110 ILCS 205/9.43

(110 ILCS 205/9.43)

Sec. 9.43. Hunger-free campus grant program.

(a) The Board shall establish a hunger-free campus grant program for the purposes set forth under subsection (b).

(b) The purpose of the hunger-free campus grant program shall be to provide grants to public institutions of higher education that have one or more campuses designated by the Board as hunger-free campuses under subsection (c). The purpose of the grant funding shall be to:

(1) address student hunger;

(2) leverage more sustainable solutions to address basic food needs on campus;

(3) raise awareness of services currently offered on campus that address basic food needs; and

(4) continue to build strategic partnerships at the federal, State, and local levels to address food insecurity among students.

(c) In order to be designated as a hunger-free campus by the Board, a public institution of higher education shall:

(1) establish a hunger task force that meets a minimum of 3 times per academic year to set at least 2 goals with action plans and that includes representatives from the student body;

(2) designate a staff member responsible for assisting students with enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP);

(3) provide options for students to utilize SNAP benefits at campus stores or provide students with information on establishments in the surrounding area of campus where they can utilize SNAP benefits;

(4) participate in an awareness day campaign activity and plan a campus awareness event during the national Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week;

(5) provide at least one physical food pantry on campus or enable students to receive food through a separate, stigma-free arrangement with a local food pantry or food bank near campus;

(6) develop a student meal credit donation program or designate a certain amount of money for free meal vouchers for students; and

(7) annually conduct a student survey on hunger, developed by the Board, and submit the results of the survey to the Board at a time prescribed by the Board for inclusion in a comparative profile of each campus designated as a hunger-free campus. Survey data on student hunger shall be disaggregated by race, gender identity, sexual orientation, parenting status, and financial aid status of students. In the development of the survey, the Board may utilize any existing surveys designed to collect information on food insecurity among students enrolled in public institutions of higher education.

(d) The Board shall allocate grant funding to each public institution of higher education that has one or more campuses designated by the Board as a hunger-free campus under subsection (c). The Board shall determine the amount of each grant that shall be used by the public institution of higher education to further address food insecurity among students enrolled in the public institution of higher education. The Board shall prioritize grants to public institutions of higher education with campuses that serve primarily minority and low-income students and have a high percentage of Pell Grant recipients.

(e) The Board shall submit a report to the Governor and to the General Assembly no later than 2 years after the establishment of the hunger-free campus grant program. The report shall include, but not be limited to, the number and amount of the grant awards, the impact the hunger-free campus grant program has on establishing additional hunger-free campuses at public institutions of higher education and reducing the number of students experiencing food insecurity, disaggregated data on those students served reflecting the students' race, gender identity, sexual orientation, parenting status, and financial aid status, and recommendations on the expansion of the hunger-free campus grant program.

(f) The Hunger-Free Campus Grant Fund is created as a special fund in the State treasury. All money in the Fund shall be used, subject to appropriation, by the Board for the hunger-free campus grant program.

(g) The Board may adopt any rules necessary to implement this Section.

(Source: P.A. 103-435, eff. 8-4-23.)