Summer Meals Grant Program
Back To GrantsGrant Description
The Summer Meals Grant Program will provide financial support to summer meal sponsors to assist with direct expenses related to providing meals to children in their community. This summer, the Grant Program will focus on sponsors committed to maintaining and expanding access to summer meals.
Grants will range from $500 to $10,000, with funding prioritized for initiatives aimed at providing the greatest access to meals for children during the summer months. While all proposals will be considered, we are particularly interested in supporting adoption of established and emerging best practices around protecting and increasing participation, including:
- Opening new meal sites
- Partnering with other community organizations or institution (such as summer school, camps, libraries, food pantries and food distribution centers)
- Developing and implementing incentive programs
- Transporting kids to meal sites
Eligibility Information
- Grants available to school districts and organizations operating federal Child Nutrition Programs (SFSP, SSO, NSLP)
- Strong preference given to sponsors operating open sites where meals are available to all children
- Only one application per school administration unit or organization
Resources
Timeline
Grant Portal Opens for Applications | March 25th, 2024 |
Application Deadline | April 30th, 2024 |
Grantees Announced | May 2024 |
Grants range from
$500-$10,000
For the following:
- Expansion costs for new or existing sites, such as startup planning and labor, equipment, implementation, etc
- Transportation costs associated with delivering meals to multiple locations or transporting kids to meal sites (vehicle, vehicle maintenance and repair, fuel costs for vehicles)
- Equipment costs needed for the safe preparation, storage, and distribution of meals
- Program incentives to increase participation, such as raffles, books, free back-to-school supplies
- Outreach costs for enhanced marketing and advertising
- Inflation-related expenses such as additional labor costs; increased cost of packaging to ensure safety of staff and safe production, handling, and distribution of meals; and increased food and ingredient costs
- Implementing non-congregate meal service models in rural areas (such as meal pick-up, multi-day meal provision, transporting and delivering meals to children at home) that will be allowable based on new USDA guidance
- And more!

Case Study
Summer Meals Grant:
Milo, Maine
Milo, Maine is a town plagued by child hunger. 92% of school-age children qualify for free meals at school and during the summer while school is out, these children struggle to access the nutrition they need. Summer meals have been historically served by the school during the two…
Former Grant Recipients
- Boys & Girls Club of Augusta
- Town of Milo
- Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program
- Washington Academy
- Calais Elementary School
- Msad 27
- RSU #10
- Westbrook School District
- MSAD 33
- MSAD 1
- Healthy Acadia
- MSAD 15
- Gateway Tutor Academy
- Penobscot Boys & Girls Club
- Kittery
- YWCA Central Maine
- Town of Baldwin
- Skowhegan Parks & Recreation
- RSU 23
- RSU 18 Schools
- School union 76
- Waterville Public Schools
- RSU #29
- East Grand School
- MSAD #6 Bonny Eagle
- Biddeford School Nutrition Dept.
- Trinity Jubilee Center
- Winslow Public Schools
- RSU 9
- Cumberland County Food Security Council
- The Opportunity Alliance (TOA)
- Healthy Lincoln County (MCD Public Health)
- Richmond Summer Rec Program
- Millinocket Public Schools
- Westbrook School Department
- Cumberland County Food Security Council
- Midcoast Hunger Prevention Program
- MSAD 61
- Indian Township School*
- Bonny Eagle/MSAD 6
- Trinity Jubilee Center
- The Game Loft
- Lubec Community Outreach
- Healthy Lincoln County*
- Augusta Teen Center
- RSU 15*
- City of Eastport
- SeDoMoCha
- Kittery School Department
- Town of Milo*
- MSAD 33
- The Progress Center
- AOS 92
- RSU 18*
- Mano en Mano
- Alfond Youth Center
- AOS 92
- Augusta Boys & Girls Club*
- Caswell Public Schools*
- Downeast YMCA
- Greenville School Department*
- Healthy Lincoln County*
- Lubec Community Center
- RSU 3*
- RSU 74*
- SeDoMoCha School*
- MSAD 72
- Skowhegan Rec
Contact Us
Questions or comments about our organization and what we do? We want to hear from you! Fill out our contact form with your name, email address, and message, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible!
14 Maine Street
Box 3
Brunswick, ME 04011