The Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service Food for Education awarded a $6.3 million Cooperative Agreement to the Southern United States Trade Association on April 22, 2026, under the Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (CFDA 10.618) to encourage the development, maintenance, and expansion of commercial export markets for United States agricultural commodities and products.
The award funds approved market development activities conducted by the recipient to foster healthy exports and market diversification. Work is performed in New Orleans, Louisiana, with a period of performance through September 30, 2028. The Regional Agricultural Promotion Program reimburses nonprofit U.S. agricultural trade organizations, nonprofit state regional trade groups, U.S. agricultural cooperatives, and state agencies for qualifying market development activities. This is a cost-share program; proposals are evaluated by FAS using criteria outlined in funding announcements posted to Grants.gov, with applications submitted through the FAS Unified Export Strategy system.