These programs are administered at the federal level by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and at the state level typically by the department of education or human services. For information on program administrators in your state, visit FRAC's complete list of state agency contacts . All of these programs are entitlements, which means that any church, diocese, synod, synagogue, mosque, parochial school, or religious social service organization, as well as all other non-profits, schools and local government agencies can participate if they meet the program requirements. Numerous religious organizations already are participating in these programs, but there are still many afterschool and summer programs and homeless and domestic violence shelter programs that are not. Religious institutions and parochial schools, as well as other non-profits, schools and local public agencies, can sponsor one or many SFSP sites, or operate sites under another organization's food program sponsorship.
Sites can qualify in one of two ways.
Open sites use SFSP money to serve any child in the community who comes to the site for food. Instead of qualifying by area, enrolled sites qualify based on the household income of the children in the program. If 50 percent or more of the children participating in the summer program qualify for free or reduced-price school meals, then the site qualifies. Only children enrolled in the program can be fed at an enrolled site. Both types of sites receive the same reimbursement for all the meals served.