Food Assistance Resiliency Grants

The Resiliency Grant, administered by the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) Food Assistance Program, is a funding initiative designed to support hunger relief organizations throughout Washington State. Now in its sixth round, the program draws from the General Fund-State operating budget and has allocated $14 million in total grant funding for this cycle. The overarching aim of the program is to provide flexible, responsive financial support to organizations addressing food insecurity, especially those working directly with communities to ensure access to nutritious food. Grants are intended to fund projects that address immediate needs while strengthening the long-term resiliency of the hunger relief system. Projects should align with one or more of three core objectives: fostering collaboration between organizations, increasing or improving access to food for clients, and addressing specific organizational or community-based needs. The funder explicitly encourages solutions that are determined locally by communities, supporting a responsive and inclusive approach to combating food insecurity. Allowable expenses include staffing, operations, food purchases, contracted services, and equipment over $10,000, with indirect costs capped at 15% of eligible expenses. All awards are reimbursement-based, and only costs incurred between July 1, 2026, and June 30, 2027, are eligible. The application is open to a broad set of entities including Washington-based nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status, government or public agencies, federally recognized tribes, tribal organizations (including unrecognized tribes with nonprofit status), and churches or religious groups recognized as such by their communities. Organizations not eligible to apply directly may apply with a fiscal sponsor that meets eligibility criteria and will hold the agreement with WSDA. Applications must be submitted by May 22, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. PST. Only one application per region is permitted, and applicants must select from nine pre-defined regions within the state. A competitive review process is used where each region is scored independently, with top applications per region selected for awards. Evaluation criteria include the quality of collaboration, effectiveness in reducing client barriers to food access, responsiveness to demonstrated need, a clear timeline and budget, and an effective internal monitoring plan. Applications should clearly articulate their project plan through responses to structured narrative questions and must meet the minimum and maximum funding request range of $10,000 to $200,000. Applicants are advised to review the Resiliency Grant website for eligibility definitions, frequently asked questions, and the full scoring rubric. Application guides and rubrics are also available in English and Spanish, with additional translations available upon request by May 1, 2026. Two optional open office hour sessions are offered for technical assistance, scheduled for April 8 and May 13, 2026. All applicants should also be aware that data submitted to WSDA becomes a public record unless otherwise exempted. Applicants not selected may request a debriefing within five business days of notification and subsequently may file a protest, but only after completing the debrief. Protests are only considered for issues of scoring errors, procedural violations, or evaluator bias. If awarded, grantees must return required documentation within 30 days and comply with monthly invoice and quarterly reporting requirements. The WSDA reserves the right to review all submitted applications and documentation under public disclosure laws and programmatic compliance protocols.

Align project closely with stated WSDA priorities and demonstrate regional collaboration and client-centered design.