California Library Association's Lunch at the Library Partner Funding Opportunity Application Fall/Winter 2025-2026 and Spring 2026.
The California Library Association’s Lunch at the Library Partnership Project has funds available for California Public Libraries to support meal and nutrition services for children and youth. Working in partnership with the California State Library's Lunch at the Library program, CLA’s Partner Project provides grants to complement the State Library’s Lunch at the Library grant activities. Grant funds are available for California public libraries to support nutrition services & programming for children and youth, Fall 2025, Winter 2025/2026 and/or Spring 2026.
Who can apply?
Funds are available to California public libraries that have been awarded 2025 funding or that have applied for 2026 Lunch at the Library summer funding. Funding is intended to expand the scope of meal/snack related programming into fall, winter and/or spring ‘25/’26, and to build or maintain partnerships with nutrition providers/community food banks, and/or to engage in nutrition/meal/snack promotion and outreach.
When?
Applications for Fall 2025 and Winter 2025/26, and/or Spring 2026 funding will be accepted on a first come first served basis through February 17th, 2026. Funds must be encumbered by May 22nd, 2026. Funds are limited and will be awarded in order to maximize the number of library jurisdictions receiving funds. Libraries applying by September 30th, 2025 will receive funding consideration priority.
Why Apply?
CLA’s Lunch at the Library Partner grant opportunity supports the Lunch at the Library program and helps connect more families with the USDA food service programs; it increases and strengthens library and food bank partnerships; and supports other innovative efforts that connect more families to both nutritious food and library programming and services year-round. Funds support efforts to establish libraries as essential partners, distributors and/or promoters of nutrition and meal information and food resources to address nutrition and food insecurity year-round, resulting in increased summer meal attendance and awareness when food insecurity is at its highest, during the critical summer months.
What activities can funds be used to support?
Funding can be used to support a wide range of activities including:
- Library Meal Sites and Enrichment Programming & Supplies: Jurisdictions serving fall ‘25, winter and/or spring ‘25/’26 meals and/or snacks and providing enrichment programming at library sites, book distributions to connect children, teens and families to library programs and to build home libraries. Farm to Table programming that connects children, teens, and families with locally sourced, sustainable food, and hands-on food education activities as part of a library or community meal/snack program is encouraged.
- Pop-Up Libraries at Community Meal Sites: Jurisdictions taking pop-up library programming out to community meal/snack sites outside of regular school hours or during breaks (fall, winter and/or spring ‘25/’26).
- Food Bank Distribution Partnerships: Partnerships with food banks that support the distribution of produce and grocery staples at the library or at other food bank distribution sites and that provide enrichment programming and connections to library resources and services (fall, winter and/or spring ‘25/’26).
- Youth Development: Jurisdictions providing teens with workforce readiness skills as they assist with meal programs at library and/or community meal sites.
- Library Outreach and Promotion Efforts: Funds can innovative efforts to promote and connect more children, teens, and families with nutritious meals and food resources year-round and during the summer at library meal/snack sites.
A Note on Youth Development program plans:
o Interns: The use of grant money to fund interns during a grant program is allowable provided that the interns are only being paid for time spent directly on project-related activities and the payment method is not a stipend. Payment using grant funds made to interns as wages, salaries and payment for work under contract is allowable.
o Scholarships: Grant funds can be used to fund scholarships for those participating in educational and workforce development activities as part of the grant program and in alignment with the primary purpose of the grant.
What are UNALLOWABLE EXPENDITURES?
Unallowable costs include but are not limited to the following (please ask if you have questions):
- Food and refreshments
- Performers for the purpose of entertainment (Presentations offering enrichment/learning for attendees are allowable)
- Fundraising activities, including grant writing
- Cash reserves and endowment holdings; purchase of land, buildings or major construction
- Permanent construction or installations (discuss any plans related to this area with the Lunch at the Library team beforehand)
- Non-educational social activities such as receptions, parties, galas
- Gifts/prizes/incentives/giveaways; including cash prizes or gift certificates with monetary value, and take-and-make kits (books to build home libraries, which include literature connecting families to summer reading and programming are allowable)
- Contributions, donations, honorariums, stipends
- Expenses incurred before the start of the grant period or after the ending date of the grant period without an approved extension
- Lobbying activities that are intended to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials
- Backfill and salaries or benefits for individuals not directly contributing to the grant-funded project are not allowable as direct costs
How do I apply for CLA’s Lunch at the Library Partner Project funding?
Complete a California Library Association’s Lunch at the Library Partnership Project Funding Application. Please contact CLA’s Lunch at the Library Partner Project team at latl@cla-net.org with any questions you have or ideas that you’d like to share. We are looking forward to hearing from you!