Lunch at the Library Summer 2027
Deadline: Rolling / ongoing.
View the official program page →Official listing
This links the program's official page as published by the portal, or the portal itself when the program publishes none; verify details there before applying.
- Agency
- CA State Library
- Deadline
- Rolling / ongoing
- Opened
- 2026-09-01
- Open to
- Nonprofit, Public Agency
- Geography
- California public libraries only.
- Estimated total funding
- $3,000,000
- Amounts
- Dependant on number of submissions received, application process, etc.
- Expected awards
- Dependant on number of submissions received, application process, etc.
- Matching funds
- Not Required
About this program
Funds and support are available for all California public libraries that help to provide USDA summer meals for children and youth. The Lunch at the Library program helps California public libraries to establish library locations as U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) summer meal sites and take pop-up libraries to other USDA community meal sites while providing learning and enrichment opportunities.
Applications are non-competitive. All eligible libraries participating in Lunch at the Library and submitting approved applications will receive funds. These funds can support the following Lunch at the Library activities: Library Meal Sites: Establish and serve USDA summer meals at library site(s) and provide learning and enrichment programming at those meal sites. Lunch at the Library meal sites should include programming. Programs can include — but are not limited to — farm to summer, literacy, health and wellness, nutrition education, and arts and culture-based activities, as well as books provided to help families build home libraries. Pop-Up Libraries at Community Meal Sites: Take pop-up libraries — including programming, resources, and books — to other community-based USDA summer meal sites, such as local parks and schools.
Run federal grants too?
State grants are free to browse and are not part of member fit-scoring, alerts, or the Tuesday digest — those cover federal grants. Members get every federal grant that opens fit-scored to their organization (the home page defines exactly what the board covers) — with an alert when a real match posts.
See grants pricingWant state grant alerts?
Fit-scored alerts cover federal grants today; this state board is free to browse. If alerts for state grants would help your team, say so below — enough interest is what gets them built.