Office of Public Health Science

The Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), a civilian sub-agency within USDA, administers federal grant funding for food safety research, training, and regulatory capacity-building in partnership with state agriculture departments, universities, and professional associations. FSIS has awarded 90 federal grants totaling $17.5 million in combined federal obligation since 2016.

Grant activity has moderated recently. FSIS obligated 12 awards in 2020, 13 in 2021, 13 in 2022, 19 in 2023, and 1 award in 2024, with the most recent grant award dated October 2024. Across the portfolio history, FSIS has funded 26 distinct recipients.

The grant recipient base is fragmented. Over the last five years, the top five recipients by award count—Ohio Department of Agriculture, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Association of Food & Drug Officials, The University of Iowa, and Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services—together account for 45 percent of recent awards. By federal dollars, the same five recipients plus Minnesota Department of Agriculture and Health Research, Inc. represent only 22 percent of federal obligation, indicating that funding is distributed across a broader set of recipients with smaller individual award sizes. The Association of Food & Drug Officials leads by federal dollars at $810 thousand across 3 awards.

All 90 grants awarded are structured as Cooperative Agreements, making this the exclusive assistance vehicle for FSIS grant-making.

No recent federal contract activity or contract opportunities are recorded against FSIS. No grant opportunities currently open or in solicitation are listed in the source. The most recent recorded grant award dates to October 2024; no upcoming notices of funding opportunity are indicated.