Governor Rell: Stimulus Funds Available

for School Food Service Equipment

Grant Program Aimed

at Getting Equipment Installed by Fall

Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that the state has received more than $785,000 in stimulus funds to help local school districts upgrade and install new food service equipment in time for the 2009-10 school years.

“These funds will allow more of our children to benefit from healthy nutrition in their schools, which is especially critical in these economic times for families in need that depend on the federal school lunch program,” Governor Rell said. “Local school and town budgets that are already stretched thin could certainly use this assistance to free up money for other educational needs.”

The Governor said the state Department of Education has begun notifying superintendents and private school officials that they can apply to the agency immediately for the competitive grants. This one-time grant is available to schools participating in the National School Lunch Program, a federally assisted program that provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children.

The Governor said the grants are offered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Deadline for applications is May 22 and grants will be awarded in early June. Federal stimulus guidelines require that schools buy the equipment within three months of the grant award and that priority be given to schools in which at least 50 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced priced meals.

The application and grant guidelines are on state’s stimulus Web site: www.ct.gov.  Click on the CT Recovery link and go to Funding Opportunities.