CNP CN block programs total consolidated

The Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service awarded $348,786,240.89 to the Illinois State Board of Education on October 1, 2025, under the National School Lunch Program (CFDA 10.555), a formula grant providing cash subsidies and USDA Foods to assist states in delivering nutritious, low-cost or no-cost lunches to school children.

ISBE administers the program statewide and passes funding through to hundreds of sub-recipients, including public and nonprofit private schools, residential child care institutions, school districts, charter schools, and child care centers across Illinois. Sub-recipients operate reimbursable meal programs—school breakfast, lunch, and child and adult care food programs (CACFP)—serving eligible children and receiving per-meal reimbursements from the state agency. Notable sub-recipients include Chicago Public Schools, Joliet Public School District, and numerous regional and charter school operators. CACFP sub-recipients include nonprofit and for-profit child care centers, day care homes, afterschool programs, and emergency shelters; recipients range from large organizations such as the YMCA of Chicago and Catalyst Schools to smaller independent providers.

Place of performance is Illinois. The award period runs from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026. ISBE, a state educational agency with jurisdiction over all public schools in Illinois, serves as the administrative entity responsible for state-level program oversight, compliance, and accountability while local school food authorities maintain nonprofit operations, serve meals meeting federal nutrition standards, and provide meals at free or reduced prices to eligible children.