BATON ROUGE — Colleges across the state will split $1 million to help connect students with food and other resources.

During the 2026 Regular Legislative Session, Louisiana legislators invested $1 million in the Hunger-Free Campus Program in an effort to minimize food insecurity among college students. The Louisiana Board of Regents its plans for distributing the money on Monday. 

Thirty-four higher education institutions in Louisiana participate in the program. The investment will allow campuses to expand food pantries, food distribution and connections with local food banks. The cash will be distributed to all public campuses across the state and an additional competitive grant will be released this fall to public and private institutions to propose solutions to food barriers that affect college students. 

“Louisiana’s higher education institutions are preparing the talent that will drive our state’s economy, and we can’t let hunger stand in students’ path to prosperity,” Louisiana’s Commissioner of Higher Education Kim Hunter Reed said in a prepared statement. 

An estimated 23% of college students nationwide, approximately 3.8 million, experience food insecurity, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Postsecondary Student Aid Study.

“I understand the need after hearing directly from a college student requesting food assistance. I’m proud that this investment will help remove challenges that can get in the way of students earning their credentials,” House Appropriations Chair Rep. Jack McFarland said.