To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to direct the Secretary to competitively award grants to, or enter into cooperative agreements with, Governors of States to carry out comprehensive and innovative strategies to end childhood hunger, including establishing public-private partnerships and alternative models for service delivery that promote the reduction or elimination of childhood hunger by 2015.

Summary: Ending Childhood Hunger Challenge Act of 2010 - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to award funding competitively to states, through grants or contracts, to carry out comprehensive and innovative demonstration projects that promote the reduction or elimination of childhood hunger by 2015.

Requires the Secretary, when determining the amount of funds to be provided to a state, to consider: (1) the proportion of children in the state eligible for free or reduced price meals under the Act; and (2) the rates of food insecurity, hunger, or poverty in the state.

Includes among the demonstration projects eligible for funding those that: (1) enhance federal child nutrition program benefits or establish innovative models for the delivery of program benefits; (2) increase children's access to and participation in such programs; and (3) improve the coordination of federal, state, and community resources and services aimed at eliminating food insecurity and hunger.

Requires each state that receives such funding to: (1) collaborate with key stakeholders in the state to develop a comprehensive agenda for eliminating childhood hunger that is approved by the Secretary; (2) set specific performance goals for reducing or eliminating childhood hunger; and (3) arrange for an independent evaluation of its project's effectiveness.

Favors projects with a 25% nonfederal match in cash or in-kind contributions.

Limits project funding to five years and states to no more than one funded project.

Makes the amount of federal funding provided for a project each year contingent on its progress toward performance goals.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Ending Childhood Hunger Challenge 
Act of 2010''.

SEC. 2. STATE CHILDHOOD HUNGER CHALLENGE GRANTS.

    The Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et 
seq.) is amended by inserting after section 22 the following:

``SEC. 23. STATE CHILDHOOD HUNGER CHALLENGE GRANTS.

    ``(a) In General.--From the amounts appropriated under subsection 
(k), the Secretary may competitively award grants, or enter into 
competitively awarded cooperative agreements with, the Governors of 
States to carry out comprehensive and innovative demonstration projects 
to end childhood hunger, including projects that establish public-
private partnerships and alternative models for service delivery that 
promote the reduction or elimination of childhood hunger by 2015.
    ``(b) Grant Size.--In determining the size of a grant to award to a 
State under this section, the Secretary shall consider--
            ``(1) the proportion of children in the State certified as 
        eligible for free and reduced price meals under this Act; and
            ``(2) the rates of food insecurity, hunger, or poverty in 
        the State, as determined by the Secretary.
    ``(c) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant or 
cooperative agreement under this section, a Governor of a State shall 
submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, 
and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
    ``(d) Projects.--A Governor of a State receiving funds under this 
section shall use such funds to carry out a demonstration project based 
on a comprehensive and innovative strategy to end childhood hunger, 
including a project that--
            ``(1) enhances benefits or provides for innovative program 
        delivery models in the Federal child nutrition programs, 
        including the school meal programs, afterschool snack programs, 
        summer feeding programs, weekend feeding programs, child and 
        adult care food programs, the Special Supplemental Nutrition 
        Program for Women, Infants, and Children established under the 
        Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.), and 
        programs under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 
        2011 et seq.);
            ``(2) increase access and participation in Federal child 
        nutrition programs; and
            ``(3) improve the coordination of Federal, State, and 
        community resources and services aimed at eliminating food 
        insecurity and hunger, including Federal nutrition assistance 
        programs, Federal child nutrition programs, other Federal, 
        State, or local assistance programs and services, and private 
        or nonprofit assistance efforts.
    ``(e) Selection Criteria.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, in consultation with the 
        Secretaries listed in paragraph (2), shall determine the range 
        of projects to be funded under this section and evaluate 
        applications submitted under subsection (c) based on publicly 
        disseminated criteria that may include--
                    ``(A) a description of the target population, 
                including children eligible for free or reduced price 
                meals under this Act or section 4 of the Child 
                Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.) that are 
                at risk of experiencing hunger or food insecurity;
                    ``(B) a commitment to approaches that use rigorous 
                methodologies for implementation and evaluation, as 
                described in subsection (g);
                    ``(C) a comprehensive and innovative strategy to 
                reduce the risk of childhood hunger or provide a 
                significant improvement to the food security status of 
                households with children;
                    ``(D) as part of the comprehensive and innovative 
                strategy, a consideration of approaches to improve the 
                nutritional status of children eligible for free and 
                reduced price meals under this Act or section 4 of the 
                Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.);
                    ``(E) a partnership among public and private 
                stakeholders that demonstrates a commitment to 
                collaborate toward ending childhood hunger through a 
                coordinated plan;
                    ``(F) a preference for projects with a 25 percent 
                non-Federal match that may be provided in cash or 
                fairly evaluated in-kind contributions, including 
                facilities, equipment, services, or staffing from a 
                State government, a local government, or a private 
                source; and
                    ``(G) such other criteria as are determined by the 
                Secretary.
            ``(2) Consultation.--The Secretary shall consult with--
                    ``(A) the Secretary of Health and Human Services;
                    ``(B) the Secretary of Labor;
                    ``(C) the Secretary of Education; and
                    ``(D) the Secretary of Housing and Urban 
                Development.
    ``(f) Requirements.--A Governor of a State receiving funding under 
this section to carry out a demonstration project shall provide for--
            ``(1) a collaboration among key stakeholders in the State, 
        such as representatives from business, nonprofits, faith- and 
        community-based organizations, institutions of higher 
        education, the philanthropic sector, and public agencies that 
        oversee Federal child nutrition programs, education, housing, 
        public health, and other social service programs;
            ``(2) a collaborative planning process that results in a 
        comprehensive agenda to eliminate childhood hunger that is--
                    ``(A) described in a detailed project plan; and
                    ``(B) provided to the Secretary for approval;
            ``(3) an annual budget;
            ``(4) specific performance goals, including the goal to 
        sharply reduce or eliminate food insecurity among children in 
        the State by 2015, as determined through a methodology 
        prescribed by the Secretary and carried out by the Governor; 
        and
            ``(5) an independent evaluation described in subsection 
        (g).
    ``(g) Evaluation.--Each Governor of a State receiving funding under 
this section, with respect to any project carried out with such funds 
in the State, shall carry out an independent evaluation--
            ``(1) that measures the impact of any activities carried 
        out under the project on the level of food insecurity in the 
        State that--
                    ``(A) focuses particularly on the rate of food 
                insecurity among children in the State;
                    ``(B) includes a preimplementation baseline and 
                annual measurements taken during the project of the 
                level of food insecurity in the State; and
                    ``(C) is carried out using a scientifically valid 
                methodology prescribed by the Secretary; and
            ``(2) that evaluates--
                    ``(A) the impact of the project on appropriate 
                participation, food security, nutrition, and associated 
                behavioral outcomes among participating children; and
                    ``(B) using rigorous experimental designs and 
                methodologies, particularly random assignment or other 
                methods that are capable of producing scientifically 
                valid information, to determine which activities are 
                effective in reducing the prevalence or preventing the 
                incidence of food insecurity and hunger in the 
                community, especially among children.
    ``(h) Reporting.--Not later than December 31, 2011 and each 
December 31 thereafter until the date on which the last evaluation 
under subsection (g) of a project funded under this section is 
completed, the Secretary shall--
            ``(1) submit to the Committee on Agriculture and the 
        Committee on Education and Labor of the House of 
        Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 
        and Forestry of the Senate, a report that includes a 
        description of--
                    ``(A) the status of each demonstration project 
                carried out with funds under this section; and
                    ``(B) the results of any evaluations of the 
                demonstration projects completed during the previous 
                fiscal year; and
            ``(2) ensure that the evaluation results are shared broadly 
        to inform policy makers, service providers, other partners, and 
        the public in order to promote the wide use of successful 
        strategies.
    ``(i) Limitations.--
            ``(1) Duration.--No project may be funded under this 
        section for more than 5 years.
            ``(2) Number of project.--No State may receive funds under 
        this section to carry out more than 1 project.
            ``(3) Performance basis.--Funds provided under this section 
        shall be made available to a Governor of a State for each year 
        of the grant or contract awarded to such State. The amount of 
        funds provided for each year shall be contingent on the 
        satisfactory implementation of the project plan submitted under 
        subsection (f)(2) and progress towards the performance goals 
        defined in the plan.
            ``(4) Altering nutrition assistance program requirements.--
                    ``(A) In general.--No project that makes use of, 
                alters, or coordinates with the supplemental nutrition 
                assistance program may be funded under this section 
                unless the project is fully consistent with the project 
                requirements described in section 17(b)(1)(B) of the 
                Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 
                2026(b)(1)(B)).
                    ``(B) Requirements.--In determining whether a 
                project is fully consistent with the requirements 
                described in subparagraph (A) and therefore eligible to 
                be funded under this section, the Secretary shall 
                ensure that allowing the project to be funded under 
                this section--
                            ``(i) would demonstrably advance the goal 
                        of ending childhood hunger, as positively 
                        determined by the Secretary;
                            ``(ii) would preserve all existing 
                        entitlements to nutrition assistance benefits 
                        and services;
                            ``(iii) would not restrict eligibility or 
                        reduce benefits for any individual; and
                            ``(iv) would not result in a transfer of 
                        funding designated by law for a specific 
                        program authorized under this Act, the Child 
                        Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.), 
                        the commodity supplemental food program 
                        established under section 5 of the Agriculture 
                        and Consumer Protection Act of 1973 (7 U.S.C. 
                        612c note; Public Law 93-86), the Emergency 
                        Food Assistance Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 7501 et 
                        seq.), or the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 
                        U.S.C. 2011 et seq.), to any other program.
            ``(5) Other benefits.--Funds made available under this 
        section may not be used for any project in a manner that is 
        inconsistent with--
                    ``(A) the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 
                1771 et seq.);
                    ``(B) the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 
                2011 et seq.); or
                    ``(C) the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 (7 
                U.S.C. 7501 et seq.).
    ``(j) Definitions.--For purposes of this section:
            ``(1) Child.--The term `child' means a person under the age 
        of 18.
            ``(2) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means a 
        public or private not-for-profit agency or organization, as 
        determined by the Secretary.
            ``(3) Governor of a state.--The term `Governor of a State' 
        means--
                    ``(A) a Governor of a State; or
                    ``(B) an eligible entity approved by a Governor of 
                a State.
    ``(k) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated $50,000,000 to carry out this section for fiscal years 
2011 through 2015, to remain available until September 30, 2015.''.