Content
{{CurrentPage.Topics.DisplayName}} {{CurrentPage.Subtopic_x0020_Level_x0020_1}}

{{CurrentPage.Title}}

The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) was instituted to provide nutritious meals to children during the summer months when school is not in session. The program is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture​ (USDA) and administered by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

Sponsoring organizations include:

  • Public or private non-profit local education agencies;
  • Entities of state, local, municipal, or county government;
  • Residential camps; and
  • Private nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status.

An alternative to the SFSP for providing meals to your children in the summer months is the Seamless Summer Option. This program is available to local education agencies that already participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and/or School Breakfast Program (SBP). Some school food service authorities feel the Seamless Summer Option better meets their needs and requires less paperwork and monitoring requirements than the SFSP. For more information visit the Seamless Summer Option page. Please remember that schools who are offering academic summer school in buildings which have 50 percent or more of the students eligible for free or reduced-price school meals must serve breakfast and/or lunch at each school(s) that meets this criteria and must serve the meals to the children in their summer school program along with opening their doors to the community.​​​​​

 How to Apply

Welcome to the Summer Food Service Program! Children in your community do not need to go hungry this summer. During the school year, nutritious meals are available through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. But those programs end when school ends for the summer. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Summer Food Service Program helps fill the hunger gap.

PART 1: Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA)

  • To apply to participate in a federally funded Child Nutrition Program, you must complete the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) registration process and be qualified to do business with the State of Illinois. Once complete and all status are listed as “good," you can move ahead with Part 2.

PART 2: Application

 Reimbursement Rates

The following reimbursement rates are issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).  The rates are prescribed on an annual basis each January for the Summer Food Service Program.

SFSP 2024 Claiming and Reimbursement Rates


Combined (Operating and Administrative)
Rural or Self-Prep Other
Breakfast $2.9775 $2.9225
Lunch/Supper $5.2125 $5.1300
Supplement $1.2350 $1.2050​​

 Meal Service

Menus

Meal Pattern Substitutions

Recordkeeping

 Monitoring

* * * This page has been archived. The content on this page may no longer be in effect. * * *

Contact Information