The California Department of Education is announcing the release of the Request for Applications for the 2026 National School Lunch Program (NSLP) Equipment Assistance Grants (EAG).
Background Information
In April 2026, the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extension Act, 2025 (P.L. 119-4), and Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026 (P.L. 119-37) authorized the U.S. Department of Agriculture to fund California $2,114,203 million to competitively award eligible school food authorities (SFA) with EAGs. This grant provides funding for SFAs to purchase food service equipment to improve meal quality and food safety, replace outdated equipment, enhance procurement and cafeteria appeal, promote adequate time for students to eat, and maintain or establish a new school kitchen or School Nutrition Program. The funding will also help to support SFAs that did not receive infrastructure funds from the 2025 Kitchen Infrastructure and Training grant. For more information about the EAG please visit the California Department of Education (CDE) Equipment Grant web page.
Grant Application Package and Deadline
The grant application package and instructions for the EAG are available on the CDE EAG Request for Applications web page. Please note that SFAs must complete the grant application online.
The online application deadline is 4 p.m. on Friday, December 18, 2026, at which time the CDE will no longer accept applications.
Contact Information
If you have any questions or need assistance regarding applying for the 2026 NSLP EAG, please contact the EAG team by email at equipmentgrant@cde.ca.gov.