Although lunches are free for ALL students this year (hooray!!), filling out the Multipurpose Family Income form is still crucially important. Federal, local, and private grant funding is based on the number of eligible forms SFUSD collects. Submitting the form helps provide classroom funding at your school.
You have probably heard from your school about the importance of filling out the Multipurpose Family Income Form or “MFIF.” This form needs to be submitted each year for every SFUSD student. Here is a link to the form if you want to do it right now!
Resources
Why should everyone fill out the MFIF?
Some people have heard that it is only necessary to fill out this form if you want your child to qualify for free or reduced-price school lunch. The truth is that it is important for EVERY family to fill out this form because doing so helps bring much-needed additional money and services to your child's school and to SFUSD.
SFUSD receives funding from the state and federal governments to support the needs of low-income students. For each student who qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, our district receives thousands of additional dollars in funding. Studies show that many eligible students, in particular middle school and high school students, do not complete this form each year, leaving hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding for SFUSD on the table. Even a small increase in eligible forms collected results in significantly more money to support our schools and students.
What is the Multipurpose Family Income Form?
This form collects basic information about your student so SFUSD can determine his or her eligibility for free or reduced-price breakfast, lunch, and also so that schools can qualify to receive extra money and programs. You may have heard this form referred to in the past as the "School Meal Application Form" or "School Lunch Form." The name has changed because it is really about more than school lunches.
What if my child doesn't want to eat school lunch? Why should I fill out the form?
Even if your child chooses to bring their own lunch, and even though all students in SFUSD now receive free lunch, filling out the form is very important! It ensures that your school gets all of the funding and benefits available to support teachers and students. Also, even if your child does not eat school lunch, students who qualify for free lunch also can receive other benefits like:
How does filling out the Multipurpose Family Income Form help my school?
Is the Information I Submit Confidential?
The information you submit on the Multipurpose Family Income Form cannot be shared by SFUSD Student Nutrition Services.
What do I need to know about “the public charge rule?”
Some families have expressed concern about the application due to the federal government’s change to the "public charge rule." SFUSD has advised us that the public charge rule will not apply to applications for the school meals program and eligible families should continue to apply to receive these important benefits. As of July the public charge rule on hold by the courts, in response to pandemic, but even if it were to be reinstated, school meals are not on the list of benefits impacted by the rule.
What if I still have questions?
If you run into any problems, you can always contact the SFUSD resource link.
