Instructions
Eligible Expenses
Rent or lease expenses for HPNAP participating food programs are reimbursable up to the award amount documented on your 2025-2026 HPNAP Period 3 Award Notification and Grant Agreement packet.
Please note that the landlord or leaseholder cannot be the same as the sponsoring organization of the awarded program. Submissions made showing payments to a food program's sponsoring not-for-profit organization or church will be rejected.
Eligible Time Period
The grant period is from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026. However, all awards must be documented by May 31, 2026, to meet NYS reimbursement requirements. It is possible that your organization won't be able to include May and June 2026 expenses; please plan accordingly.
Required Information
A copy of the lease or rent receipt showing the site address, covered dates, and the amount due.
A proof of payment is required for this grant award. The proof of payment is a copy of the canceled check or bank statement showing payment to the landlord.
The awarded organization must have issued the cancelled check. Likewise, a bank statement showing an ACH payment must also be from the accounts of the awarded agency.
Reimbursement
Agencies can expect reimbursement to be made within ten (10) business days of submitting a completed grant claim form. If the grant claim form does not meet NYS's accepted accounting standards, or if the form is incomplete, it will not be reimbursed within that ten-day window, and you may have to supply additional information.
Space Usage Calculations
To determine the area eligible for OS support, please calculate the area (square footage) used to store and distribute food. This calculation was included in the application.
The area is equal to the square footage, which is calculated by multiplying the length and width of the space used. Please measure, in feet, the length and width of the building. This information is likely available from your organization's office. The total amount of space, in square feet, is then divided by the amount of space used to distribute or store food to get the eligible portion.
Please note that areas used for administrative purposes are not eligible and cannot be added to the area calculation.
Example: The community center is 10,000 sq. ft. The food pantry utilizes a 1,000 sq. ft. area for storage and a 2,500 sq. ft. area for distribution. Using the simple calculation, 3,500 divided by 10,000, the amount of eligible space or area is .35 or 35%. This means that 35% of the lease or rent bill will be eligible for reimbursement.