Strengthening Every Angle (SEA) Change Fund

TechAccess: AI-Ready America State and Territory Coordination Hubs for Statewide AI Literacy Workforce and Adoption Infrastructure (NSF 26-508) is sponsored by U.S. National Science Foundation. This program funds state or regional consortia to expand access to computing, data, and AI resources for AI-enabled scientific research and to transform education and training opportunities. It aims to strengthen AI readiness and accelerate AI deployment across every U.S. state and territory by funding coordination hubs to address AI literacy, workforce development, business adoption of AI, and public service innovation. Consortia are expected to build statewide coordination mechanisms, training infrastructure, hands-on deployment support, and sector-specific collaboration across education, workforce, industry, and government stakeholders.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Under the leadership of Secretary Brooke Rollins, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is committed to a new school meals policy plan aligning the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030— providing real food, in every cafeteria. In support of this principle, the USDA Food and Nutrition Administration (FNA) is pleased to announce the availability of $50 million to provide grants on a non-competitive basis to State agencies for the Harvest to Hallways National School Lunch Program (NSLP) Equipment Assistance Grants. Investing in cafeteria upgrades, including cold storage, stoves, and other equipment, will help schools serve healthier meals and expanded offerings. State agency applicants should review this NOFA thoroughly to ensure full understanding of all application requirements and procedures. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The purpose of the Harvest to Hallways NSLP Equipment Assistance Grant opportunity is to help ensure that schools have the equipment they need to serve more whole, nutrient-dense foods including protein, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and dairy. These grants will support getting more real and local foods in school meals. For more than a decade, the FNA has provided NSLP Equipment Assistance Grants to State agencies to help modernize school kitchens across the country — supporting the delivery of much‑needed equipment to underserved and rural communities while advancing strategies that give students greater access to healthy, nourishing choices. Funding for these grants is being made available under section §1001(b)(4) of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) (P.L. 117-2). The fiscal year (FY) 2027 Harvest to Hallways NSLP Equipment Assistance Grants strengthen a critical link in the national food and agricultural supply chain by modernizing the capacity of school meal programs to handle, prepare, and serve nutritious, whole foods sourced from U.S. agriculture. Schools represent one of the largest and most consistent institutional food service channels in the country, and their ability to safely store, process, and cook a wide range of domestic agricultural products directly affects the stability and reach of that supply chain. By investing in durable, up‑to‑date equipment, these grants reduce operational vulnerabilities, improve throughput, and ensure schools can continue delivering high‑quality meals even during periods of disruption. As a result, the program enhances downstream resilience, supports reliable demand for American agricultural goods, and reinforces a more distributed, adaptable, and dependable food system—fulfilling the ARPA directive to maintain and improve food and agricultural supply chain resiliency. The objective of the FY 2027 Harvest to Hallways NSLP Equipment Assistance Grant opportunity is for NSLP State agencies to administer competitive subgrants to eligible local education agencies (LEAs), school food authorities (SFAs), and schools for the purchase of equipment valued at greater than $1,000. State agencies may consider any SFA, LEA, and school that operates NSLP as eligible to receive a grant award. Selection criteria that State agencies should consider when awarding the subgrants, may include, but are not limited to, the following: Opportunities to improve the nutrition and quality of meals, including supporting the implementation of updated nutrition requirements for school meals. Age or lack of appropriate food service equipment. Ability of food service equipment to increase the efficiency of SFA procurement, food storage, and distribution/service. The availability of existing State and local funding for equipment purchases. Strategies for adopting cafeteria changes that provide more convenience and appeal to the student. Equipment purchased under the subgrant must directly support cafeteria improvements—such as upgrades to cold storage, cooking equipment, and other food service tools—to help schools serve healthier meals and expand their meal offerings. These grants must strengthen the school food service’s ability to prepare and present a wider range of whole, nutrient‑dense foods, including protein, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and dairy. A State agency may use up to five percent of its grant award for State-level administrative costs associated with awarding grants to eligible subgrantees. Administrative costs include direct costs within the budget such as personnel, supplies, and travel associated with managing the grant. FUNDING LEVELS As noted above, a total of $50 million is available for the 54 State agencies that administer NSLP to support their subgrant process. FNA will distribute $50 million in non-competitive grant funds proportionally, based on the FY 2026 Child Nutrition State Administrative Expense allocation formula. Please see Appendix A for each State’s maximum allocation amount. States may apply for grant funds up to, but not exceeding, the amount shown in the funding chart included with this announcement. Funding Opportunity Number: USDA-FNA-CN-HTH-NSLP-EAG-2027. Assistance Listing: 10.579. Funding Instrument: G. Category: FN. Award Amount: $1 – $6.2M per award.

The Economics program supports research designed to improve the understanding of the processes and institutions of the U.S. economy and of the world system of which it is a part. This program also strengthens both empirical and theoretical economic analysis as well as the methods for rigorous research on economic behavior. It supports research in almost every area of economics, including econometrics, economic history, environmental economics, finance, industrial organization, international economics, labor economics, macroeconomics, mathematical economics, and public finance. The Economics program welcomes proposals for individual or multi-investigator research projects, doctoral dissertation improvement awards, conferences, symposia, experimental research, data collection and dissemination, computer equipment and other instrumentation, and research experience for undergraduates. The program places a high priority on interdisciplinary research. Investigators are encouraged to submit proposals of joint interest to the Economics Program and other NSF programs and NSF initiative areas. The program places a high priority on broadening participation and encourages proposals from groups and regions that traditionally have not participated fully in science, mathematics, and engineering. The program also funds conferences and interdisciplinary research that strengthens links among economics and the other social and behavioral sciences as well as mathematics and statistics. The Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (DDRIG) funding opportunity is designed to improve the quality of dissertation research. DDRIG proposals are submitted by a faculty member on behalf of the graduate student. DDRIG awards provide funds for items not normally available through the student's university such as enabling doctoral students to undertake significant data-gathering projects and to conduct field research in settings away from their campus. DDRIGs do not provide cost-of-living or other stipends or tuition. Outstanding DDRIG proposals specify how the knowledge to be created advances economics science. Proposals for Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (DDRIGS) in Economics should follow the directions for submissions in the PAPPG. Please contact an Economics program officer if you plan to submit a DDRIG proposal. For additional funding opportunities, we invite you to also look at the SBE Office of Multidisciplinary Activities web site. Funding Opportunity Number: PD-23-1320. Assistance Listing: 47.075. Funding Instrument: G. Category: ST. Award Amount: $220K total program funding.