FY 2021 Team Nutrition Training Grant for School Meal Recipe Development, Cohort B | USDA FNS CNTN COHORT B FY2021

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA FNS CNTN COHORT B FY2021

The FY 2021 Team Nutrition Training Grant for School Meal Recipe Development, Cohort B is a discretionary grant opportunity from the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) designed to strengthen the quality and consistency of school meals by helping states develop and use standardized recipes. FNS oversees major federal nutrition assistance efforts and, through the Child Nutrition Programs, supports schools and other local organizations by reimbursing them for serving balanced meals to children at low or no cost. This grant sits within USDA's long-running Team Nutrition initiative, which has funded training, technical assistance, and nutrition education for decades to encourage healthy eating and physical activity in school communities.

Cohort B specifically targets state agencies that administer the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and that did not receive the related FY 2021 Team Nutrition Training Grant for School Meal Development awarded earlier under Cohort A (awarded October 16, 2020). In other words, it is essentially a second round aimed at reaching additional NSLP state agencies so more states can build practical recipe-development capacity and expand the availability of standardized, creditable school meal recipes nationwide.

The main purpose of the grant is to help states understand, develop, and apply standardized recipes across School Meal Programs. Standardized recipes are treated as a core operational tool because they help ensure meals are produced with consistent quality and portion sizes, provide predictable nutrient contributions, and support compliance with federal meal pattern requirements. They also help school food operations manage costs and reduce waste by improving purchasing accuracy and production control. Under this opportunity, states are expected to create recipes that are both nutritious and appealing to students, with an emphasis on incorporating local agricultural products when feasible. The grant also supports states in demonstrating how each standardized recipe credits toward school meal pattern components, which is crucial for menu planning and program compliance.

Another central objective is strengthening collaboration between state agencies and local School Food Authorities (SFAs). The opportunity highlights helping SFAs engage students in menu development so that new and revised recipes better match student taste preferences, which can improve participation and reduce plate waste. The long-term outcome is a stronger pipeline of tested, usable recipes that schools can adopt with confidence, backed by standardized instructions and crediting information that makes implementation easier across different districts and production settings.

FNS plans to share recipes developed under this grant broadly so the benefits extend beyond the funded states. Recipes created with grant support may be posted on the FNS Team Nutrition website and included in the Institute of Child Nutrition's Child Nutrition Recipe Box, an online repository used by school nutrition professionals nationwide. This dissemination piece is important because it turns individual state development work into shared national resources that other school meal programs can adapt.

Key administrative details from the posting include: the opportunity number is USDA FNS CNTN COHORT B FY2021; the assistance listing (CFDA) number is 10.574; eligible applicants are state governments (specifically NSLP-administering state agencies); the award instrument is a grant; the maximum award amount (ceiling) is $300,000; and FNS anticipated up to 20 awards. The opportunity was created January 12, 2021, with an original application closing date of April 18, 2021. The overall intent is capacity-building at the state level that leads to better standardized recipes, clearer crediting toward meal requirements, and improved student acceptance of school meals through practical recipe development and engagement strategies.

• The Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service in the food and nutrition sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2021 Team Nutrition Training Grant for School Meal Recipe Development, Cohort B" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.574.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jan 12, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 18, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $300,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 20 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments.

Apply for USDA FNS CNTN COHORT B FY2021

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