Fuel Up to Play 60 and Action for Healthy Kids: Funding Opportunities for Your School

The end of the school year is a hectic time for everyone, and this is certainly true of school nutrition professionals. However, spring is also a great time to look ahead and begin planning—perhaps you are putting the finishing touches on summer feeding, or maybe you are already thinking about fall semester, and that new program you hope to implement, like Grab n’ Go breakfast, a food truck, or an updated salad bar for lunch service. Maybe you are in the process of rewriting your school’s wellness policy, and have found that a new physical activity or nutrition program will require additional funds; if so, now is the time to start seeking out, and applying for, funding opportunities.

Fuel Up to Play 60

There is always something exciting going on with our friends at Fuel Up to Play 60! Earlier this month, FUTP60 announced the winners of their Team Up “Dynamic Duos” photo contest; congratulations to all the winners, especially Program Advisor Lynn L. and Student Ambassador Mati G., of Wisconsin, who have launched their school’s brand-new FUTP60 program in a big way!

Don’t forget that Fuel Up to Play 60 has two new funding opportunities on the horizon for participating schools. Up to $4000 per year is available to qualifying K-12 schools that are enrolled in FUTP60, and the first deadline is coming up on Wednesday, June 4, 2014. Learn more about how to apply for Fuel Up to Play 60 funds, and earn money to help you launch a breakfast-in-the-classroom pilot, a physical activity club … the sky’s the limit! Find ideas to help get you started with Fuel Up to Play 60’s 2014-15 Playbook.

Action for Healthy Kids’ “Every Kid Healthy Week”

We are right in the middle of “Every Kid Healthy™ Week”! Every Kid Healthy™ Week is an annual celebration of schools’ wellness achievements, and is part of a wider effort to keep the spotlight on childhood obesity while providing opportunities for everyone to get involved in finding a solution! Whether that means a healthy nutrition or physical activity program, or a program promoting overall school health, “Every Kid Healthy™ Week” is celebrating healthier school environments in cafeterias, classrooms, and on playgrounds across the country. Check out their Tools for Schools resource page to find a Wellness Policy Tool, Resource Clearinghouse, Students Taking Charge, and more.

Don’t miss their Grants Opportunities section, where you will find School Grants for Healthy Kids opportunities for SY 2014-15. About 1000 schools will be awarded funds ($500-$5000) to support school breakfast and physical activity programs; some state restrictions apply to some programs, and applications are due on Friday, May 2, 2014.