United States Department Of Agriculture Mcgovern-Dole International Food For Education And Child Nutrition Program

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), International Food Assistance Division, McGovern-Dole Branch, is announcing a funding opportunity for the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program for Fiscal Year 2025. The McGovern-Dole Program is designed to improve food security, reduce hunger, and enhance literacy and primary education, with a special emphasis on girls, by supporting school feeding programs and maternal and child nutrition in developing countries. The program achieves these goals by providing U.S. agricultural commodities and funds for both U.S.-sourced and limited local and regional food procurement, as well as technical and financial assistance for education and nutrition interventions. The scope of this funding opportunity is significant, with up to $240,000,000 in federal funding available, subject to appropriations. It is anticipated that around eight awards will be made, each in the range of $10 million to $29 million. Projects are expected to last approximately five years, with a projected start date of October 1, 2025, and an end date of around September 30, 2030. Applications are solicited for projects in priority countries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Honduras, Mozambique, Pakistan, Senegal, and Sierra Leone, as well as for non-priority countries, though the latter must provide strong justification for their selection. Each application should specify its geographic focus, beneficiary groups, and must include a clear rationale for targeting specific populations. Eligible applicants include Private Voluntary Organizations, Cooperatives, Intergovernmental Organizations, governments of developing countries and their agencies, and other organizations such as higher education institutions. All applicants must have an active registration in the U.S. Government System for Award Management (SAM.gov) prior to submitting their application. There is no cost-share or matching requirement for this program, though voluntary cost sharing is encouraged to enhance program impact and sustainability. If proposed, voluntary cost sharing becomes a binding commitment. Permitted activities under this program must include school feeding using U.S.-provided agricultural commodities and may also incorporate complementary activities such as teacher training, government capacity building, nutrition education, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), school gardens, and interventions for maternal and child nutrition. Up to ten percent of the total federal award may be allocated to local or regional procurement (LRP) of food commodities. The program places a strong emphasis on sustainability and expects applicants to describe how activities will continue after the end of USDA support, including plans for graduation and handover to local entities or governments. Applications must be submitted through the Food Aid Information System (FAIS) by June 23, 2025, before 5:00 PM Eastern Time. Questions regarding the NOFO may be submitted by June 11, 2025, via email to ppded@usda.gov with the subject line "FY25 McGovern-Dole NOFO." Key documents required for submission include a detailed project narrative, plan of operations, sustainability plan, organizational capacity information, budget, monitoring and evaluation plans, commodity management approach, and necessary attachments such as commitment letters, CVs for key personnel, and registration documents. The USDA/FAS will review applications based on the quality and detail of the narrative, feasibility of activities, integration of sustainability, monitoring and evaluation capacity, and the cost-effectiveness of the budget. Contact for this funding opportunity is Lindsay Carter, McGovern-Dole Director, reachable at (202) 236-1095 or ppded@usda.gov, with general information available at https://www.fas.usda.gov/food-aid-information-system. The office hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern Time. Post-award, recipients will be required to meet robust monitoring, evaluation, and reporting requirements and to adhere to relevant federal regulations and program policies. Awards are made as cooperative agreements, allowing for substantial involvement by USDA/FAS throughout the project period. All details regarding program rules, restrictions, application components, and expectations are described in the official NOFO and its appendices【7:6-13†FY25 McGovern-Dole NOFO (2)】.

Ensure compliance with page limits and content requirements; register with SAM.gov and FAIS early; follow the checklist in the NOFO.