Food Assistance Resiliency Grants

The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) Food Assistance Program is now accepting applications for the 2025–2026 Resiliency Grants Program, designed to support nonprofit hunger relief organizations, tribal entities, and public agencies combating food insecurity throughout the state of Washington. This grant is part of WSDA’s broader Focus on Food Initiative, which is dedicated to ensuring all Washington residents have access to safe, nutritious food. The application window is currently open through the OpenWaters platform and will close at 11:59 PM PDT on May 22, 2025. Awards will be made under a regionally balanced framework to ensure equitable distribution of funds across nine geographic regions based on county-level poverty data. The Resiliency Grants are supported by the General Fund State and are contingent upon the final 2025–2027 state budget, expected in April 2025. Grant awards are anticipated to range from a minimum of $10,000–$20,000 to a maximum of $150,000–$250,000, although these amounts may be adjusted based on final funding allocations. Eligible organizations include nonprofit corporations (including unrecognized tribal organizations with 501(c)(3) status), federally recognized tribes, government/public agencies, churches, or religious organizations. Fiscal sponsorship arrangements are allowed for applicants who themselves are not eligible. Eligible expenses under this grant include staffing and personnel costs, food purchases (including culturally appropriate foods), operational costs, contracted services, and equipment (valued at $10,000 or more with a useful life over one year). Indirect costs are also reimbursable up to 15% of direct costs, with specific exclusions. Grant recipients will enter into agreements for the performance period from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026. Reimbursements will be provided upon monthly submission of itemized invoices, ledgers, and supporting documentation. Applicants must meet several eligibility and compliance requirements. These include being registered with the Washington Secretary of State, having an IRS tax exemption in good standing, possessing contracting and accounting capabilities, and not being suspended or debarred from federal or state programs. All applicants must serve communities in Washington State and ensure that all benefits of the funds remain within the state. Application evaluation is conducted on a regional basis, with each region scored separately to ensure localized competition. Top-scoring applications in each region will be selected for awards. WSDA encourages collaboration among organizations and prioritizes applications that address client access, organizational resilience, and community-specific food needs. Awarded organizations are also required to adhere to civil rights and nondiscrimination requirements and provide low-barrier access to food resources. For support, applicants can reach the Resiliency Grants team by emailing foodassistancegrants@agr.wa.gov. Key contacts listed include Anna Hamill and Brittany Beug. Further details, forms, definitions, and FAQs are available on WSDA’s grant webpage. The program information is accessible in multiple languages and translation support can be requested for other languages as needed.