The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) is offering the "Breakfast After the Bell" (BATB) Grant Program for fiscal year 2025, designed to fund the initiation of breakfast programs in schools to improve students' access to morning nutrition. This grant targets schools that wish to introduce the BATB service model to make breakfast more accessible and increase student participation. The total funding available is $300,000, and individual awards can go up to $7,000 per school site to cover nonrecurring costs. While there is no minimum or maximum award amount, the allocation is competitive, and the funds will be distributed based on the proposal scores until exhausted. Grant funds are exclusively state-sourced, and indirect costs are allowed without restrictions.

The grant is intended to support schools in implementing BATB programs, with funding designated for specific expenses, including purchasing equipment, staff training, outreach efforts to promote the breakfast program, and minor facility adjustments to accommodate new equipment. Additionally, funds can be used to develop computer systems for food service and, where applicable, purchase vehicles for food transport. Eligible applicants are school districts, charter schools, Regional Offices of Education, and Intermediate Service Centers within Illinois. Applicants must be a certified School Food Authority participating in the National School Lunch Program and are required to submit a separate application for each school site under their jurisdiction.

For submission, applications must be completed and sent by November 14, 2024, by 4 p.m., either through the ISBE Attachment Manager or via email to Emily Durbin, the program's point of contact. All applicants must first complete the Illinois Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) registration and prequalification process through the GATA portal. Additionally, awardees must complete risk assessments in several categories, including fiscal and administrative risk, through the ISBE systems before grant funds are distributed.

The review process emphasizes the need, capacity, and quality of the proposed BATB program. Proposals will be evaluated individually for each school site, and awards will be given based on the highest-scoring projects, with priority given to schools with higher rates of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Priority points may also be granted to schools mandated to offer a breakfast program under the Childhood Hunger Relief Act. The program’s evaluation rubric focuses on the necessity of the program, the school’s capability to execute it, and the anticipated impact on student access to breakfast services. In the case of a tie, schools with higher percentages of eligible students or larger enrollments will receive precedence.

The BATB Grant Program requires recipients to submit quarterly expenditure reports and an annual performance report through the Illinois Web Application Security (IWAS) system. These reports help ensure grant funds are used as intended and track progress in meeting objectives, such as expanding access to breakfast and increasing student participation. ISBE anticipates notifying successful applicants within 90 days of the deadline. However, the award letter does not authorize spending, and any early expenditures will be at the school’s risk.

For additional details or inquiries regarding this opportunity, applicants may contact Emily Durbin at the ISBE. Changes or updates to the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) will be posted on the ISBE website by November 8, 2024, and applicants are encouraged to review any updates before submission.