The School Food Grant

The School Food Grant will be ending in July 2026. This is due to the Government’s decision to conclude the Household Support Fund on 31^st March 2026, which has provided the funding for this support.

The Government’s Household Support Fund has been used locally since 2023 to enable schools in Blackburn with Darwen to support children and families with food insecurity in various ways. This has included the provision of subsidised or free school meals for children who fall outside of the official Free School Meal eligibility criteria, but whose families are still struggling to provide or pay for a school meal.

Although Household Support Funding will no longer support the School Food Grant in Blackburn with Darwen, there are a range of food support services and local provisions that families may be able to access, including the expansion of Free School Meal eligibility to families on Universal Credit from September 2026. Additional support includes:

• Low-cost food boxes available via the Food Alliance SPROUTS Food Club | Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council
• Local support available to help with the rising cost of living can be found here including food and energy support Help with the rising cost of living | Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council
• A tool for parents to check what benefits they are entitled to Benefits Calculator
• Holiday Activity Fund (HAF) programmes available for eligible children during school holidays Get Stuck In - Summer Activities For Kids