Closed · USDA-FNS-CN-24-DC · CFDA 10.579 · Discretionary

Direct Certification Improvement Grant

Federal grant opportunity posted by Food and Nutrition Service, cataloged on Grants.gov.

up to $1M
Award range
Closed
Status
July 29, 2024
Close date
5
Expected awards

The verdict

Direct Certification Improvement Grant is a closed discretionary listing from Food and Nutrition Service that offered Up to $1,000,000 across 5 expected awards. Future funding cycles may be published under the same CFDA number. PlainGrants indexes 232 other opportunities from Food and Nutrition Service.

up to $1M
award range
Closed
application status
5
expected awards
10.579
CFDA program

Archived opportunity record

Direct Certification Improvement Grant is closed (last close July 29, 2024). Check the agency catalog for replacement NOFOs. Food and Nutrition Service still indexes 232 other opportunities here.

According to Grants.gov (extract vintage 2026-08-10), this record reflects the officially published listing. See methodology.

Deadline tracker

Application window closed

Closed July 29, 2024

Posted Jun 10 Closes Jul 29

Est. Total Funding

$2,300,000

Expected Awards

5

Instrument

Grant

Description

The USDA Food and Nutrition Service invites State agencies that administer the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) to apply for Direct Certification Improvement Grants to fund the costs of improving their direct certification rates with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and other assistance programs, as allowed under Federal statute and regulations. Under this request for applications (RFA), approximately $2.3 million is available for competitive grants to NSLP State agencies with the lowest direct certification rates for children who are members of households receiving SNAP benefits to fund direct certification improvement projects. However, as discussed in more detail in Section 3 of the Request for Applications, Eligibility Information, applicants who have direct certification rates at 95 percent or higher, as reported in the latest Direct Certification in the National School Lunch Program Report to Congress, must present a compelling case in their application proposals as to why additional funds are necessary for improvements in their direct certification system or processes for them to maintain rates at or above the mandated 95 percent benchmark. The legislative authority for this grant agreement announcement is Section 749(h)(1)(A) and (C)(i) of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 (Public Law 111–80).

Public-sector applicant lane · Food and Nutrition Service

Grants.gov lists only government / tribal / housing-authority applicant doors for Direct Certification Improvement Grant (State governments). This is a public-sector corridor, not a general nonprofit open call. The extract does not mark applicant cost-sharing as required. Instrument: Grant. Funding-activity codes span Agriculture · Food and Nutrition (AG;FN). This eligibility-code string dominates the Food and Nutrition Service book (92 peers, 39% of 233).

Code 00
State governments

Codes are Grants.gov eligibility category values from the extract vintage 2026-08-10. Confirm the full eligibility statement on the official listing or the Grants.gov eligibility reference.

Official Listing on Grants.gov

View full details, application forms, and submission instructions.

View on Grants.gov

Agency Contact

Anita Kirk Grants Officer

More from Food and Nutrition Service

Closed Closed August 19, 2026

FY 2026 SNAP Earnings Verification Support Grant

View →
Closed Closed August 14, 2026

FY 2026 FDPIR Nutrition Paraprofessional Training Program Cooperative Agreement

View →

What to do next

Direct Certification Improvement Grant is closed; use the parent program and agency catalog for the next funding cycle.

  • Browse open federal opportunities in the same category when this listing is closed. Open opportunities
  • Look up CFDA 10.579 across all indexed listings before you commit to this opportunity alone. Eligibility finder
  • Compare award ranges across federal categories before you pick a single CFDA. All categories

Opportunity deadlines and eligibility change on Grants.gov; PlainGrants mirrors the extract and is not the submission system.

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from Grants.gov and SAM.gov and is for informational purposes only. Opportunity details, deadlines, and eligibility requirements change frequently. Always verify current information directly on Grants.gov before applying. PlainGrants is not affiliated with any federal agency.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from the SAM.gov Assistance Listings and Grants.gov. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainGrants