Food Safety Outreach Program Technical Assistance-Grant Writing Skills Projects

The Food Safety Outreach Program Technical Assistance-Grant Writing Skills Projects is administered by the United States Department of Agriculture through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The program builds on a longstanding federal initiative, launched in partnership with the Food and Drug Administration, to strengthen compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act by supporting training, education, and outreach activities. This specific funding opportunity focuses on enhancing the capacity of organizations to develop competitive grant applications, particularly for entities that serve underserved or nontraditional audiences in food safety education. The primary purpose of this funding opportunity is to improve public health outcomes by increasing the number and quality of successful grant applications submitted to the Food Safety Outreach Program. Projects funded under this opportunity are expected to design and deliver grant writing training, technical assistance, and resource development targeted at organizations that directly support farmers, small processors, and related stakeholders. These efforts must align with broader USDA priorities such as strengthening agricultural productivity, expanding markets, and improving food safety practices nationwide. Funding under this program is intended to support the development and dissemination of grant writing curricula, toolkits, webinars, and other educational resources. Projects must collaborate closely with regional centers to ensure coordinated outreach and maximize geographic coverage. Allowable activities include conducting workshops, developing instructional materials, and establishing communication strategies to reach new applicants. Indirect costs are capped at 30 percent of total federal funds awarded, and while cost sharing is not required, it is encouraged. The total anticipated funding is approximately 300000 dollars, with individual awards ranging from 75000 to 300000 dollars for projects lasting up to 36 months. Eligibility is limited to organizations, including state cooperative extension services, government agencies at various levels, nonprofit and community-based organizations, institutions of higher education, and collaborations among eligible entities. Applicants must demonstrate a commitment to food safety and the ability to administer programs that support education and outreach. The program prioritizes entities that engage with small and mid-sized agricultural producers and underserved communities, and encourages collaboration among land-grant institutions and minority-serving institutions. Applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov and require completion of multiple registrations, including SAM, eRA Commons, and Grants.gov accounts. The application package includes a project summary, a detailed narrative not exceeding ten pages, a data management plan, a logic model, and supporting documentation such as budgets and personnel profiles. The narrative must address objectives, methods, project timeline, and prior work, and must align clearly with program priorities. Applications are evaluated through a two-step process consisting of administrative screening followed by scientific peer review. Evaluation criteria include the strength of project objectives, effectiveness of proposed methods, qualifications of key personnel, and the appropriateness of the budget. Projects are scored based on their ability to deliver innovative grant writing training, engage target audiences, and demonstrate measurable outcomes. Successful applicants may be notified following the review process, with awards issued before the end of the federal fiscal year. The application deadline for this funding opportunity is July 20, 2026 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time. No letter of intent is required. Projects are expected to begin shortly after award and continue for up to three years. This funding opportunity does not explicitly state recurrence, but similar programs are often issued annually. Applicants are encouraged to contact program staff via the provided USDA email addresses for questions related to application requirements or program details.

Align objectives with FSOP priorities demonstrate strong collaboration with regional centers provide clear evaluation metrics and detailed project management plans