CNP CN block programs total consolidated

The Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service awarded the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction $174,984,101 on October 1, 2025, under the National School Lunch Program (CFDA 10.555), a formula grant to provide nutritious nonprofit lunch services to school children across the state.

The award funds cash subsidies and support for reimbursable meals served through public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions in North Carolina. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, operating as the State Education Board through its Financial and Business Services Division, administers the program statewide, determining school eligibility, reviewing applications from school food authorities, and establishing written agreements with participating schools and institutions. Schools must maintain records of nonprofit food service operations, including finances, menu planning, meal counting, and claiming, and make records available to the state agency for review. Participating schools must serve lunches meeting federal meal pattern requirements and offer meals at free or reduced prices to eligible children.

The funding covers the period of performance from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026, with place of performance in North Carolina. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction sub-awards portions of federal NSLP grants to local school districts and charter schools to implement meal services directly at the local level. The program operates as a federally assisted meal program in which participating school food authorities receive cash subsidies in exchange for compliance with federal meal standards and nondiscrimination requirements.