Inclusive School Meals Fund

The Inclusive School Meals Fund supports school districts and organizations in piloting innovative strategies to provide meals served through federally funded child nutrition programs that reflect the needs and preferences of students. Inclusive meals include options that are culturally important, vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, and account for dietary needs and/or preferences.

Honoring the memory of John T. Woods, co-founder of Full Plates Full Potential who always believed that child hunger in Maine is a solvable issue, this one-time funding opportunity is designed to support bold pilot projects looking to make a lasting impact in their communities.

As a chance for applicants to dream big and think outside of the box, this grant will fund larger investments ranging from $10,000 – $75,000 per grantee. The process for this grant opportunity will be more competitive and will require significant engagement and collaboration from grantees throughout the grant period. Award decisions will be made in collaboration with the Maine Youth Food Security Council.

Strong proposals will present creative solutions to increase access and participation in child nutrition programs like school breakfast, school lunch, afterschool meals, and summer meals. Priority will be given to proposals that offer solutions that could be scaled or replicated by other child nutrition programs across Maine. We value equity and collaboration and will prioritize proposals that incorporate diverse voices and ideas, especially those of students, families, and traditionally marginalized communities. As a one-time funding opportunity, proposals should be designed with project sustainability or growth in mind, or make a compelling case for a substantial one-time impact.

Grantee Expectations

• High level of accountability. Significant engagement with Full Plates throughout the duration of the grant period in order to collaboratively develop realistic metrics and evaluation methods to assess pilot project progress and success. This includes but is not limited to:
  • Regular check-ins with the Community Engagement Manager & ME Youth Food Security Council
  • Robust reporting and evaluation requirements
  • Collaboration with other grantees
• Full Plates is not expecting fail-proof pilot projects. The goal of this grant opportunity is to learn, get creative, and try big, new ideas. What is important to Full Plates is that the proposed projects are innovative, bold, and truly attempt to tackle barriers to inclusivity and access to school meals. Taking bigger risks means that pilot projects may not yield the desired results and we understand this possible outcome.

Grant Process & Timeline

• November 21, 2023 – Google form opens for Initial Proposal Summary Submissions
• December 12, 2023 – Initial Proposal Summaries Due
• December 20, 2023 – Applicants Announced & Invited to Submit Application
• January 27, 2024 –  Application Closes
• Late February 2024 – Grantees Announced

Eligibility

• This grant opportunity is open to school districts and organizations operating or working in collaboration with USDA-funded nutrition programs, such as SSO, NSLP, SBP, CACFP At-Risk & SFSP
• Only one application per school administration unit or organization

Questions?

Contact Kirsten Tenney, Community Engagement Manager, ktenney@fullplates.org or 207-812-6820