FY2025 McGovern-Dole International Food For Education and Child Nutrition Program

The McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program, led by the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), aims to enhance food security, reduce hunger, and improve literacy and primary education, particularly for girls. This initiative supports the donation of U.S. agricultural commodities, local and regional procurement, and technical and financial assistance. Additionally, the program integrates maternal and child nutrition activities, focusing on improving dietary practices. A total of $240 million is available for awards under this program, which will fund eight projects across priority countries including Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Honduras, Mozambique, Pakistan, Senegal, and Sierra Leone. Awards will span five years, from October 2025 to September 2030, with individual awards ranging from $10 million to $29 million. Eligible applicants include private voluntary organizations, cooperatives, intergovernmental organizations, governments of developing countries, and other organizations such as higher education institutions. Applicants must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) and submit a complete application by April 18, 2025, at 5:00 PM EDT. USDA/FAS prioritizes projects that promote sustainability, enhance literacy and nutrition, and address local challenges through context-specific activities. Applications should include a robust sustainability plan to ensure long-term impacts after program funding ends. Funding supports school feeding, teacher training, government capacity building, literacy promotion, and complementary health and nutrition interventions such as water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) initiatives. Applicants are required to allocate 10% of their federal funding for local and regional procurement of food commodities. The program emphasizes the use of U.S.-donated commodities while promoting local solutions to strengthen food systems. Applications are evaluated based on their alignment with program objectives, feasibility, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness. Key components include a detailed project narrative, budget, monitoring and evaluation plan, and graduation timeline. Applicants are also expected to address cross-cutting topics such as climate resilience and gender equity. Awardees must adhere to USDA/FAS guidelines for commodity management, reporting, and compliance. Public information sessions and opportunities to submit questions will be available prior to the submission deadline. Successful applicants will be notified and will negotiate cooperative agreements with USDA/FAS before finalizing awards. For more information, applicants can contact the McGovern-Dole Branch or visit relevant program resources online.