Regional School Unit 34

Regional School Unit 34, a U.S. local government entity and school district based in Old Town, Maine, operates exclusively as a sub-recipient of federal education and nutrition grants from the Maine Department of Education and the State of Maine, with no prime contracts or independent federal contracting activity. RSU 34 receives federal funding through pass-through grants rather than competing for or holding its own federal awards.

RSU 34's federal footprint spans four distinct customer agencies within the Departments of Agriculture and Education. The Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service accounts for 46 sub-awards (approximately 68% of all awards), funding the National School Lunch Program and related nutrition services for school children. The Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education has issued 15 sub-awards (22% of volume), supporting improved teaching, learning capacity in high-poverty schools, and access to well-rounded education. The Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services has issued 6 sub-awards (9% of volume), funding special education and related services for children with disabilities ages birth to twenty. A single sub-award from the Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service supports local food procurement from small businesses and socially disadvantaged farmers for school distribution. Across all 68 sub-awards, RSU 34 has obligated $7.1 million in federal funds.

Activity has grown substantially: four awards in 2022, fourteen in 2023, and thirty-nine in 2024, with nine awards in 2025 and one award in 2026 (most recent award February 26, 2026). The large majority of awards — particularly those from USDA Food and Nutrition Service — fund the National School Lunch Program, providing nutritious lunch service and food commodities for school children. Recurring grant categories include COVID-19 pandemic response funding (2022–2024), special education services, teacher quality improvement, and academic achievement initiatives in high-poverty schools. All sub-awards flow through the Maine Department of Education or State of Maine as prime grantees; RSU 34 does not hold federal grant prime awards and does not participate in any federal contract vehicles, IDIQs, BPAs, or GWACs.