HARRISBURG- The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) announced $1 million in PA Hunger-Free Campus Grant funding to help institutions of higher education (IHE) better serve their school communities and ensure their students have access to the healthy, nutritious food they need to thrive. Last year, the Shapiro Administration awarded $1 million in grants to 30 institutions of higher education and private licensed schools to combat student hunger on campuses across the Commonwealth.
“Learning and achieving is much harder to accomplish when you’re trying to learn on an empty stomach, and food insecurity knows no age or geographic limits—it impacts learners from pre-K to postsecondary in all areas of the Commonwealth,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Khalid N. Mumin. “This grant funding will continue the critical work of addressing food insecurity on Pennsylvania’s college and university campuses so students can focus on learning rather than hunger.”
Interested applications should apply through the eGrants system. Additional information about the grant is available on the Pennsylvania Hunger-Free Campus Initiative webpage. Applications will be accepted until September 23, 2024, at 11:59 p.m.
Through the PA Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program, colleges with the PA Hunger-Free Campus or PA Hunger-Free Campus+ designation may apply for competitive funding in an amount up to:
- $20,000 for institutions with 3,000 or fewer learners;
- $40,000 for institutions with 3,001 to 7,000 learners; and
- $60,000 for institutions with 7,001 learners or more.
The PA Hunger-Free Campus Initiative began in 2022, and is a focus of First Lady Lori Shapiro and part of her work to advocate for students and families to ensure they have the support they need to thrive and live healthy, successful lives.
The initiative brings together Pennsylvania postsecondary institutions focused on addressing hunger and other basic needs for their students, creating opportunities for connection, networking, and the sharing of best practices. Over the past two years, Governor Josh Shapiro secured $1 million each year to support postsecondary institutions’ efforts in addressing student hunger needs on campus.
These grants are available to both PA Hunger-Free and PA Hunger-Free+ campuses. Schools with a PA Hunger-Free Campus+ designation implemented additional innovative solutions to address student hunger and other basic needs for their campus community, such as offering a variety of meal plans, including an option that provides ten or fewer meals weekly to avoid interfering with SNAP eligibility, creating or implementing meal-sharing programs, educating student leaders on campus to develop student-centered programs, or facilitating innovative community partnerships.
For more information on the Pennsylvania Department of Education, please visit the website or follow PDE on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or Pinterest.
