Delaware Food and Nutrition Grants

The Delaware Community Foundation offers grants ranging from $100,000 to $500,000 through Highmark's BluePrints for the Community fund, prioritizing health-related projects and services that address healthcare access, economic stability, social and community context, and neighborhood and built environment in Delaware.

The First State Food System Program (Program) provides funding to entities that grow, process, store, transport, distribute, or sell food in the State of Delaware. Donor Name: Delaware Council on Farm and Food Policy State: Delaware County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: 05/10/2024 Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000 Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: The Delaware Department of Agriculture through its advisory group – the Delaware Council on Farm & Food Policy (Council) strives to facilitate and support a local food system where farmers can access viable markets; Delaware households can access nutritious and wholesome food options within their own communities; and where the impacts of supply chain disruptions can be diminished. Through this Program funding is available to a diverse range of entities, operating at various points in the food supply chain. This Program enables local entities to overcome challenges and build resilience in food system. The First State Food System Program is funded through the Federal American Rescue Plan Act. Projects designed to support or provide benefit to more than one entity or producer within Delaware’s food system will be prioritized. The objective is to strengthen the local food system through wide-reaching and complementary efforts, rather than isolated and narrowly focused projects that serve to benefit only one individual operation.  Funding Information Using a standardized review process, the Council will award grants from $2,500 up to $150,000. Eligible Projects Applications will be evaluated based on the viability of the entity; its function and reach as part of the food system; and its demonstrated or potential capacity to do at least one of the following: Add to the volume of food production in Delaware. Add to the direct-to-consumer sale or availability of food products through retail or charitable outlets in Delaware. Add to activities used to transform food products from their harvested state to a consumable state for end users. Processing activities include: freezing, chopping, fermenting, packaging, washing, cooking, pasteurizing, canning, and more in Delaware. Add to the transportation or distribution of food products to consumer/end user outlets in Delaware. Improve efficiency and reduce costs of distribution systems. Improve capacity of food retail outlets including restaurants, to meet local demand. Improve flexibilities of food retail and distribution outlets to better align with consumer needs like online purchasing or food delivery. Address challenges to proximity through transportation solutions. Increase emerging agricultural practices by bringing food production into busy, populated areas – such as vertical gardens, shipping container farms, rooftop farming, hydroponics, community gardens, community composting, and food waste reduction. Eligibility Criteria General  Applicants that have been awarded funding during Cycle 1 or Cycle 2 may apply. The project must be new and distinct from an awarded project, or an addition or complement to an awarded project. (can include adding new partners, or new sites, or expanding market reach, etc.) Applicants must describe how the project positively impacts or creates measurable outcomes for Delaware’s food supply chain, including the entity and other entities or operations. The applicant must demonstrate/describe that the entity has the infrastructure in place and capacity to successfully implement the project. The applicant’s entity must be in operation for two or more years. Start-up entities will be considered when the operator provides a description of industry experience or when the start-up budget includes a contribution from the owner. The applicant’s entity must be a legal entity and have the legal capacity to enter into a project agreement with the Delaware Department of Agriculture. Eligible entities must be owned and operated in the State of Delaware and include small to mid-sized, for-profit producers and nonprofit organizations; aquaculture/fishery operators; food distributors or transporters; food processing operators. The Council reserves the right to consider applications from non-Delaware entities that directly provide product or services to Delaware. Applicants may submit more than one proposal. If more than one proposal is submitted, please prioritize the submissions. Producers  For the purposes of this Program, small to mid-sized producers are defined as having operations with 1) An annual value of sales between $20,000 and $300,000; and 2) Acres in active production in fruits, vegetables, specialty crops, or other products for human consumption; of up to 300 acres. Larger scale producers are eligible to apply and are encouraged to demonstrate collaboration with other producers or entities. Supply Chain Entities  The following are eligible supply chain operations, this list is not all inclusive, some examples are listed: Storage: food hubs Transportation: fleet coordinators, logistics Processing: incubator facilities, commercial kitchens Distribution: retail outlets, pantries, food trucks Single or multi-site grocery stores, Cooperative grocers, Corner stores, Mobile markets, restaurants, farmers markets, on-farm stores For more information, visit Delaware Council on Farm and Food Policy.

This grant provides funding to partnerships and organizations working to improve water quality and habitats in the Chesapeake Bay watershed through innovative practices that reduce nutrient and sediment pollution.

This funding program provides financial support to community-based organizations that empower youth aged 12 to 20 through established, youth-led urban greening initiatives focused on social and environmental justice in select states.

This program provides funding to local organizations in EPA Region 3 for projects that address environmental and health challenges in historically underserved communities.

This program provides financial support to various food-related entities in Delaware to improve access to healthy food options in underserved communities.

The Sussex County Council in Delaware is offering Human Service Grants ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 to established non-profit agencies in Sussex County, aiming to enhance health and human services and support programs or capital purchases, with the application deadline set for September 30, 2024.

This funding opportunity supports licensed dairy processors and brands in the Northeast to initiate or expand co-packing arrangements, scale production, and enhance their product offerings.

This grant provides funding to nonprofit organizations in Kent County that assist economically disadvantaged populations by addressing basic needs such as homelessness, hunger, and healthcare.

This grant provides financial support to Black entrepreneurs who are positively impacting their communities, helping them grow and sustain their businesses.

This grant provides funding to nonprofit organizations within 20 miles of a Food Lion store to help alleviate hunger by purchasing food for communities in need.

This program provides funding to small- and mid-sized farm and food businesses in the Northeast to enhance their operations, expand markets, and improve post-harvest activities.

This funding opportunity supports established dairy farmers, processors, brands, and producer associations in the Northeast to improve food safety, obtain certifications, and enhance market access through various projects.