Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards and Grants

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Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards

USDA and Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK) are collaborating to offer Recognition Awards to celebrate School Food Authorities (SFA) that have made significant improvements to the nutritional quality of their school meals.

These awards will spotlight innovative practices, student and community engagement activities, and strategies schools have used to provide meals that are consistent with the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Awardees will receive:

National and Local Recognition
Digital Toolkit
Travel Stipend to attend a National Healthy Meals Summit

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Important Dates

June 30, 2023 – Applications Open

June 30, 2025 – Applications Close
*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis

Recognition Awards

Each SFA has the opportunity to apply for the 7 recognition awards presented below. They may receive recognition for each award once throughout the application period.
*Only small and/or rural school food authorities eligible.

• Breakfast Trailblazer
• Small and/or Rural SFA Breakfast Trailblazer
• Lunch Trailblazer
• Small and/or Rural SFA Lunch Trailblazer
• Innovative School Lunch Makeover
• Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals
• Innovation in Nutrition Education

Resources

Application Portal

Request Letter of Support

Healthy School Recipes
Chef Ann Foundation
The Lunch Box

Congratulations to the Texas HMI Recognition Awardees

Congratulations to the Texas HMI Grantees

As part of a cooperative agreement to develop and implement the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative, Action for Healthy Kids announced that 18 Texas schools were awarded nearly $2 million to support their efforts in improving the nutritional quality of their school meals and supporting local agriculture. All HMI grantees will be required to apply for one or more of the HMI Recognition Awards.

Congratulations to our 18 Texas grantees!

Aquilla ISD
Austin Achieve Public Schools
Beta Academy
Coleman ISD
Collinsville ISD
Florence ISD
Hawley ISD
Italy ISD
Miles ISD
Millsap ISD
Plainview ISD
Port Aransas ISD
Riviera ISD
Santa Anna ISD
Sinton ISD
Terrell County ISD
Waxahachie Faith Family Academy
Winnsboro ISD

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, 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/ad-3027.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

3. Email: program.intake@usda.gov.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.