Grant Opportunities

Before joining The Commonwealth for The Walk for Hunger 2023, Project Bread must verify your eligiblity. 

Complete this enrollment form by April 15, 2023.

Review of this form will take about a week.Please do not form your team until you are verified and receive your confirmation email welcoming you to The Commonwealth for 2023.

About The Walk for Hunger 2023

The Commonwealth is a fundraising share program that invites our community anti-hunger partners to leverage The Walk for Hunger to directly raise funds for your own anti-hunger work.

The Walk for Hunger is May 7, 2023. There will be an in-person 3-mile Walk around Boston Common.

You do not need to join us on Boston Common, you have the option to select "Fundraise & "Walk Your Own Way"  when you register. 

About The Commonwealth

Eligible organizations are invited to join The Commonwealth to directly raise funds for their own anti-hunger work, by forming a single Walk for Hunger team to represent the organization and retaining 60% of funds raised with the remaining 40% of funds raised applied to the statewide effort and cost of the event.

Teams in The Commonwealth must meet a minimum fundraising threshold of $500 to qualify for the 60/40 split.

Once met, the total amount raised by the team will be allocated to the 60/40 split, excluding registration fees.

Who is Eligible?

All non-profit programs making healthy food more accessible and/or affordable to low-income people in Massachusetts are eligible to participate in The Commonwealth.

Examples include: School-based food pantries, Back-pack programs, School gardens, Food pantries, Meal programs, Multi-service centers' food resource programming, Food rescue Farm and garden programs

Use of Funds?

Funds should be used for anti-hunger efforts only.

This can include general operating for anti-hunger programs.

Eligible use of funds: School teams, health centers, and more raising money for On-site food pantries, Micro-pantries, Back-pack programs, School gardens, School breakfast equipment, Summer Eats equipment, Double-bucks programs at farmers markets, corner stores, etc.

Funding exemptions: Nutrition education and federally-reimbursable food costs

Deadlines

• All organizations wishing to participate and form teams in The Commonwealth must complete the enrollment form using our grant portal by April 15, 2023.  This is to verify eligibility. (even returning teams!)

** Please wait to have your team members register for The Walk until after you are verified and invited to form a team. Once your team is formed, they can "Join a Team" and search for your team name when they register. 

After April 15, 2023 enrollment in The Commonwealth in 2023 is on a case by case basis.

• All donations must be received by Project Bread by June 30, 2023. Donations received after this date will contribute to the statewide effort.
   
• Teams must reach a $500 fundraising threshold by June 30, 2023 for their fundraising to be eligible for the 60/40 split. Once you meet that threshold, all the funds you raise are eligible for the split (including the first $500). If your Team does not meet the $500 threshold by June 30, 2023, funds raised by your Team will support the statewide effort.
   
• Funds raised by teams participating in The Commonwealth in 2023 will be granted and released to their organization by September 30, 2023. Questions? Please contact Kellie Vehlies at kellie_vehlies@projectbread.org

Deadline to apply is Friday March 31, 2023 via Project Bread's grant portal. 

Overview

Project Bread is pleased to offer a grant opportunity for Summer Food Service Program sponsors to support increased participation and quality of the Summer Eats Program for the 2023 season. For over twenty years, Project Bread has worked with Massachusetts communities to increase participation in Summer Eats (the USDA Summer Food Service Program), in partnership with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Project Bread’s Child Nutrition team provides technical assistance and innovative solutions to support sponsors that are implementing and expanding Summer Eats programming. For over ten years, Project Bread has offered grants to promote summer sites, especially new sites, and strategies to reach more kids and teens. Our goal is to ensure that all children in Massachusetts remain nourished throughout the summer months, when school is not in session.

Eligibility

• In 2023, Project Bread’s Summer Eats Grant Program is open to any new or existing Summer Food Service Program sponsor operating open sites in Massachusetts.
• Sponsors must operate one or more open sites to be eligible. Sponsors that operate closed sites only are not eligible for the grant program.
• While individual sites are not eligible to apply, we strongly encourage sponsors to work with current and potential sites to develop grant proposals that best meet the needs of their communities.

Contact Information

Please contact Project Bread’s Child Nutrition team at cnop@projectbread.org or at 617-239-2543 with any questions or if you have difficulty submitting your application.

Apply Here

Deadline to apply is Thursday March 2, 2023 by 11:59 p.m. via the online application portal.

Overview

This grant opportunity is from the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. The Food Security Infrastructure Grant Program is available to a wide variety of businesses and organizations in the local food system (including Summer Meal sponsors) who are focused on addressing food access and/or improving and strengthening the resiliency of the Commonwealth’s food system by increasing distribution of locally grown and sourced food. Proposals sought for projects to ensure that individuals and families throughout the Commonwealth have access to food, with a special focus on food that is produced locally, on equitable access to food, and on conservation minded water use. The program also seeks to ensure that farmers, fishermen, and other local food producers are better connected to a strong, resilient food system.

The anticipated budget is up to $500,000.00 per proposal.

Learn more about this grant opportunity

Deadline to apply is Friday March 31, 2023 by 11:59 p.m. via email: dairygrants@newenglanddairy.com.

Overview

This grant opportunity from New England Dairy  provides funding opportunity for Massachusetts dairy farmers to support summer meals. Funding should be used to purchase equipment needed to start or expand summer meal programs in 2023. Visit the school food service equipment page for new ideas. Funding will be limited and awarded based on strength of plan and potential impact.

Apply

Deadline to apply is Friday March 17, 2023 via EdGrants.

Overview

This grant opportunity is from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). The purpose of this State-funded grant program is to encourage new and existing Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) sponsors to increase participation in the program by serving more children per day, increasing total meals served, extending the length of the SFSP, and/or creating new sites. The creation of new sites will increase program availability to participants not currently receiving program services. This is solely a planning and sustainability grant.

Eligibility 

New and existing Summer Food Service Program sponsors, including School Food Authorities, government and community-based organizations may apply. Anyone wishing to become a new Summer Food Service Program sponsor should contact nutrition@doe.mass.edu

Budget

Approximately $423,939 is available for schools and districts in chronically underperforming status.

Required Forms:

• Part I — General — Program Unit Signature Page — (Standard Contract Form and Application for Program Grants)

• Part III — Required Program Information

Submit all required grant materials through EdGrants.

Contact: kristen.torres@mass.gov

Learn more