Supply Chain Assistance Funds

2023 Supply Chain Assistance Grant 3rd Round

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Eligibility

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Many schools are continuing to experience unprecedented challenges in purchasing and receiving food through their normal distribution channels. USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) provided a Second Round of Supply Chain Assistance (SCA) funding to enhance schools’ ability to purchase foods for school meals. Throughout SY22 and into SY23, schools have needed to significantly revise planned menus as popular and previously available food items have become more difficult to procure. Shortages and price fluctuations have also made it difficult to provide meals which are appealing to students and meet the NSLP/SBP nutrition and meal pattern requirements. The SCA funds will assist school efforts to provide consistent and nutritious meals to children.

SCA funds remain limited to the purchase of unprocessed or minimally processed domestic food products (also referred to as commodities).

 

Link to USDA website - Third Allocation of Supply Chain Assistance Funds


Contracting Entities (CEs) that include public, charter, and private nonprofit schools, and Resident Child Care Institutions (RCCIs), are eligible for a $5,000 base amount if they meet all requirements below:
  • Currently operate the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and/or School Breakfast Program (SBP) - including NSLP Afterschool Snack Program and the Seamless Summer Option (SSO);
  • Encountered supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency; and
  • Faced financial difficulties because of those supply chain disruptions.

Additionally, CEs that meet the above criteria but also have a 25% or more free/reduced price student enrollment as of October 2022 are qualified for an additional amount based on number of children enrolled. Please read the FAQs above for more information on this calculation.
 
How to Receive Funding
  1. Review the Supply Chain Assistance Funding FAQs (see Resources box above) for detailed information on criteria for eligibility, calculation of funding allotments, rules for SCA fund spending, reporting requirements, and other important details. 
  2. Ensure your CE is listed on the Grant Recipients List 3rd Round. If your CE is not listed on this report, send an email to supplychaingrant@texasagriculture.gov.
  3. All CEs need to complete an Attestation Form for the 3rd Round.
  4. All CEs must submit the SCA Funding Attestation Statement (3rd Round) form listed in the Resources box above no later than May 5, 2023.
  5. TDA will distribute funds through June 2023. Note that TDA may reach out to you for more information regarding your Attestation prior to distributing funds.
  6. Record SCA funding using TEA Revenue Code 5939 (Federal revenue passed through a state agency). Schools that use enterprise funds will use 7954 (USDA Commodities). Funds must be realized in the fiscal year received.
SCA Exemption Request Process  Maximize 

Assistance available in English and Spanish. Please call 877-TEX-MEAL (877-839-6325) for help. Additional translations services available as well.

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.
 

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
 

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

1. Mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
2. Fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
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