2026 CNIP Expansion Program

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), through its Office of Farm to Fork, administers the California Nutrition Incentive Program (CNIP). CNIP was created under state law to encourage the purchase and consumption of fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts grown in California by low-income households using nutrition benefits. CNIP has operated in partnership with federal programs such as CalFresh, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), and the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP). For the 2026 cycle, CDFA has released a Request for Proposals for the CNIP Expansion targeting WIC, WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP), and SFMNP participants. The 2026 CNIP Expansion supports two types of projects. Track 1 funds projects that directly distribute nutrition incentives to WIC, WIC FMNP, and SFMNP shoppers at authorized Certified Farmers’ Markets and provide supporting activities such as outreach, marketing, and technical assistance to both shoppers and vendors. Track 2 supports projects that focus only on outreach, support, and technical assistance related to the use of electronic benefit systems. Both tracks are designed to increase access to healthy foods, with priority for projects serving low-income and low-access areas where diet-related disease is prevalent. Funding is available up to a total of $1,750,000, with individual project requests required to fall between $10,000 and $500,000. Grant terms are nine months, beginning April 1, 2026, and ending December 31, 2026. Projects must operate within this time frame, and funds cannot be used for costs incurred prior to the start date. While cost sharing is not required, applicants are encouraged to demonstrate matching contributions in cash, materials, or in-kind support, which will be considered during technical review. Eligible applicants include Certified Farmers’ Markets authorized to accept WIC, WIC FMNP, or SFMNP benefits, as well as nonprofit organizations applying to work in partnership with such markets. Applicants must agree to provide program data, cooperate with evaluation activities, and submit required invoices and reports. This is a reimbursement-based grant program, and grantees will be required to submit monthly or quarterly invoices, with reimbursements expected within approximately 45 days of approval. The proposal process is competitive. Applications must be submitted by email to the CDFA Farm to Fork Office by November 4, 2025, 5:00 PM PT, using the specified subject line and including both the proposal and budget spreadsheet. CDFA will not accept mailed or faxed applications. Proposals will undergo administrative review for completeness and eligibility, followed by a technical review scored on criteria such as goals, outreach strategies, community impact, operational efficiency, partnerships, experience, and budget alignment. Important dates include the RFP announcement on September 23, 2025, a technical assistance webinar on October 9, 2025, the full application deadline on November 4, 2025, and award notifications expected in January 2026. Selected applicants will begin work in April 2026, with all activities completed by December 31, 2026. Final reports are required within 60 days of project completion, and CDFA may conduct follow-up surveys to evaluate long-term outcomes. For questions, applicants may contact the CDFA Office of Farm to Fork at cafarmtofork@cdfa.ca.gov. This grant opportunity is not recurring and is specific to the 2026 expansion cycle. While applicants are encouraged to consider future funding opportunities under CDFA programs, this solicitation stands as a discrete funding round with a fixed timeline and budget allocation.

Address all scoring criteria; highlight outreach and community health impacts; ensure budget aligns with guidelines; avoid unallowable costs