FY 2021 School Breakfast Program Expansion Grant for U.S. Territories

The Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (the Act), Section 23 (42 USC 1793), as amended by Section 105 of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (PL 111-296), authorizes funds to provide grants on a competitive basis to state agencies and U.S. Territories. Three million dollars has been appropriated for the U.S. Territories (Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa) to expand the School Breakfast Program (SBP) or any other school breakfast provided to students by the school or U.S. Territory.

The purpose of the SBP expansion grants is to provide grants, not to exceed $10,000 per school year, to qualifying schools to establish, maintain, or expand the SBP or other school breakfast program provided by the school or U.S. Territory. As defined in Section 4(d)(1) of the Act, the term “qualifying school” means a school in severe need. These include only schools (having a breakfast program or desiring to initiate a breakfast program) in which 40 percent or more of the lunches served to students at the school were served free or at a reduced-price during school year 2019-20.

Grant Awards (September 2021)

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands - $199,920

The Public School System (PSS) for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) will receive funding to serve fruit smoothies to students as part of their school breakfasts. Grant funds will be used to purchase blenders and other needed equipment, to provide training to the staff of their contracted food service management company, and for the development and testing of culturally-appropriate smoothie recipes. The goals are to increase breakfast participation, increase overall fruit consumption at breakfast, and ultimately make fruit a regular part of the students' breakfast routines at school and at home. For additional information on this project, contact Dale Roberts at Dale.Roberts@cnmipss.org.