Kitchen Infrastructure and Training Funds

Eligibility

These funds are only available to LEAs defined in AB 167 as school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools. Only LEAs that are a program sponsor of the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s NSLP or SBP will receive funding. An LEA program sponsor is one with a written agreement with the CDE, Nutrition Services Division and has a valid Child Nutrition Information and Payment System identification number on file on or before the deadline date for submission of this registration form.

The LEA is allowed to purchase kitchen infrastructure and equipment for their central kitchen and individual school sites if needed.

Funding is noncompetitive. Program sponsors of the NSLP or the SBP must register their interest in receiving these funds via an online survey by the deadline.

Guidelines

Timeline
Registration Form
Allowable Expenditures Overview: Kitchen Infrastructure
Allowable Expenditures Overview: Food Service Staff Training
Procurement
Reporting

Timeline

Kitchen Infrastructure and Training Funds Registration Form

The registration form, located at https://surveys2.cde.ca.gov/go/kit.asp , reserves noncompetitive funding for kitchen infrastructure upgrades and training for food service staff. Funding allotments will be distributed to NSLP and SBP sponsors on behalf of all eligible sites served by the sponsor. LEAs should consider equipment and infrastructure needs for all sites in anticipation for implementing California’s Universal Meals Program.

To receive these funds, eligible LEAs must submit an online opt-in registration form no later than 5 p.m. on January 14, 2022. This opt-in registration form must be submitted by an authorized representative of the agency; this is the individual currently on file in the Child Nutrition Information and Payment System.

Late submissions will be accepted; however, they will only be funded if there are remaining resources after all timely submissions have been paid.

Following submission of the opt-in registration form, applicants will receive a confirmation email from the CDE. Maintain this confirmation email for your records.

Allowable Expenditures Overview: Kitchen Infrastructure

Kitchen infrastructure and equipment purchased with these funds must be for the sole use of the LEA’s food service department.

This funding can be used to purchase, repair, or fund infrastructure improvements, including those needed to implement the Universal Meals Program, at the district, county office of education, or school-site level such as electrical, plumbing, and construction related to the following four categories:

• Cooking equipment and supporting infrastructure system needs—including, but not limited to, combination ovens, steamers, tilting skillets, and electrical, plumbing, and structural support and facility upgrade requirements

• Service equipment—including, but not limited to, service lines, point-of-sale systems, and mobile carts

• Refrigeration and storage—including, but not limited to, walk-in refrigerators, freezers, and blast chillers

• Transportation of ingredients, meals, and equipment between sites—including, but not limited to, vehicles and equipment to prevent spoilage of food in transit

These funds may also be used for any eligible items already purchased, repaired, or installed since the date that this funding was approved, July 9, 2021.

For a more detailed listing of allowable kitchen infrastructure expenses, review the Allowable Expenses: Kitchen Infrastructure entry found in the Resources tab of this web page.

Allowable Expenditures Overview: Food Service Staff Training

Trainings provided with these funds are for the sole benefit of food service staff at the district, county office of education, or school-site level. Funds must be used only for food service staff that are employees of the LEA. The term “staff” is inclusive of food service managers. If attendance extends beyond food service staff, you may only use these funds to pay the amount proportional to the food service staff in attendance.

Training topics must focus on promoting nutritious foods, which may include:

• Food preparation
• Healthy food marketing
  
• Changing the school lunchroom environment

Training can be achieved through a variety of methods. When selecting training methods, keep in mind that the purpose of these funds is to build skills and develop capacity for food service staff to promote nutritious foods. LEAs should also consider food service training needs for the implementation of the Universal Meals Program.

Examples of training methods may include:

• Group training: large group, small group, etc.
  
• Coaching and mentoring: one-on-one training, Train the Trainer, etc.
  
• Online training and learning
  
• Related courses/certifications: ServSafe, etc.

Additionally, these funds may be used to pay for staff travel to an allowable training. Follow your agency’s travel procedures when considering funding staff travel.

The LEA must keep records documenting trainings to include:

• Name of the training
• Date of training
• Description of the topic
• Agenda or learning outcomes
• Number and type (e.g., front line, managers, etc.) of staff trained

These funds must be used on expenditures that are reasonable, necessary, and allocable.

Note: These funds cannot be used to pay for

• Staff salaries
• Hiring consultants or additional staff to do the work, rather than provide training or build capacity

For a more detailed listing of allowable training topics, review the Allowable Expenses: Food Service Staff Training entry found in the Resources tab of this web page.

Procurement

These funds are state General Fund monies. At a minimum, your LEA must follow all applicable procurement processes and guidelines, which may include, but not be limited to:

• Conducting procurements in a manner that is compliant with your LEA’s procurement procedures and that promotes full and open competition

• Complying with your LEA’s written standard (or code) of conduct that covers conflicts of interest, including organizational conflicts of interest, and governs the performance of employees engaged in the selection, award, and administration of contracts and purchases

• Maintaining records sufficient to detail the history of procurement. These records will include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following: rationale for the method of procurement, selection of contract type, contractor selection or rejection, and the basis for the contract price
  
• Maintaining all vendor invoices, and receipts

Keep in mind, depending on your location, these purchases may also fall under emergency procurement protocols.

Reporting

As a condition of accepting these funds, LEAs must commit to completing a mandatory expenditure report. This report will gather details on how the funds were used to improve the quality of school meals or increase participation. This report will also gather information on the food service staff training topics and number of trainings and attendees. The CDE anticipates that this report will be submitted in the form of an online survey. This survey will be available by May 2023, and will be due by June 30, 2023.

Funding

Funding Announcements
Funding Mechanism and Timelines
Funding Formulas
Tracking Funds
Expenditure Deadline

Funding Announcements

The California Department of Education (CDE) will post funding amounts for both the kitchen infrastructure and food service staff training awards on the CDE Funding Results web page. Once available, the CDE will send an email announcement to all eligible LEAs notifying them that the information is available online. Updates will be provided routinely during the CDE Town Hall meetings as well.

Funding Mechanism and Timelines

Following the timely receipt of the opt-in registration form, the CDE will release 100 percent of each LEA’s available funds, or less if less is requested. The CDE expects to disburse funds by March 2022.

Kitchen Infrastructure and Training (KIT) Funds must be expended by June 30, 2023.

Unused funds must be returned within 30 days of receiving a CDE billing notice.

Funding Formulas

This is a noncompetitive, voluntary funding opportunity. Eligible LEAs may decline these funds altogether, or may accept less than the total amount designated.

Do not expend any funds until the allocation has been finalized and distributed. However, you are encouraged to begin to develop an internal plan and process to help prepare for these expenditures.

Note: The funding approaches provided in this section are only an estimate and amounts awarded may change based on responses to this survey. Eligible LEAs will be notified of their final funding amounts in early 2022.

Kitchen Infrastructure Funds:

This funding must be used to increase pupil access to, or improve the quality of, fresh and nutritious school meals. LEAs should consider infrastructure and equipment needs to implement the Universal Meals Program.

Total Amount of Funds Available to Distribute: $120,000,000

Each eligible LEA may request a noncompetitive, base funding level of up to $25,000 to use for Kitchen Infrastructure upgrades. The remaining funds are allocated to eligible program sponsors with 50 percent or more of their student population eligible for free or reduced-price (F/RP) meals. These funds are distributed proportionately based on the number of eligible pupils.
Eligible program sponsors will be notified of their final funding amounts in early 2022. For planning purposes, your LEA may estimate an approximate Kitchen Infrastructure funding level using this approach:

• Eligible LEAs with less than 50 percent of students eligible for F/RP meals may be awarded up to $25,000.

• Eligible LEAs with at least 50 percent of students eligible for F/RP meals may be awarded the base allocation (up to $25,000) plus approximately $20 for each student eligible for F/RP meals by the last regular school day of School Year 2020ꟷ21.

Actual award amounts will be posted on the CDE Funding Results web page.

Food Service Staff Training Funds:

This funding must be used for food service staff to receive training on promoting nutritious foods, which may include training on food preparation, healthy food marketing, and changing the school lunchroom environment.

Staff Training: Total of $30,000,000

Eligible program sponsors may be awarded a base allocation of up to $2,000. Additional funds may be awarded based on the total number of NSLP meals served in October 2020 in proportion to the number of NSLP meals served from all eligible program sponsors.

Expenditure of these funds must be used solely for food service staff to receive training on promoting nutritious foods, which may include training on food preparation, healthy food marketing, and changing the school lunchroom environment. LEAs should also consider food service training needs to implement the Universal Meals Program.

If attendance extends beyond food service staff, you may only use these funds to pay the amount proportional to the food service staff in attendance.

Training award amounts are posted on the CDE Funding Results web page.

Tracking Funds

The KIT Funds should be accounted for, and tracked separately from, the nonprofit school food service account (also known as the cafeteria fund).

Cafeteria funds can be used to supplement equipment purchased with Kitchen Infrastructure Funds, but additional federal requirements must be met, including:

• Written preapproval by the CDE,
• Federal procurement requirements, and
• Potential review by the CDE Nutrition Services Division during a School Nutrition Program Administrative Review.

Cafeteria fund expenditures not in compliance with federal regulation may be subject to disallowance.

For more information on restrictions and regulation governing the use of cafeteria funds please see the CDE Cafeteria Fund Guidance web page.

To request approval for cafeteria fund expenditures, please contact the Resource Management Unit at SNPCafeFundQuestions@cde.ca.gov.

Expenditure Deadline

Funds must be expended by June 30, 2023. Unexpended funds must be returned to the CDE within 30 days of invoicing.

Allowable Expenses

Kitchen Infrastructure

Below is a listing of allowable kitchen infrastructure expenses by the four categories noted in the law. This list is not exhaustive. Kitchen infrastructure and equipment purchased with these funds must be for the sole use of the LEA’s food service department.

Cooking equipment and supporting infrastructure system needs, includes but not limited to:

• Oven, range, stove, steamer
  • Combi
  • Convection
  • Conventional
  • Conveyor
  • Countertop
  • Double stack
  • Griddle
  • Heat-n-hold
  • Holding unit
  • Induction cooktop
  • Range top
  • Reel
  • Rotating rack
• Tilt skillet
• Exhaust or condensate hood
• Countertop/floor mixer
• Hot or cold cart or cabinet
  • Beverage service
  • Buffet
  • Holding
  • Mobile
  • Proofing
  • Retherm
  • Rolling
  • Self-serve
  • Serving
  • Warming
  • Kitchen sink
  • Compartment
  • Hand
  • Utility
• Barbeque
• Braising pan
• Broiler
• Dough divider
• Food processor
• Food slicer, chopper, dicer, etc.
• Griddle
• Microwave
• Pizza oven
• Produce washers
• Smoothie blender
• Steam jacket kettle
• Bagging machine
• Cook or chill system
• Depositor and filling machine
• Drawer warmer
• Meal or food packing machine
• Shrink wrapper machine
• Stainless steel work tables
• Tray sealer machine
• Dishwasher
• Styrofoam recycling machine
• Electrical, structural, plumbing, and other facility upgrade support

Service equipment, includes but not limited to:

• Service lines
• Point-of-sale systems (pin pads, tablets, scanners)
• Mobile carts
• Food display (hot or cold)
• Menu boards (including digital)
• Hot well transport system
• Serving equipment
• Serving line system (hot or cold)
• Speed line (hot or cold)
• Cold pan serving counter
• Steam table
• Plate or tray dispenser
• Salad bar
• Tables or chairs
• Shelving
• Menu planning programs
• Nutrient analysis software
• Online payment systems

Refrigeration and storage, includes but not limited to:

• Walk-in refrigerators
• Walk-in freezers
• Blast chillers
• Camchiller
• Combo
• Glass door
• Ice chest
• Milk cooler
• Mobile
• Reach-in
• Roll-in
• Undercounter
• Work-top
• Inventory management systems and software, including items such as scanners, bar code readers, label makers, printers
• Temperature monitoring and management systems and software

Transportation of ingredients, meals, and equipment between sites, includes but not limited to:

• Vehicles and equipment to prevent spoilage of food in transit
• Refrigerated truck
• Warmers
• Carts and hand trucks
  

Food Service Staff Training

Trainings provided with these funds are for the sole benefit of food service staff at the district, county office of education, or school-site level. Funds must be used only for food service staff that are employees of the LEA.

The LEA must keep records documenting trainings to include:

• Name of the training
  
• Date of training
  
• Description of the topic
  
• Agenda or learning outcomes
  
• Number and type (e.g., front line, managers, etc.) of staff trained

Below is a listing of allowable food service staff training topics. This list is not exhaustive.

• Food preparation and culinary skills
• Food safety
• Recipe standardization
• Scratch cooking
• Healthy food marketing
• Healthy beverage marketing
• Incorporating plant-based menu options
• Equipment training
• Farm to School or locally sourced foods
• Changing the school lunchroom environment and Smarter Lunchroom trainings
• Food waste management and reduction
• Student engagement in school meals and food environment design
• Policy, Systems, and Environmental Change strategies to promote healthy food
• How school wellness policies can promote healthy foods
• Menu planning for healthy food promotion and compliance with the Child Nutrition Program meal patterns
• Hosting a healthy food taste testing event
• Conducting nutrition education and healthy food promotion activities
• Promoting equity in the school lunch environment

For questions about purchases or training topics not listed, email KITfunds@cde.ca.gov. Please include the name or type of infrastructure, equipment, or training in question and include a brief justification for how it meets the objectives of this funding.

Frequently Asked Questions

Eligibility
Applying
Funding
Procurement
Allowable Uses of Funds
Reporting

Eligibility

• Which Local Education Agencies (LEAs) are eligible for Kitchen Infrastructure and Training (KIT) Funds?
  Eligible LEAs include public school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools that are NSLP or SBP sponsors. Applications for sponsorship must be complete at the time the opt-in registration for the KIT funding is due.
  
  
• Our school participates in NSLP or SBP under another LEA, are we eligible for KIT Funds?
  Sponsors administering nutrition programs on behalf of other LEAs should include the equipment and training needs of all sites under their administration. LEAs that participate, but are not sponsors, do not submit separate registrations for this funding.
  
  
• My LEA is in the process of becoming a sponsor. Do we qualify for these funds?
  Applicants must be approved sponsors at the time the online opt-in registration form is due. Late applications may be submitted following approval; however, funding is not guaranteed for late applications.

Applying

• How do we opt-in to the funds?
  The CDE has developed an online registration form. Sponsors of NSLP and SBP are required to complete this form by 5 p.m. on January 14, 2022. Late applications will be accepted; however, funding amounts may be impacted, as registration forms completed on time will be prioritized for funding.
  
  
• What information is needed for the opt-in online registration form?
  To complete the registration form, have the following information available:
  
  
  • Child Nutrition Information and Payment System identification number, Vendor number, or both.
    
    
  • Total enrollment for all sites served under your NSLP or SBP sponsorship on the last regular school day of School Year (SY) 2020–21.
    
    
  • Total number of students eligible for free and reduced-price (F/RP) meals from all sites served under your NSLP or SBP sponsorship on the last regular school day of SY 2020-21.
    
    In addition, LEAs should be prepared to input preliminary, nonbinding information about how they plan to spend the KIT Funds.

• For the kitchen infrastructure, that includes noting which categories capture your agency’s proposed expenditures. Those categories are: cooking equipment and supporting infrastructure, service equipment, refrigeration and storage, and transportation of ingredients, meals, and equipment between sites.
  
  
• For the training activities, this includes noting the estimated number of trainings you plan to provide, the estimated number of food service staff that will attend, and possible topics.

Funding

• How do we know how much funding we will receive?
  All eligible LEAs can request a Kitchen Infrastructure Fund base amount of up to $25,000. Remaining Kitchen Infrastructure Funds will be disbursed proportionately among those LEAs that completed the online opt-in registration form by the deadline and that have an enrollment of 50 percent or more of students eligible for F/RP meals.
  
  All eligible LEAs can request a food service training base amount of up to $2,000. Remaining food service training funds will be disbursed proportionately among those LEAs that completed the online opt-in registration form by the deadline and based on the total number of lunches served in October 2020.
  
  Once available, funding estimates for Kitchen Infrastructure and food service staff training will be posted in the Funding tab of this web page.
  
  
• How are rebates factored into the Kitchen Infrastructure Funds?
  Any rebate, discount, or credit for purchase must be subtracted from the total cost. For example, if a piece of equipment originally cost $6,000 and later the vendor offered a $100 rebate for purchase of the equipment, with a resulting actual cost of $5,900, the school food authority (SFA) may only use $5,900 of the Kitchen Infrastructure Funds for this purchase. SFAs should work with vendors while obtaining the initial quotes to determine whether there are any rebates, discounts, or credits prior to purchasing the equipment.
  

Procurement

• Can noncompetitive purchases be with this funding?
  LEAs must follow all state and local procurement standards.

Allowable Uses of Funds

• What type of equipment can we purchase?
  Visit the Resources tab of this web page and reference the list of Allowable Expenses: Kitchen Infrastructure for information on approved equipment purchases. If you have questions regarding a specific purchase and it is not listed in that document, please email KITfunds@cde.ca.gov with the name of the equipment and how it increases pupil access to, or improves the quality of fresh and nutritious school meals.
  
  Note that you may also use these funds for any eligible items already purchased, repaired, or installed since the date that this funding was approved, July 9, 2021.
  
  Additionally, these funds can be used to repair existing equipment and to fund infrastructure improvements such as plumbing, electrical, and construction related to the four categories of allowable expenses: cooking equipment and supporting infrastructure system needs, service equipment, refrigeration and storage, and transportation of ingredients, meals, and equipment between sites.
  
  
• Can LEAs use these funds to fulfill kitchen infrastructure and training needs in order to prepare for the implementation of the Universal Meals Program?
  Yes. LEAs are strongly encouraged to review their potential needs for kitchen equipment and associated infrastructure, as well as any service, refrigeration, storage, or transportation needs to support meal service initiation or expansion associated with the Universal Meals Program. Additionally, LEAs are also strongly encouraged to review the potential and allowable training topics that will build skills that will both promote nutritious meals and support the implementation of California’s Universal Meals Program.
  
  
• What type of training can we provide?
  Training funds can only be used for food service staff to receive training on promoting nutritious foods, which may include training on food preparation, healthy food marketing, and changing the school lunchroom environment.
  
  Visit the Resources tab of this web page and reference the list of Allowable Expenses: Food Service Staff Training for approved training topics. If you have questions regarding a specific training that is not listed in that document, please email KITfunds@cde.ca.gov and provide the training content and how it relates to promoting nutritious foods.
  
  
• Can I use allotted training funds for kitchen infrastructure, or vice versa?
  No. Funds must be used for the purpose for which they were awarded.
  
  
• Can other staff attend the food service staff training?
  These funds are exclusively for food service staff that are employees of the LEA. If other staff, or contracted food service staff, attend trainings, these funds can cover only the prorated cost of the training based on the proportion of LEA food service staff in attendance.
  
  
• We have submitted our online registration and our anticipated expenditures differ from what we reported. Do we need to revise our registration?
  No. As long as the actual purchases are allowable, you do no need to resubmit your agency’s online registration form.
  
  For information about allowable expenditures, review the documents on the Resources tab of this web page. You may also send questions to KITfunds@cde.ca.gov.
  
  
• Is equipment purchased outside of the funding period allowed?
  Equipment must be purchased within the funding period of July 9, 2021, through June 30, 2023.
  
  
• Can sponsoring agencies purchase (or repair) and distribute equipment allowable under this funding to the individual NSLP or SBP sites under their sponsorship?
  Yes. Program sponsors are encouraged to consider the kitchen infrastructure needs of all participating NSLP and SBP sites under their sponsorship with making purchases with these funds. For example, a program sponsor can purchase finishing equipment for reheating cook chill foods, or additional storage such as freezers, at the meal sites under their sponsorship.
  

Reporting

• What if our equipment and training needs have changed since we submitted our opt-in survey?
  If equipment and training needs have changed since you submitted your opt-in survey, and they remain an allowable use of these funds, there is no requirement to contact the CDE or to submit a new survey response.
  
  
• What information will we submit to the CDE in the mandatory report?
  Participating LEAs will be asked to report to the CDE how they used the funding to improve the quality of school meals or increase participation in subsidized school meal programs. For the Kitchen Infrastructure funding, recipients will be asked to provide narrative responses to these questions as well as basic expenditure reports. Photos are appreciated and optional. For the training funds, recipients will be asked to provide narrative responses to these questions with respect to the training activities, as well as dates, training topics, and number of food service staff trained.
  

Contacts

KIT Fund Questions

Submit questions regarding this funding to KITfunds@cde.ca.gov.

Cafeteria Fund Expenditure Questions

To request approval for cafeteria fund expenditures, contact the Resource Management Unit at SNPCafeFundQuestions@cde.ca.gov.

School Nutrition Program (SNP) Analysts

For general questions regarding the SNP, contact your SNP Analyst on the CDE SNP Specialist Directory web page.