Child Nutrition Division

The Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service, a civilian sub-agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, administers federal nutrition assistance programs and funds state and local food security initiatives through a portfolio of discretionary and formula-based grants. The Service delivers child nutrition programs, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and related domestic food assistance offerings.

Since 2008, the Service has obligated $306.6 billion in federal grant funding across 6,785 awards to 906 distinct recipients. Grant activity has remained steady, with 723 awards in 2022, 844 in 2023, 895 in 2024, 727 in 2025, and 52 year-to-date in 2026. The most recent grant award closed on July 10, 2026.

Grant recipient concentration is highly fragmented. The top five recipients by award count—Kansas State Department of Education (49 awards, $1.05 billion federal dollars), New Jersey Department of Agriculture (46 awards, $2.72 billion), District of Columbia Government (46 awards, $271.6 million), Department of Education of Puerto Rico (45 awards, $754.7 million), and North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (45 awards, $238.2 million)—account for 7% of recent awards over the last five years. The top five recipients by federal dollars obligated—Pennsylvania Department of Education ($3.84 billion across 43 awards), Michigan Department of Education ($3.07 billion across 41 awards), New Jersey Department of Agriculture ($2.72 billion across 46 awards), Alabama State Department of Education ($2.23 billion across 40 awards), and Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education ($2.07 billion across 42 awards)—represent only 5% of recent federal dollars obligated. State departments of education and agriculture dominate the recipient base; the long tail includes numerous local education agencies, nonprofits, and tribal entities.

The grant portfolio is structured predominantly as Formula Grants (4,336 awards, 64% of the portfolio) with a substantial Project Grant component (2,416 awards, 36%). Cooperative Agreements account for 33 awards (less than 1%).

No recent contract activity or contract opportunities are recorded against the Service. No recent grant opportunities are reported in the source.