Eligible: Nonprofits

Apply by Oct 1, 2026

Apply now
Active

$2,000,000 - $7,500,000

Cold Chain Grants for Emergency Food Assistance

From Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Marketing Service

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will competitively award funds to one or more recipients to offer subawards for cold storage and distribution equipment to food banks, food pantries, and other emergency food assistance operations to improve their ability to provide high-quality meats, eggs, seafood, dairy, and fresh and minimally processed fruits and vegetables to vulnerable Americans.

  • Overview

    • Type

      Grant

    • Title

      Cold Chain Grants for Emergency Food Assistance

    • Source

      Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Marketing Service

    • Federal or State

      Federal

    • Total Amount

      $7,500,000

    • Number of Awards

      3

    • Award Range

      $2,000,000 - $7,500,000

    • Cost Share

      No

    • Status

      Active

  • Eligibility

    • Audience

      Nonprofits

    • Sector

      Agriculture, Energy Efficiency, Environmental Justice, Resilience

    • Activity

      Program Management

    • Eligibility

      Eligible Entities

      Nonprofit Corporations. Specifically, this includes any organization or institution, including nonprofits with State or Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3) status where no part of the organization’s or institution’s net earnings inure to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual. This may include charitable organizations or private foundations.

      Eligible Activities

      The purpose of the Cold Chain Grants for Emergency Food Assistance (CCG) is to support cold chain equipment investments that enable food assistance entities to temporarily store, effectively package, and distribute fresh and minimally processed foods.

      This NOFO requests applications to administer a CCG subaward competition for investments in cold chain—refrigeration, freezers, refrigerated/freezer vehicles and trailers—and repackaging equipment. These equipment investments will be made through subawards to food banks, faith-based organizations, and other nonprofit organizations that provide nutrition assistance to people with low-income or challenging financial circumstances.

      Primary recipient activities include:
      • Designing and administering a competitive Cold Chain subaward program;
      • Developing and issuing subaward solicitations;
      • Conducting outreach to and engaging with a wide array of stakeholders to ensure broad participation in applying for funding;
      • Recruiting and training reviewers for application review;
      • Managing the subaward review and selection process;
      • Monitoring subrecipient performance in accordance;
      • Ensuring compliance with all applicable federal requirements
      • Collecting project data, including outcomes, and submitting reports to AMS.

      Eligible subaward activities are limited to the purchase, delivery, and installation of various cold storage equipment (such as refrigerators, freezers, remote cooling units), refrigerated mobile units and vehicles, and essential ancillary equipment and supplies.

    • Location

      National

  • Application Process

    • Application Link

      Apply Now

    • Pre-Application?

      No

    • Requirements

      An eligible applicant must be able to demonstrate capacity to implement and manage a competitive subaward program funding others to conduct projects that meet the goals of the program. This includes competitive application solicitation, application review, award, oversight, and reporting.

    • Disbursement Method

      Unspecified

  • Important Dates

    • Application Open Date

      Aug 17, 2026

    • Application Close Date

      Oct 1, 2026

    • Period of Performance Start

      Sep 30, 2026

    • Period of Performance End

      Sep 29, 2028

  • Resources & Contacts

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