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, funded by the Federal American Rescue Plan Act, is designed to support and strengthen Delaware's local food system. Its overarching mission, facilitated by the Delaware Department of Agriculture and the Delaware Council on Farm & Food Policy (Council), aligns with the goal of ensuring farmers have access to viable markets, households can access nutritious food, and the impacts of supply chain disruptions are reduced. The program aims to foster a resilient food system by offering grants to a diverse range of entities operating across the food supply chain within the State of Delaware. Target beneficiaries include entities that grow, process, store, transport, distribute, or sell food in Delaware, encompassing small to mid-sized for-profit producers, nonprofit organizations, aquaculture/fishery operators, food distributors, transporters, and food processing operators. The program's impact goals are centered on enabling these local entities to overcome challenges, build resilience, and contribute to a more robust food system. Specifically, it seeks to increase food production, enhance direct-to-consumer sales, improve food transformation activities, bolster transportation and distribution, and increase the flexibility of food retail outlets. The program prioritizes projects that support or benefit more than one entity or producer within Delaware’s food system. This focus is intended to strengthen the local food system through wide-reaching and complementary efforts rather than isolated, narrowly focused projects. Eligible projects are evaluated based on the entity's viability, its function and reach within the food system, and its capacity to add to food production, sales, processing, transportation, or distribution; improve efficiency and reduce costs; increase capacity of retail outlets; align with consumer needs; address proximity challenges; or increase emerging agricultural practices. Expected outcomes include a measurable positive impact on Delaware's food supply chain. Projects should create or contribute to outcomes such as increased volume of food production, greater availability of food products through various outlets, enhanced processing activities, more efficient transportation and distribution, improved capacity and flexibility of food retail outlets, and the adoption of innovative agricultural practices. The Council will award grants ranging from $2,500 to $150,000, and applicants must demonstrate the entity's infrastructure and capacity to successfully implement the project, with a general requirement for entities to be in operation for two or more years.

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 funding to nonprofit organizations and community-benefit government agencies in Delaware to improve healthcare access and reduce health disparities for uninsured and underserved communities.

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 small farms and agricultural nonprofits in the U.S. for sustainability projects that benefit the community, with a focus on initiatives led by BIPOC individuals.

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.