Micro-Grants for Food Security Program
🏛 Agricultural Marketing Service
Can you apply?
This grant is for agricultural agencies and departments in specific U.S. territories and insular areas. Eligible applicants must be official state, territorial, or local agricultural government agencies in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, or Palau.
The program distributes competitive subawards to help these agencies expand locally grown food access in food-insecure communities. Eligible activities include small-scale gardening, herding, and livestock operations that increase both quantity and quality of local food production.
Climate-resilient and economically sustainable agriculture approaches are encouraged. No cost-sharing is required from applicants.
This grant is for agricultural agencies and departments in specific U.S. territories and insular areas. Eligible applicants must be official state, territorial, or local agricultural government agencies in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, or Palau.
The program distributes competitive subawards to help these agencies expand locally grown food access in food-insecure communities. Eligible activities include small-scale gardening, herding, and livestock operations that increase both quantity and quality of local food production.
Climate-resilient and economically sustainable agriculture approaches are encouraged. No cost-sharing is required from applicants.
Program description
MGFSP assists agricultural agencies or departments in eligible states and territories to increase the quantity and quality of locally grown food in food insecure communities through small-scale gardening, herding, and livestock operations by competitively distributing subawards to eligible entities.USDA promotes climate-resilient landscapes and rural economic systems, including tools to support agriculture, forests, grazing lands, and rural communities. AMS encourages applicants to consider including goals and activities related to reducing and stabilizing the levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere or adapting to the already occurring climate change in their project”s design and implementation.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
Demographic focus
Details
This grant is for agricultural agencies and departments in specific U.S. territories and insular areas. Eligible applicants must be official state, territorial, or local agricultural government agencies in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, or Palau.
The program distributes competitive subawards to help these agencies expand locally grown food access in food-insecure communities. Eligible activities include small-scale gardening, herding, and livestock operations that increase both quantity and quality of local food production.
Climate-resilient and economically sustainable agriculture approaches are encouraged. No cost-sharing is required from applicants.
How to apply
Application links
Required documents
- SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance)
- Project Narrative/Description
- Budget and Budget Narrative
- Letters of support from eligible subrecipients
- Documentation of food-insecure communities served
- Climate resilience or sustainability plan
Program contact
- 👤 Agricultural Marketing Service
- 📧 IPPGrants@usda.gov
- 📞 202-260-8449
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 10.179 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
-
$3,576,471
-
$3,576,471
-
$2,235,220
-
$2,235,220
-
$223,529
-
$223,529
-
$139,701
-
$139,701
Top States by Funding
- AK 2 awards $5.8M
- HI 2 awards $5.8M
- GU 2 awards $0.4M
- MP 2 awards $0.4M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 10.179). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2024 | $5,000,000 | |
| 2025 | $5,000,000 | |
| 2026 est. | $5,000,000 |
FAQ
Who can apply for this grant?
Only agricultural agencies and departments in eligible U.S. territories and insular areas. Your agency must be the official government body responsible for agriculture in your state or territory.
What activities does this grant fund?
Small-scale gardening, herding, and livestock operations that improve food security. Projects should increase both the quantity and quality of locally grown food in food-insecure communities.
Is cost-sharing required?
No. This grant does not require matching funds or cost-sharing from your organization.
What is the typical funding range?
Individual awards typically range from $118,800 to $1,900,800, depending on project scope and competitiveness of applications.
When is the deadline?
The fixed deadline is June 22, 2026. This is not a rolling deadline, so submit your application well before the closing date.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Frame your project around climate resilience. USDA explicitly encourages applicants to include climate adaptation or greenhouse gas reduction goals in their design.
- Focus on food-insecure communities in your territory. The program specifically targets areas with limited access to locally grown food.
- Clearly explain how your subawards will reach eligible entities. You'll be distributing funds competitively, so show a strong vetting process.
- Demonstrate local agricultural capacity. Highlight existing farming, gardening, or livestock expertise in your region that you'll build upon.
- Connect economic development to food security. Show how increased local production benefits rural economic systems and livelihoods.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Applications lack climate resilience language or fail to address food insecurity in target communities. Applicants underestimate the subaward distribution and oversight workload required. Proposals don't articulate a clear competitive selection process for subgrant recipients.
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