The Community of Madrid opens the application period this Wednesday for school meal scholarships for the upcoming 2026/27 academic year, to which the regional government will allocate 75.4 million euros. They are aimed at students in Early Childhood Education, Primary, and Compulsory Secondary Education enrolled in publicly funded centers whose families have a per capita income not exceeding 8,400 euros annually. They also include recipients of the Minimum Insertion Income or the Minimum Vital Income, who for the second year will receive full aid and will not have to pay any amount for the use of this service; victims of violence against women or terrorism; students in foster or residential care; beneficiaries of international protection; those affected by the war in Ukraine or officially enrolled in public centers that use school transport.
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In addition, they include members of the Armed Forces and agents of the State Security Forces and Corps stationed in the Community of Madrid with children studying in the public education system. Large families whose family per capita income is between 8,400 euros and 10,000 are also considered. They will receive aid equivalent to 30% of the cost of the dining service.
Following the publication of the call in the regional Official Gazette, interested parties may submit documentation until May 28 through the institutional portal, Digital Account, official registries, and publicly funded educational centers.
To facilitate and streamline the process, the application must include express permission for the regional Administration to verify the rest of the required information and the supporting document required in certain cases. The application must be obligatorily signed by all adults listed therein. Similarly, beneficiaries of these aids in the current academic year may extend them for the next, provided they apply and continue to meet the requirements for which they were granted.
The application must be accompanied by a sworn statement certifying that this situation is maintained. Families who choose to submit it through the Official Account will find improvements to further streamline the process, being able to access a smart form that adapts to each case and requests only the necessary documentation according to personal circumstances.
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The Digital Account has also implemented automatic controls to prevent frequent errors, such as incorrect formats or non-compliance with requirements, and electronic signature has also been incorporated, including that of third parties via SMS, to avoid travel and facilitate the completion of the process entirely electronically.
40% fewer dining scholarships for the most needy
The Community of Madrid has granted 40% fewer dining scholarships to the most needy students this academic year, from 4,305 in the 2024-2025 academic year to 2,561 in 2025-2026. However, the number of recipient households, in general, has increased to record figures, mainly because this academic year, members of the Armed Forces and large families with a maximum per capita income of 10,000 euros have been given the possibility of obtaining it.
The number of families who have received the dining scholarship for belonging to the State Security Forces and Corps, which includes those of the Armed Forces, however, is growing every year. This type of applicant does not have a strict income limit to meet, but receives the benefit simply by belonging to this professional group and applying for the scholarship in due time and form. They went from 10,747 in the first call of the last academic year to 14,587 in the current one. Almost 36% more.
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