Federal Grant Award Summary

The Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service awarded Connecticut Department of Social Services $687,140 through the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) Administrative Costs formula grant (CFDA 10.568) effective October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026. This funding supports the administrative, storage, and distribution infrastructure necessary to operate Connecticut's TEFAP operations, which serves low-income populations through a network of emergency feeding organizations. The allocation was determined using a congressionally mandated formula weighting the state's share of persons living below the poverty level (60%) and unemployed individuals (40%). Connecticut Department of Social Services is required to make a minimum of 40 percent of awarded administrative funds available to emergency feeding organizations such as food banks, food pantries, and soup kitchens.

Connecticut Foodshare Inc., designated as a federal grant sub-awardee effective January 23, 2026, delivers the primary services funded through this award, providing USDA commodities including TEFAP foods to soup kitchens, food pantries, and emergency shelters throughout Connecticut. Connecticut Foodshare also furnishes nutritional assistance and emergency food support services directly to low-income Connecticut residents, leveraging the administrative funding to expand the reach and capacity of the state's emergency food network to vulnerable populations.