Food for Progress Program Notice of Funding Opportunity Fiscal Year 2025

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), through its Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), has released the Fiscal Year 2025 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Food for Progress (FFPr) Program. This competitive grant opportunity supports agricultural development in emerging economies through the donation and monetization of U.S. agricultural commodities. The resulting proceeds fund initiatives that promote increased agricultural productivity and expanded trade in targeted countries. Eligible applicants include a wide range of entities such as governments of emerging agricultural countries, non-governmental organizations, intergovernmental organizations, nonprofit agricultural cooperatives, colleges and universities, and other private entities. Administered by the International Food Assistance Division within the FAS Global Programs office, this NOFO offers approximately $208 million in total funding. Individual awards will range from $5 million to $35 million, with an anticipated 6 to 10 awards issued. The period of performance for funded projects is estimated to last between 36 to 60 months, with an anticipated start date of October 1, 2025, and end dates varying between September 30, 2028, and September 30, 2030. The closing date for applications is July 31, 2025, at 5:00 PM EDT. Questions regarding the NOFO may be submitted by July 15, 2025, and should be directed to ppded@usda.gov with “FY25 FFPr NOFO” in the subject line. The purpose of the FFPr Program is to donate U.S. agricultural commodities to developing countries and emerging democracies to encourage free-market reforms in agriculture. The proceeds from commodity sales support technical and institutional capacity development in areas such as access to finance, supply chain improvements, and trade facilitation. Each project must also ensure at least a 70% cost recovery from monetization, in compliance with statutory requirements. Allowable expenses under the program include personnel, training, evaluation, equipment (over $10,000), and travel, while lobbying, litigation, and ineligible capital expenditures are prohibited. The application package must be submitted through the Food Aid Information System (FAIS) and must include numerous detailed components such as a strategic analysis, plan of operation, organizational capacity, results framework, performance indicators, evaluation plan, commodity management strategy, budget documents, and other supporting documentation. Applicants must also have an active SAM registration and a valid Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). Notably, matching funds are not required, although applications with voluntary cost share of at least 1% of the total operating budget may be eligible for bonus points in scoring. Applications will be reviewed based on several criteria including strategic analysis, feasibility and sustainability of the plan of operation, organizational capacity, monitoring and evaluation strategies, commodity monetization approach, and budget adequacy. Additional evaluation may include past performance reviews and risk assessments based on history with federal awards. Applicants deemed successful will enter into cooperative agreements with USDA/FAS, which allow for substantial agency involvement in project oversight and evaluation. The primary agency contact for this opportunity is Ingrid Ardjosoediro, Branch Director of the Food for Progress program. She can be reached at ingrid.ardjosoediro@usda.gov or by phone at +1 (202) 531-0216. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM EDT. Final award selections are expected by September 15, 2025, and awards will be made by September 26, 2025. This opportunity is not subject to intergovernmental review and does not include country-specific guidance, meaning applicants may propose projects in any eligible country with sufficient justification.

Follow strict format and page limits; use third-party assessments for monetization planning; budget at least 3% for M&E; submit early through FAIS.