The Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program (CFPCGP) is intended to bring together stakeholders from distinct parts of the food system and to foster understanding of national food security trends and how they might improve local food systems. Understanding that people with low incomes experience disproportionate access to healthy foods, projects should address food and nutrition security, particularly among our nation’s historically ignored communities. CFPCGP projects are to include food insecure community members in the planning, designing, development, implementation and evaluation of activities, services, programs, and policies to combat food and nutrition insecurity; and to address underlying causes and factors related to hunger.

The CFPCGP projects are to be designed to require a one-time contribution of Federal assistance to become self-sustaining and meet short- and long-term goals. Applicants are required to address two or more of the CFPCGP goals that best fit the plan or project being proposed to ensure a comprehensive and sustainable approach to resolving food and nutrition security and hunger. 

Short Term Goals:

1. Meet the food needs of food-insecure individuals through food distribution.
2. Develop community outreach to assist in participation in Federal nutrition assistance programs.
3. Improve access to nutrient dense food as part of a comprehensive service. 

Long Term Goals:

1. Develop long-term sustainable projects that increase the self-reliance of communities in providing for the food needs of the community.
2. Develop long-term projects that promote comprehensive responses to local food, food access, farm, and nutrition issues.
3. Meet specific State, local, Tribal, Territory, or neighborhood food and agricultural long term needs including needs for equipment necessary for the efficient operation of a CFPCGP project.
4. Develop a comprehensive plan for long-term solutions to food and nutrition security.
5. Develop long term projects that lead to the creation of innovative marketing activities that mutually benefit agricultural producers and income-eligible consumers.

Grant Types:

     Planning Projects: purpose is to complete plans toward the improvement of community food security in keeping with the primary goals of the CFPCGP.              Award minimum is $25,000 up to $50,000, over 12-36 months, with 1:1 matching required.

     Community Food Projects: purpose is to support the development of projects with a ONE-TIME infusion of federal dollars to make such projects self-                 sustaining. Award minimum is $125,000 in any single year, and maximum of $400,000 over four years, with 1:1 matching requirement. Evaluation required.

Grant Overview here and Apply Here.

Applications due on July 16, 2026 at 5:00pm Eastern Time.