USDA Announces $7.6 Million in Grant Funding Available to Promote Food Security in Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. Territories

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced $7.6 million in funding available through the Micro-Grants for Food Security Program (MGFSP) to increase the quantity and quality of locally grown food through small-scale gardening, herding, and livestock operations in food insecure communities in Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. territories. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will accept applications from eligible states and territories until June 6, 2023.

“USDA recognizes local and small-scale agricultural operations are vital in addressing food insecurity in geographically isolated states and territories,” said USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt. “Micro-Grants provide funding to ensure communities in these areas have sustained access to quality, locally grown food.”

This year, MGFSP received an additional $3 million through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. The program is authorized by the 2018 Farm Bill and awards grants to eligible states and territories through a non-competitive application process.

Eligible applicants include agricultural agencies or departments in Alaska, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Hawaii, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Palau, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

States and territories that receive funding will grant competitive subawards to individuals, Tribal nations, including their arms or instrumentalities; nonprofit organizations that are engaged in increasing food security; federally funded educational facilities; or local governments.

Application Information

The Request for Applications (RFA) is available on AMS’s MGFSP webpage. Applications from states and territories must be submitted electronically through www.grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. ET on June 6, 2023. Any grant application submitted after the due date will not be considered unless the applicant provides documentation of an extenuating circumstance that prevented their timely submission of the grant application. More information is available in the AMS Late and Non-Responsive Application Policy.

AMS encourages applications for initiatives that benefit smaller farms and ranches, new and beginning farmers and ranchers, underserved producers, veteran producers, low-income, and minority individuals, and underserved communities. For projects intending to serve these entities, applicants should engage and involve those beneficiaries when developing projects and applications.