Nearly $500K Awarded to Eight Michigan Colleges and Universities Through Hunger-Free Campus Grants

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Nearly $500K Awarded to Eight Michigan Colleges and Universities Through Hunger-Free Campus Grants

Funding supports campus-based solutions to address food insecurity

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP) today announced that eight Michigan colleges and universities have been awarded a combined $495,182.66 through the Hunger-Free Campus Activities Grants to strengthen campus-based supports and expand access to food for students across the state.

“When students don’t have to worry about where their next meal will come from, they can focus on learning, stay on track and complete their education,” said Dr. Beverly Walker-Griffea, director of MiLEAP. “These grants support colleges and universities in building sustainable, student-centered solutions that remove barriers and create the conditions every learner needs to succeed.”

The Hunger-Free Campus Activities Grants provide up to $100,000 per institution over a six-month grant period from April through September 2026. Funded efforts include expanding campus food pantries and storage capacity, increasing access to fresh and prepared foods and implementing coordinated, campus-wide approaches to address student food insecurity. Institutions will also strengthen systems that connect students to community resources, improve data collection and assessment and reduce barriers to accessing support. The grants are supported by a one-time appropriation in fiscal year 2026 to advance hunger-free campus activities.

The investment builds on MiLEAP’s College Student Basic Needs Task Force report, Barriers to Bridges: Strengthening Michigan Communities by Addressing College Student Basic Needs. The report identified food and housing insecurity as key barriers to college completion and included policy and systems-level recommendations that helped inform the development of campus-based strategies to better support student success.

“Colleges and universities across Michigan are stepping forward with thoughtful, coordinated approaches to better understand and respond to student needs,” said Sarah Szurpicki, deputy director of MiLEAP’s Office of Higher Education. “These grants support that work by helping campuses strengthen and expand the ways they connect students with food and other essential resources.”

The following institutions were awarded Hunger-Free Campus Activities Grants: 

• Alma College ($100,000) Funding will support renovations to the campus food pantry, expansion of summer grocery gift card access, and staffing to coordinate food security services. The project will strengthen campus coordination and student access to SNAP benefits.
• Alpena Community College ($99,700) Funding will expand refrigeration and freezer capacity, implement structured pantry access tracking and provide meal vouchers for students facing immediate food needs. The project will also support SNAP education, student workshops and data system to guide long-term planning.
• Central Michigan University ($99,982) Funding will install a walk-in cooler and freezer system, add refrigerated lockers to support remote access and increase bulk food inventory in the new pantry space.
• Davenport University ($32,100) Funding will expand food distribution across four campuses, scale fresh food markets and pop-up pantry models and strengthen transportation supports such as meal vouchers and bus access. The project will also improve SNAP navigation and early identification of student need.
• Kalamazoo College ($16,850.66) Funding will install industrial refrigeration and freezer equipment with temperature monitoring systems to increase safe food storage capacity. It will also support outreach efforts to increase awareness and use of campus food sources. Lake Michigan College ($75,000) Funding will enhance multi-campus food access through refrigeration upgrades, expanded storage and new distribution points. It will also support meal kits, pickup lockers and improved logistics to reduce waste and increase access.
• Muskegon Community College ($26,500) Funding will implement food pantry management software, expand freezer capacity and improve inventory and distribution systems. It will also strengthen partnerships for bulk food sourcing and data tracking.
• North Central Michigan College ($45,050) Funding will support relocation and expansion of the Campus Cupboard, increased refrigeration and freezer capacity and upgraded inventory and reporting systems. It will also expand service models including weekend food bags, emergency meal vouchers and extended access hours.

Through these investments, MiLEAP continues to partner with colleges and universities across the state to ensure every Michigander has a path to prosperity and advance Michigan’s Sixty by 30 goal—ensuring 60% of working-age adults have a postsecondary credential by 2030.

For more information about MiLEAP’s Hunger-Free Campus Activities grant initiatives, visit the MiLEAP website.

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