Federal grant programs / Department of Agriculture

Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (10.514)

Also known as EFNEP

• Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$348 million
• Grant awards381
• Typical award$503,722
• Awarded in FY 2025$69.6 million
• Size rank459 of 1,823
• Type of assistanceFormula grants, project grants (discretionary)

Key findings

• Annual funding was roughly flat, $69.4 million in fiscal 2021 and $69.6 million in fiscal 2025.
• It is the 459th largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
• The 20 largest recipients received 66% of the money.
• Awards went to recipients in 57 states and territories.

What the program funds

The purpose of this funding is to increase the impact of nutrition education disseminated to low-income families and youth in the 50 States, the U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia. EFNEP serves two primary low-income audiences: 1) families with young children (parents and other caregivers with primary responsibility for feeding young children); and 2) youth/children (grade range - kindergarten through 12th grade). The priorities of EFNEP are to assist low-income families and youth in acquiring knowledge, skills, attitudes, and changed behaviors necessary for nutritionally sound diets and to contribute to their personal development and improvement of the total family diet and nutritional well-being. Participation in EFNEP should result in improved diets and nutritional well-being of the total family. Individuals and families should experience improvements in four core areas: Diet Quality and Physical Activity—Improved diets and nutritional and physical well-being through the adoption of Federal food and physical activity recommendations. Food Resource Management—Increased ability to buy, grow, or otherwise appropriately obtain, prepare, and store food that meets nutritional needs. Food Safety—Improved household food safety and sanitation practices. Food Security—Increased ability to get food directly—and from food assistance programs where necessary—to ensure having enough healthy food to eat.

From the federal Assistance Listing. Read the full listing on SAM.gov.

Open opportunities

No opportunity under this program is open or forecast on Grants.gov right now. Programs often post once a year, so the funding history below shows what to expect.

Rules from the program listing

Who can apply

Only 1862 and 1890 land-grant institutions are eligible for this program.

What the money can and cannot pay for

The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) should constitute the employment and training of professional and paraprofessional (peer educator) staff to engage in direct nutrition education and other appropriate nutrition education efforts with low-income families and youth. To the maximum extent practicable, peer educators shall be hired from the “indigenous target population.” 1.) No portion of the funds allocated under this grant will be applied, directly, or indirectly, to the purchase, erection, preservation, or repair of any building or buildings, or the purchase or rental of land, or in college course teaching, lectures in college, or any other purpose not specified in the program legislation. 2.) Approved NIFA EFNEP Projects/Programs EFNEP federal funding must be used on NIFA approved EFNEP projects/programs. 3.) In accordance with section 1473 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3319), indirect costs and tuition remission are unallowable as EFNEP capacity grant expenditures. Further, costs that are a part of an institution's indirect cost pool (e.g., administrative or clerical salaries) may not be reclassified as direct costs for the purpose of making them allowable. 4. ) EFNEP extension funds are expected to be fully expended in the fiscal year of appropriation; however, up to 100 percent of funds may be carried over for up to four years after the end of the year for which they were appropriated.

Continue reading on SAM.gov

Matching requirements

This program has no statutory formula. Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

Deadlines

Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines.

Award range and average, in the agency's words

See the annual RFA and the Capacity Program Distribution Schedules webpage for more information.

Examples of funded projects

Fiscal Year2025: Consistently, annual data shows that more than 90 percent of adults and 80 percent of youths report improved behaviors following EFNEP involvement. Individual and family improvements are seen for EFNEP's four core areas: Diet quality and physical activity, Food resource management, Food safety, and Food security. In FY25, EFNEP is this State enrolled 3,026 adults, which is a 5% increase from FY24 and a 34% increase from FY22. Adult outcome data remains strong illustrating a commitment to program priorities. Youth outreach and enrollment remained strong during FY25 with 9,661 youths enrolled. This forward progress was aided by the EFNEP team partnering with the state 4-H Healthy Living Coordinator to provide peer-educator training on youth topics such as classroom management and youth development.

Quoted from the program's federal Assistance Listing. The notice of funding opportunity is the official source for each competition's rules.

Who usually wins

Colleges and universities received 99% of the money, state and local governments less than 0.1%.

By state

51 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.

Award amounts are federal obligations reported to USAspending.gov for fiscal 2021 to 2025; see how our data works.