California’s 2019–20 Breakfast After the Bell Grant Application
School food authorities (SFA) can submit the 2019–20 Breakfast After the Bell (BATB) application found online on the California Department of Education (CDE) Request for Applications (RFA) web page. Complete the application and have the appropriate agency official electronically sign and submit it. The CDE must receive your SFA’s online submission no later than 4 p.m. on Monday, November 18, 2019. No late or mailed application will be accepted.
The CDE will award competitive grants of up to $15,000 per site. Each SFA may apply for no more than 10 sites. Recipients will receive 90 percent of the funding at the time of award with the remaining 10 percent awarded upon approval of all invoices.
Steps to apply for the BATB Grant:
- Carefully review the Application Scoring Criteria on the BATB RFA web page.
- Read the Instructions for Completing California’s BATB Grant Application (this document).
- Complete and submit the online Grant Application no later than 4 p.m. on Monday, November 18, 2019.
Request for Applications
School Food Authority Information
Note: You will need to select the Save Responses button on the first page of the RFA to save the application. Once you select the Save Responses button you will receive an email with a unique URL (web address) for entrance back into the application. It is recommended that you copy the URL on the application page and save it in case you do not receive the confirmation email. This address will allow you to return to your place in the survey at any time if the Save Responses button was selected prior to exiting.
| Application Field | Explanation |
|---|---|
Name of SFA |
Enter the name of your school district, county office of education, or direct-funded charter school. |
Mailing address of SFA |
Enter the mailing address, city, state, and zip code for the SFA. |
County |
Select the county in which your SFA conducts business. |
SFA Child Nutrition Information and Payment System (CNIPS) Identification (ID) Number |
Enter the CNIPS ID number associated with your agreement with the CDE to participate in Child Nutrition Programs (CNP). |
SFA Vendor number |
Enter the CDE vendor number assigned to your SFA. |
Total number of sites for which the SFA is applying (no more than 10) |
Select the total number of sites for which your SFA is applying for grant funds. Please note that there is a limit of 10 sites per SFA that may receive a grant. |
Name of food service director (FSD) |
Enter the name of the FSD. If you do not have an FSD, provide the name of the employee who will be the contact person for this grant. |
Phone number of FSD |
Enter the phone number of the FSD or appropriate staff, including extension. |
Email address of FSD |
Enter the email address of the FSD or appropriate staff. |
Name of superintendent/director/ administrator |
Enter the name of your organization’s superintendent/director/administrator |
Email address of superintendent/director/administrator |
Enter the email address of your organization’s superintendent/director/administrator |
SFA cafeteria fund balance as of July 1, 2019 |
Enter the balance of your cafeteria account as of July 1, 2019. |
One month’s average food service operating expense |
Enter the amount your SFA spends (on average) in one month on food service. This includes salaries, food, laundry, utilities, janitorial, etc. |
Net cash resources (NCR) |
This answer is auto calculated. No entry required. Please note that SFAs with excess NCR may be ineligible for a grant. |
Excess NCR explanation |
If your SFA has excess NCR, explain in detail why the excess NCR cannot be used in lieu of grant funds. SFAs with excess NCR may be ineligible to be awarded a grant. |
Site Information
Complete this section for each site for which you are applying for grant funds. You may save your responses at any time by selecting the Save Responses button.
| Application Field | Explanation |
|---|---|
Name of Site |
List the name of the school site for which you are applying. |
CNIPS Site ID |
For each site application, enter the site number assigned in your CNIPS account, not the SFA CNIPS ID number. The site number can be found to the left of the site name in your CNIPS account listing of participating sites. |
Does this site currently operate a BATB program? |
Select Yes or No. |
Does this site currently offer breakfast before the bell? |
Select Yes or No. |
If awarded a BATB Grant, does this site plan to continue to serve breakfast before the bell? |
Select Yes or No. |
If awarded a BATB Grant, do you agree to operate your BATB program for at least three years? |
Select Yes or No. |
Is this site the central kitchen or food processing plant for your SFA? |
Select the Yes or No box, as applicable. |
If yes, is this site also a school where children attend kindergarten through grade twelve? |
Select the Yes or No box, as applicable. |
Enter the total number of breakfasts served at this site in October 2018 in the following eligibility categories (do not provide percentages). |
Enter the number of breakfasts served to students who qualified for:
Do not provide percentages. |
Enter the number of students at this site approved for the following eligibility categories as of the last operating day of October 2018. Enter the total number of operating days in October. |
Enter the number of students eligible for free and reduced-price (F/RP) meals, the total site enrollment, and the total number of operating days in October. |
Approved F/RP percentage. This is the site percentage of F/RP eligible students. |
This answer is auto calculated. No entry is required. |
Select any of the following BATB service models that the site will implement or expand. |
For this site, select all service models proposed for BATB, and add other and describe as needed. Please explain how your SFA will implement and expand using the grant resources. |
Describe how you will implement or expand and operate the innovative strategy or strategies selected above. Include specific information. Also, explain how your agency’s administration supports implementation or expansion of your innovative strategy or strategies. Be sure to mention any other innovative strategies your SFA will have. |
In the box, describe how you will implement and operate the service models selected in the list in the previous question. Please explain how you plan to implement or expand your innovative strategy or strategies. |
Budget Sheet |
Upload your completed Budget Sheet into the grant application. Instructions on completing the Budget Sheet are on the first tab of the Excel spreadsheet. |
Certification/Signature |
Enter the district or agency official’s name to certify that all the information contained within all sections of the application is correct and that your SFA will observe all applicable state and federal procurement laws and regulations. The official certifying the information should be listed as a contact in the sponsor application in CNIPS. |
Use of Grant Funds
All purchases must be an allowable cost. SFAs must dedicate equipment purchased with grant funds for exclusive use by food services. The expense must also serve to assist in the implementation or expansion of a BATB program. Conversely, any equipment that will be used by another program and not operated exclusively by food service, and will not assist in the implementation or expansion of a BATB program, is not an allowable expense. For example, if the SFA purchases a vehicle that will be used by food service to transport food items or meals, but it is also used for nonfood service activities, the cost of the vehicle is not an allowable purchase with these grant funds.
The CDE will not pay SFAs for services or equipment without a copy of the vendor’s invoice or receipt. An invoice has a unique invoice number on it and is signed by an SFA representative per their procurement policies. Purchase orders and packing lists may not be used in lieu of invoices or receipts.
SFAs must incur all allowable expenses within the designated grant period. The official grant period is included on the signed grant award notice.
SFAs must follow all state and local procurement standards.
Allowable Costs
Grant funding may be used for costs associated with the implementation or expansion of a BATB program in accordance with allowable uses of the SFA’s cafeteria fund. For questions regarding the allowable uses of the cafeteria fund, please contact snpcafefundquestions@cde.ca.gov.
Terminating Awards
If a grant is awarded based on information in the application and the recipient subsequently changes the plan and requests equipment unrelated to the original plan described in the application, the CDE may terminate the grant. Examples of changes that would result in the loss of grant funds are if an SFA:
- Requests funds for transport bags to provide Breakfast in the Classroom (BIC), then after the award, requests a salad bar instead of transport bags.
- Requests to purchase a cart to serve breakfast in the area where students congregate between classes, and then requests to replace a broken refrigerator instead of purchasing the cart.
- States a site will implement BIC, and then does not do so.
Assurances
Please read the entire General Assurances document located on the CDE Funding Forms web page.
Drug-free Workplace
All SFAs participating in any of the CNPs have signed a Permanent Single Agreement (PSA), and by doing so, have agreed to all terms and conditions listed in the document. On page 10 of the PSA, the section titled, Certification Regarding State and Federal Drug-free Workplace Requirements states that applicants certify to provide a drug-free workplace. No further action is required.
Certifications Regarding Debarment, Suspension, and Lobbying
SFAs are prohibited from contracting with a vendor that has been debarred, proposed for debarment, or suspended. SFAs must require any potential vendor to include a certification statement with each bid of $25,000 or more. The bidder certifies that neither it nor any of its key employees have been proposed for debarment, debarred, or suspended by a federal agency. The SFA should retain bidder certifications with bid responses. Suspension and Debarment Certification can be found on the CDE Suspension, Debarment, and Lobbying Certifications web page.
Application Scoring Criteria
The Application Scoring Criteria can be viewed on the CDE BATB RFA web page.
Appeals Process
Applicants that wish to appeal a grant award decision can view the Nutrition Services Division appeals process on the on the CDE BATB RFA web page.
Good Standing
If an agency is currently participating in any of the federal CNPs, they must be in good standing in the operation of those programs administered by the CDE and in compliance with all related regulations during the application process and anytime during the course of the grant period. The criteria that the CDE considers in determining an agency’s Good Standing status can be downloaded as a CDE web document on the CDE BATB RFA web page.
Grant Application Submission
The CDE will only accept online applications. All applications are due by 4 p.m. Monday, November 18, 2019.