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2025 KIT & Retention & Recruitment Grant RFA

The California Department of Education (CDE) Nutrition Services Division (NSD) is sending this message to announce the availability of the 2025 Kitchen Infrastructure and Training (KIT) Grants and Retention and Recruitment (R&R) Grants.

Background Information

On June 27, 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 121 (Committee on Budget. Education finance: education omnibus budget trailer bill) into law. This law appropriated $155 million from the State of California’s General Fund to the California Department of Education to competitively award $145 million in KIT Grants and $10 million in R&R Grants.

The RFA is now available on the CDE website. Applications are due on January 30th, 2026. School food authorities will apply for grant funding online by Snap Survey software. For more information about the 2025 KIT and R&R Grants and eligibility requirements, visit the CDE Kitchen Infrastructure and Training Grants and Retention and Recruitment Grants web page.

Grant Application Package and Deadline

The grant application package and instructions for these grants are available on the CDE KIT and R&R Grant Request for Applications web page. Please note that school food authorities must complete the grant application online.

The online application closes on Friday, January 30th, 2026, at 4 p.m., at which time the CDE will no longer accept applications.

Contact Information

If you have questions regarding this subject, please contact the KIT Team by email at KIT2025@cde.ca.gov.

Questions:   Nutrition Services Division | 800-952-5609
Last Reviewed: Thursday, December 04, 2025
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