Food for Education (10.608)
Food for Education (Assistance Listing 10.608) is run by the Foreign Agricultural Service, part of the Department of Agriculture. It awarded $2.0 billion in 72 grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, about $27.1 million per award on average. No funding opportunity is open on Grants.gov right now.
The typical award was $25.4 million. Half of the 72 awards fell between $25.0 million and $28.8 million, and they ranged from $5,395 to $65.3 million.
- Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$2.0 billion
- Grant awards72
- Typical award$25.4 million
- Awarded in FY 2025$240 million
- Size rank168 of 1,823
- Type of assistanceDirect payments for specified use (cooperative agreements), sale, exchange, or donation of property and goods
Key findings
- Annual funding fell from $517 million in fiscal 2021 to $240 million in fiscal 2025.
- It is the 168th largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
- The 17 largest recipients received 100% of the money.
- Awards went to recipients in 9 states and territories.
What the program funds
The key objective of the McGovern-Dole Program is to reduce hunger and improve literacy and primary education, especially for girls. By providing school meals, teacher training and related support, McGovern-Dole projects help boost school enrollment and academic performance. At the same time, the program also focuses on improving children’s health and learning capacity before they enter school by offering nutrition programs for pregnant and nursing women, infants and pre-schoolers. Sustainability is an important aspect of the McGovern-Dole Program. FAS and its partner organizations work to ensure that the communities served by the program can ultimately continue the sponsored activities on their own or with support from other sources such as the host government or local community.
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
Private voluntary organizations, cooperatives, intergovernmental organizations, governments of developing countries and their agencies, and other organizations.
What the money can and cannot pay for
Agricultural commodities provided under the McGovern-Dole program shall be used for the awarded school nutrition programs. Financial assistance may be used for all allocable, reasonable, and allowable expenses are permitted, as defined at 7 CFR part 1599 and 2 CFR 200 Subpart E. Certain cost items, especially as defined at 7 CFR 1599.6, may have specific minimum, maximum, and tracking requirements. Funds provided under the this program may not be used in any manner that is prohibited by the program regulations at 7 CFR part 1599, as supplemented by 2 CFR part 200 and 2 CFR part 400. Any funding restrictions stated in the Budget Narrative section or any section within the NOFO also apply to funds provided under the McGovern-Dole Program. In addition, funds provided under this program may only be used for the purposes set forth in the award and must be consistent with the statutory authority for the award. Funds provided under this program and non–monetary support may not be used for matching contributions for other Federal grants or cooperative agreements, lobbying, or intervention in federal regulatory or adjudicatory proceedings. Federal employees are prohibited from serving in any capacity (paid or unpaid) with regard to any application submitted under this program. Federal employees may not receive funds under this program. Also, Federal funds may not be used to sue the Federal Government or any other government entity.
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.
Award range and average, in the agency's words
McGovern-Dole cooperative agreements generally have 3-5-year implementation periods and awards ranging from $10-40 million, including commodity, freight, and financial assistance to support operations.
Examples of funded projects
Fiscal Year2019: $0Fiscal Year2022: In FY 2022, USDA awarded eight McGovern-Dole agreements to support school nutrition programming in Burundi, Cambodia, Gambia, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritania, Tanzania and Timor Leste.Fiscal Year2023: In 2023, six awards were issued to support school meals, primary education, and nutrition activities in Haiti, Mozambique, Nepal, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka and Togo.Fiscal Year2024: In 2024, nine awards were issued to support school meals, primary education, and nutrition activities in Angola, Bangladesh, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Laos, Malawi, and Rwanda.Fiscal Year2025: In 2024, six awards were issued to support school meals, primary education, and nutrition activities in Benin, Honduras, Mozambique, Pakistan, and Senegal.
Funding history and past recipients
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Food for Education (10.608) awarded $2.0 billion across 72 grant awards, an average of $27.1 million per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Nations World Food Programme | District of Columbia | 19 | $501 million |
| Catholic Relief Services - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops | Maryland | 21 | $496 million |
| Counterpart International, Inc. | District of Columbia | 7 | $240 million |
| Save the Children Federation, Inc. | Connecticut | 4 | $133 million |
| World Vision Inc. | District of Columbia | 3 | $86.6 million |
| Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere, Inc. | Georgia | 2 | $80.5 million |
| Global Communities, Inc. | Maryland | 4 | $75.3 million |
| Project Concern International | California | 1 | $65.3 million |
| Partners of the Americas, Inc. | District of Columbia | 2 | $59.4 million |
| Nascent Solutions Inc. | Virginia | 1 | $33.0 million |
| Improving Economies for Stronger Communities | District of Columbia | 1 | $29.7 million |
| Land O'Lakes VENTURE37 | Minnesota | 1 | $29.6 million |
| Lutheran World Relief Inc | Maryland | 1 | $27.2 million |
| Acdi/Voca | District of Columbia | 2 | $25.3 million |
| Mercy Corps | Oregon | 1 | $25.0 million |
| Cnfa | District of Columbia | 1 | $24.8 million |
| Partners for Global Research and Development, LLC | Maryland | 1 | $20.1 million |
Who usually wins
Nonprofits received 91% of the money.
| Recipient type | Awards | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonprofits | 65 | $1.8 billion | 91% |
| Other | 7 | $184 million | 9.4% |
By state
Each state below has its own page for this program, with its recipients and yearly totals.
| State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 28 | $792 million |
| Maryland | 27 | $619 million |
| Georgia | 2 | $80.5 million |
| Connecticut | 2 | $80.0 million |
| California | 1 | $65.3 million |
| Virginia | 2 | $58.0 million |
| Minnesota | 1 | $29.6 million |
| Washington | 1 | $28.6 million |
| Oregon | 1 | $25.0 million |