agriculture · USDA-NIFA-ERA

Food Safety Outreach Program-Community Outreach Projects

National Institute of Food and Agriculture-eRA · USDA-NIFA-FA4182-32935

Closed

Award Range

$80K – $300K

Total Program Funding

$3.5M

Expected Awards

Deadline

July 20, 2026

GRANTQUICK SUMMARYPlain-English Overview

USDA/NIFA's Food Safety Outreach Program funds 15 Community Outreach Projects ($80K-$300K each, $3.5M total) that train small farms, beginning farmers, and food processors on food safety practices required by the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). These grants help small/underserved producers understand and comply with FSMA produce safety rules — training in their language, at their level, in their community.

Who Should Apply

Extension services, community-based organizations, nonprofits, and universities that work directly with small/beginning/underserved farmers and food processors. Must have relationships with farming communities and food safety training capacity.

Who Should NOT Apply

Large agribusiness (already FSMA-compliant), food safety laboratories, regulatory agencies, or organizations without direct farmer/producer relationships.

Key Requirements (Plain English)

•Must provide food safety training to small/beginning/underserved producers
•Must focus on FSMA compliance and produce safety
•15 awards of $80K-$300K
•Must reach farmers who face barriers to food safety training (language, location, scale)
•Must use community-based outreach approaches
•No cost-sharing required

💡 GrantQuick Tip

15 awards makes this quite accessible. NIFA prioritizes reaching farmers who DON'T attend traditional extension workshops — immigrant farmers, refugee communities, small-scale urban growers, and tribal producers. If you can deliver FSMA training in Spanish, Hmong, Somali, or other languages at farms and farmers markets (not in university classrooms), you're exactly what they want. Partner with community organizations the farmers already trust.

Competitiveness: Low-moderate — 15 awards targeting diverse communities. Organizations with existing small-farmer relationships and multilingual capacity succeed.

What This Grant Funds

In FY 2026, FSOP, under Assistance Listing 10.328, will maintain and continue to expand training, education, outreach, and coordination by soliciting new Community Outreach Projects.

Attachments

PDF

USDA-NIFA-FA4182-32935-Full-Announcement.html

Who Can Apply

Entities are eligible to apply to the FSOP if they meet at least one of the following criteria:A State Cooperative Extension Service;A Federal, State, local, or Tribal agency;A nonprofit community-based or non-governmental organization;An organization representing owners and operators of farms, small food processors, or small fruit and vegetable merchant wholesalers that has a commitment to public health and expertise in administering programs that contribute to food safety;An institution of higher education (as defined at in Section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C 1001(a))) or a foundation maintained by an institution of higher education; or;A collaboration of two or more eligible entities.

Eligible Applicant Types

Other (see NOFO for details)

Funding Details

Minimum Award: $80K
Maximum Award: $300K
Total Program Funding: $3.5M
Expected Number of Awards: 15
Cost Sharing Required?: No
Funding Instrument: grant

Key Dates

Posted: June 18, 2026

Application Deadline: July 20, 2026 (0 days remaining)

Agency Contact

NIFA Support Email grantapplicationquestions@usda.gov

grantapplicationquestions@usda.gov

Ready to apply?

View the full NOFO and submit your application on Grants.gov

View on Grants.gov