Want to receive up to $150K in grant funds to improve your SFA?

Want to learn more about the new Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative (HMII) and how it can benefit your school’s meal program? The Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative is a new grant program developed by the USDA that provides financial support to school food authorities (SFAs) in their efforts to increase the consumption of healthy meals by students. HMII grants are awarded to SFAs that participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), are in rural areas categorized in Localities 41, 42, 43, and/or have less than 5,000 students enrolled.

The goal of the HMII program is to provide SFAs with the resources they need to encourage students to make healthy choices when it comes to food. This includes offering incentives for students to choose nutritious options and increasing the availability of healthy foods on school menus.

The HMII grant can be used for a variety of purposes related to improving the nutritional quality of school meals. These include:

1. Offering Incentives for Healthy Choices: The grant can be used to offer incentives such as to students who choose healthy options. This can include increasing the availability and variety of fresh fruits and vegetables.

2. Promoting Healthy Habits: The grant can also be used to promote healthy habits and encourage students to make healthy choices. This can include initiatives such as nutrition education programs, establishing a student menu-selection committee, taste tests, and cooking classes.

3. Improving Food Access: The grant can also be used to improve food access for students. This can include initiatives such as expanding breakfast and after-school meal programs, implementing farm-to-school programs, and providing meals during the summer months.

4. Investing in Kitchen Infrastructure: SFAs can also use the HMII grant to invest in kitchen infrastructure to support the preparation of healthy meals. This can include purchasing new equipment, upgrading kitchen facilities, and hiring additional staff.

5. Conducting Research: Finally, the HMII grant can be used to conduct research to better understand the factors that influence student food choices and the impact of healthy meal initiatives.

We expect the grant application process to be highly competitive, and eligible SFAs should begin preparing to write a compelling proposal. School Food and Wellness Group understands that food service departments are overwhelmed with trying to end out the school year, and we are available to assist in the grant writing process. We have a proven track record of writing compelling grant proposals related to the National School Lunch Program, and our team of knowledgeable consultants is available to support your efforts.

Contact us for more details on how we can help your SFA receive up to $150,000 to help improve your school’s meal program!