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THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234

Office of P-20 Education Policy
Child Nutrition Program Administration
89 Washington Avenue, Room 375 EBA, Albany, NY 12234
Phone: (518) 473-8781 Fax: (518) 473-0018
To: 
School Food Service Directors/Managers
From: 
Child Nutrition Program Administration
Date: 
Thursday, September 5, 2024
Subject: 
Reallocated Supply Chain Assistance (SCA) Funds

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) has funding remaining from previous allocations of the Supply Chain Assistance (SCA) Funds.  School Food Authorities (SFA) that participated in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and/or School Breakfast Program (SBP) for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years are eligible to receive $4,872 in SCA funds. All funds must be requested by September 27, 2024.

Allowable Use of SCA Funds

SCA funds must be used solely to purchase unprocessed or minimally processed domestic food products. These funds are intended to assist SFAs in managing challenges such as unanticipated cancellations of food and supply contracts, reduced availability of certain foods, unexpected substitutions, unpredictable price increases, and other related issues. While it is not mandatory, SFAs are encouraged to use the SCA funds to procure locally grown unprocessed or minimally processed food.

SCA funds may not be used for food purchases used in other Child Nutrition Programs (i.e., Special Milk Program, Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, Summer Food Service Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program).

Procurement

As with all Child Nutrition Program purchases, SFAs are required to follow all federal, State, and local procurement requirements and regulations.

All SFAs must accept the SCA Funds via the Child Nutrition Management System (CNMS) by September 27, 2024. After this date, the funds will no longer be available.

All SFAs must complete the following steps:

  1. Log into CNMS with your username and password
  2. Click SFA Annual Information and then select 2024-2025 SY
  3. Scroll down and select “Supply Chain Assistance Funds”
  4. The next screen will display the total amount of SCA funding.

SFAs must select one of the following three options:

  1. Accept All Funds
    • Select this option to indicate that the SFA wishes to receive the full amount of SCA funds noted at the top of the screen next to “SCA Amount”.
  2. Decline Funds
    • Select this option only if the SFA does NOT want to receive any amount of SCA funding.
  3. Accept Partial Funds
    • Select this option if the SFA wishes to receive only part of their entitled SCA funding amount.
    • When selecting this option, the SFA must enter the total amount of SCA funding the SFA wishes to accept in the box provided.
  4. Review the attestation statement and click the “Attested” box. If the previous round of SCA funds was accepted by the SFA then the attestation statement does not need to be completed again.  SFAs that chose to decline the funds do not have to complete this step.
  5. Click “Update”.

Although USDA has indicated the intent is to immediately utilize the funding to address supply chain issues, SCA funds may be deposited in the nonprofit school food service account to utilize in the future.  

Payments

All SCA payments are processed in the same manner as Child Nutrition program reimbursements. SCA funds must be deposited into the SFAs nonprofit school food service account and do not need to be separated from other monies within the account or tracked separately.

SFA Oversight Requirements

SFAs receiving SCA funding are required to maintain proper documentation on the procurement and purchasing of allowable food items. Documentation needed to support use of funds may include invoices, receipts, proof of domestic product, etc.

 

Please contact your CN representative or email CN@nysed.gov with any questions.

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

  1. mail:
    U.S. Department of Agriculture
    Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
    1400 Independence Avenue, SW
    Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
  2. fax:
    (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
  3. email:
    Program.Intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Click here for Nondiscrimination Statement translations.

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