State Food and Nutrition Grants

The Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) program, funded by the USDA, allocates approximately $2 million for infrastructure grants to Vermont businesses and organizations aiming to strengthen local and regional food systems. The grants support projects that improve the aggregation, distribution, manufacturing, processing, storing, transporting, and wholesaling of Vermont food products. This track encourages development of Vermont value-added products and promotes fair wages and job creation. A 50% match is required, which can be reduced to 25% for historically underserved farmers. Grants range from $100,000 to $500,000 and are available from fall 2024 through February 2027.

This grant provides funding to school districts and educational organizations to help start or expand meal programs that ensure children have access to nutritious breakfasts and summer meals.

The GCI Suicide Prevention Grant Program, offered by The Alaska Community Foundation in partnership with GCI, aims to significantly reduce suicide rates and foster mental wellness throughout Alaska. This initiative aligns with the foundation's mission to strengthen community and personal connections, thereby promoting overall well-being. The program's core objective is to empower Alaskans, fostering a collaborative approach to community wellness and addressing a critical public health issue within the state. The target beneficiaries of this grant program are organizations committed to suicide prevention and mental wellness initiatives across all counties in Alaska. These include 501(c)3 public charitable organizations, faith-based organizations providing social services, federally recognized Tribes or Tribal nonprofit organizations, city governments or Boroughs, and K-12 schools. The program specifically excludes individuals, state or federal government agencies, for-profit organizations, private nonprofit organizations not meeting specific IRS designations, and activities that discriminate or involve religious indoctrination. The program prioritizes reaching communities that may lack easy access to crucial suicide prevention support. The program's priorities and focus areas are clear: empowering Alaskans to work together for community wellness, demonstrating measurable results and accountability, ensuring cultural sensitivity, and unifying communities. Emphasis is placed on projects that will have a tangible impact, particularly in underserved areas. This strategic focus ensures that funding is directed towards initiatives that are not only effective but also culturally appropriate and community-driven. Expected outcomes and measurable results include a reduction in suicide rates and an increase in mental wellness across Alaska. The grant program seeks to support projects that can demonstrate these results, emphasizing accountability in their implementation. The average grant award is approximately $5,000, with requests ranging from $1,000 to $10,000. This funding is intended to support project or operational costs, explicitly excluding capital projects, aligning with the foundation's strategic priority to directly impact and improve community health and resilience through targeted interventions.

This grant provides financial support to grocery stores and small food retailers in Minnesota to improve their facilities and equipment, making healthy and affordable food more accessible in underserved communities.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to organizations that can enhance access, equity, and inclusion for individuals with disabilities in workforce development programs across California.

This program provides financial support to very small meat and poultry processors in Pennsylvania to help them expand their operations and improve food safety compliance.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture is offering a grant of over $1 million for the implementation of dairy digesters on California dairy farms, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by converting methane into renewable energy, with a focus on projects that use at least 80% dairy livestock manure as feedstock.

The Illinois Grocery Initiative New Stores in Food Deserts program, authorized by Public Act 103-0561, is intended to address the challenge of food deserts. Food deserts are census tracts meeting specific criteria related to poverty standards, population density, and limited food accessibility. This program aims to combat food insecurity by offering competitive grants to support the establishment of new grocery stores in these areas by reimbursing successful applicants for eligible capital and non-capital costs.

The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is offering 2025 Source Water Protection Grants to fund projects aimed at safeguarding public drinking water sources. These grants are designed to support activities that reduce the risk of contamination to drinking water, ensuring the long-term quality and safety of Idaho's water supply. The program aligns with the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, specifically Section 1452, which provides funding for source water assessment and protection efforts. By focusing on preventative measures and community-wide protection, the DEQ seeks to uphold its mission of protecting human health and the quality of the environment. The primary beneficiaries of these grants are public water systems, local government units, special districts, associations, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and tribes within Idaho. The impact goal is to improve the protection of one or more public water supply sources by reducing the threat of contaminants. Projects are expected to provide long-term benefits to source water quality, ultimately ensuring safe and reliable drinking water for communities across the state. The program prioritizes efforts that go beyond normal operational standards and existing infrastructure deficiencies, focusing on proactive and sustainable solutions. The program's priorities and focus areas are diverse, encompassing various strategies to protect source water. These include contaminant source identification through research, contaminant pathway removal such as the closure of abandoned wells, contaminant removal through hazardous waste collection and pollution prevention, and contaminant management via the implementation of best management practices and structures to divert contaminated runoff. Additionally, the grants support the restoration and conservation of ecological functions within source water protection areas, as well as education and information sharing campaigns to raise awareness. Security measures to protect physical extraction structures like wells, springs, and intake structures are also eligible, including fencing, gates, alarms, signs, cameras, locks, and lights directly related to source water area protection. Expected outcomes include a measurable reduction in the risk of drinking water contamination, improved source water quality, and enhanced long-term protection for public water supplies. The grants anticipate fostering a proactive approach to water resource management, leading to more resilient and secure drinking water systems. With up to $750,000 available for project funding in SFY2025, and a maximum request of $24,000 per project proposal, the program aims to support numerous initiatives that collectively contribute to a safer and more sustainable water future for Idaho. The emphasis on community public water supply systems and aquifer/watershed-wide protection efforts reflects a comprehensive strategic approach to water resource stewardship.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to nonprofit organizations in New York State to help older refugees access essential services and improve their quality of life through culturally appropriate programs and community engagement.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to Vermont businesses and organizations involved in agriculture, food production, and forest products, helping them improve their sustainability and viability.

This grant provides funding to farmers, food cooperatives, food pantries, and nonprofits in rural Nebraska to improve access to healthy foods and strengthen partnerships with schools, focusing on local food systems and infrastructure enhancements.

The Landfall Foundation is offering Project Grants to eligible non-profit organizations that are tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code. These grants are designed to partially or fully fund projects within the categories of Health & Welfare, Education, and Arts. The foundation's mission, as evidenced by these grant categories, is to support initiatives that improve the well-being and enrichment of the community through targeted project funding. The Project Grants have a specific purpose and are expected to be completed within one or two years, indicating a focus on concrete, time-bound outcomes rather than general operational support. The primary beneficiaries of these grants are residents within New Hanover, Pender, and Brunswick counties in North Carolina. Organizations applying must demonstrate that their project's beneficiaries are located within these specific geographic areas. The impact goals are to support projects that align with the Health & Welfare, Education, and Arts sectors, leading to tangible improvements or advancements in these areas for the local community. The foundation explicitly states what it will NOT fund, such as direct aid to individuals, operating expenses, capital items already acquired, real property purchases, and start-up organizations (less than two years old), which further refines their target impact to specific, project-based interventions. The Landfall Foundation prioritizes projects that are not for political or religious promotion, do not involve transferring funds to other organizations, and are not from local branches of national organizations with internal fundraising staff. They also have a strong focus on non-discriminatory practices, explicitly stating that organizations discriminating on the basis of age, disability, ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, race, or religion are ineligible. Furthermore, the foundation does not support research, feasibility studies, engineering, or planning, indicating a preference for projects ready for implementation and with direct, observable community benefits. Expected outcomes include the successful completion of specific projects within the stated one to two-year duration, leading to positive impacts in the areas of arts, health and welfare, and education. While not explicitly detailed, the requirement for a "specific purpose" for Project Grants suggests that measurable results would be tied to the objectives of each individual project. The grant size, ranging from $1,000 to $10,000, with a maximum funding of $10,000, implies that the foundation is strategically investing in a range of projects, likely aiming for widespread, localized impact rather than large-scale, singular initiatives. Organizations are also ineligible if they have received a program grant in the previous year and haven't submitted a final or preliminary report by May 15, 2023, or if they received a capital grant in the current year, indicating an emphasis on accountability and preventing duplicate funding.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to local governments, tribal entities, and certain non-profits in Oklahoma for various solid waste management initiatives, including cleanup efforts and equipment purchases, to promote environmental sustainability.

The Bitsie Clark Fund for Artists (The Bitsie Fund), housed at the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, aims to support individual artists in pursuing new work and achieving specific creative and career goals. This aligns with the Foundation's broader mission to foster a thriving community by supporting local talent and development. The fund's focus is on individual artist development, rather than community development, signifying a strategic priority to invest directly in the artistic growth of residents within the Foundation's service area in Greater New Haven. In 2024, The Bitsie Fund will award two $5,000 grants, one specifically for a Black artist and another open to all eligible artists. This targeting reflects a commitment to equitable support within the artistic community and addresses potential disparities. The grant's impact goals are centered on enabling artists to tackle major artistic development goals, take risks on new directions in their work, or advance their careers. The expected outcomes include a more vibrant artistic community with empowered individual artists. The fund prioritizes individual artists at a significant point in their personal development, encouraging both established artists with a substantial body of recent work and those emerging in their field to apply. This inclusive approach to eligibility ensures a broad reach within the artist community. The focus is on supporting a wide array of creative disciplines including dance, music, theater, visual arts, design, craft, literary arts, voice, poetry, playwriting, composition, and film. Measurable results would be evidenced by artists successfully utilizing the funds for approved uses such as purchasing materials, compensating for time spent developing projects, hiring others, covering performance or touring costs, travel for proposals, renting studio space, and production expenses. Ultimately, the Bitsie Fund's theory of change posits that by directly supporting individual artists in these ways, it will contribute to their personal and professional growth, thereby enriching the cultural landscape of Greater New Haven.

The Indiana Office of Community & Rural Affairs (OCRA) is seeking applications for its Building Socially Connected Communities Program, a grant initiative designed to address concerning public health statistics in Indiana through a community and economic development lens. This program aligns with the foundation's mission to enhance community resilience and foster economic growth across the state. By investing in initiatives that build social connections, strengthen community bonds, and enhance the overall quality of life for Hoosiers, OCRA aims to strategically counter social isolation and loneliness, which diminish social capital and impact individual and community well-being. The program targets all counties in Indiana and aims to benefit individuals experiencing social isolation and loneliness, local businesses affected by decreased community engagement, and communities striving for greater economic vibrancy and social cohesion. The impact goals are to improve individual health outcomes, enhance community well-being and social capital, foster community engagement, support local businesses, and contribute to the overall economic health of Indiana’s communities. The program's priorities and focus areas include Community Infrastructure Enhancement (e.g., community centers, meeting spaces), Social Clubs & Interest Groups tailored to older adults, Community Well-Being Programs (e.g., mental health awareness, loneliness stigma reduction, accessible resources), Local Business Support (e.g., creating inviting spaces for social interactions), Transportation Accessibility in rural areas, and Intergenerational Initiatives. These focus areas reflect the foundation's strategic priority to create strong, connected communities. Expected outcomes and measurable results include increased social connections, stronger community bonds, enhanced quality of life, greater community engagement, improved economic vibrancy through local business support, and increased access to community events and essential services. The foundation's theory of change posits that by strategically investing in these areas, communities will experience a positive shift in social fabric, economic health, and overall well-being, contributing to Indiana’s statewide development goals. Funding information includes a total of $200,000 available. Applicants can apply for either Quick Action projects (maximum $5,000, minimum $1,000, 1:1 match with 30% in-kind) or Large Impact projects (maximum $50,000, minimum $5,001, 1:1 cash match). Eligible applicants are local government, non-profit organizations, and community groups. Ineligible activities range from plants and Wi-Fi to one-time use products, permanent public restrooms, taxes, food/drink, gaming, illegal/political/unsanctioned activities, demolition, salaries, administration fees, and pre-award expenses.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to Michigan farmers implementing regenerative agricultural practices to improve local food supply chains and enhance market access for their products.

This fellowship provides resources and training for local newsrooms in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts to enhance their climate and environmental reporting, particularly benefiting those serving marginalized communities.

This grant provides a $6,000 honorarium to a Kentucky writer selected as poet laureate, supporting their efforts to promote the literary arts in the state over a two-year term.

The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA/HS) is announcing the Gang Activity Prosecution (GAP) Grant Program for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025. This competitive grant program, funded by the State of Georgia with $1,250,000, aims to support state and local efforts in prosecuting gang-related activity. The program's core purpose aligns with GEMA/HS's mission to enhance public safety by reducing gang activity and creating safer communities through effective legal action. The grant period of performance will run from September 19, 2024, to May 15, 2025. The primary beneficiaries of this grant are the citizens of Georgia, who will benefit from reduced gang-related crime and safer communities. The target entities for the grant are State of Georgia law enforcement agencies, prosecuting attorneys, and non-profits specifically focused on gang prosecutions. This includes State Agencies, Judicial District/Circuits, County Sheriffs, and Police Departments. The overarching impact goal is to strengthen the prosecution of gang activity across the state, thereby directly contributing to public safety and order. The program's priorities and focus areas are centered on risk-driven, capabilities-based strategic plans. Successful applicants must clearly articulate how their projects will contribute to creating safer communities through the prosecution of gang activity. This involves identifying and explaining methods to address high-priority needs related to gang activity prosecution, considering how to sustain current capabilities, and addressing potential gaps in the system. The grant emphasizes a holistic, "whole community" approach, encouraging collaboration among government officials, elected leaders, and the broader community to ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of these efforts. Expected outcomes and measurable results include an increase in successful gang activity prosecutions throughout Georgia. While specific quantitative metrics for success are not detailed, the emphasis on "clearly identify and explain how their project will assist in creating safer communities by prosecuting gang activity" implies that successful applications will demonstrate a clear pathway to achieving these outcomes. The program implicitly operates under a theory of change where targeted financial support for prosecution efforts will lead directly to a reduction in gang activity, ultimately resulting in a safer environment for all Georgia residents.