $150,000. Start-up grants are intended to support SFAs that are launching new sites under the SBP or SMP, while expansion grants are meant to assist in increasing meal participation at existing sites. SFAs may only receive a grant for the same site once every three years and may not apply for both a start-up and expansion grant for the same site. For SBP applications, at least 20 percent of enrolled students must be approved for F/RP meals. SMP applicants must meet all criteria under the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). Applications must be submitted electronically via the CDE’s Breakfast Grant (BG) Request for Applications (RFA) webpage. The deadline for submission is 4:00 p.m. on February 13, 2026. All applications must be completed in full and include electronic signatures from the appropriate agency official. If board approval is required to accept funding, a copy of this approval must accompany the application. Incomplete submissions or those received after the deadline will not be considered. Upon award, grantees must sign and return the original grant award notification, which includes the State Superintendent’s signature, before any funds are disbursed. Funding is administered as a combination of advance and reimbursement. Awarded SFAs will receive 90 percent of their total grant amount upon approval, with the remaining 10 percent released following review and acceptance of all submitted invoices. The CDE will monitor expenditures and reserves the right to adjust award amounts based on reasonable, allowable, and actual costs. Agencies failing to meet documentation requirements or that submit inaccurate information may have funds withheld or be required to return disbursed amounts. To be eligible, SFAs must be public school districts, county offices of education, or directly funded charter schools operating within California. They must also have an active vendor number registered with the California State Controller’s Office and be in good standing across all Child Nutrition Programs in which they participate. Agencies with excess net cash resources (NCR) may be deemed ineligible unless they provide detailed justifications explaining the overage in their application. The CDE plans to notify award recipients by July 1, 2026. The performance period extends until February 2027. For questions, applicants can contact the Breakfast Grant Team by email at [email protected] or by phone at 916-327-2220. This grant program is nonrecurring, and the application period will not reopen until the next fiscal cycle. The grant offers targeted support to help institutions effectively address nutrition access gaps, especially in underserved communities.