Federal Formula Grant Award Summary

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE) received a formula grant award of $1,663,739.00 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture under the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) Administrative Costs program (CFDA 10.568) for the period October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. This allocation is distributed according to a congressionally mandated formula that weighs each state's proportional share of persons living below the poverty level (60 percent) and unemployed individuals (40 percent).

Under this award, DESE will provide funding for administrative costs, storage, and distribution expenses necessary to support The Emergency Food Assistance Program operations throughout Massachusetts. In accordance with program requirements, DESE must make a minimum of 40 percent of the awarded administrative funds available to emergency feeding organizations such as food banks, food pantries, and soup kitchens, either through direct grants or by expending funds on their behalf. Funds are distributed electronically on an as-needed basis for actual expenditures, with any unused allocations returned to the federal government for reallocation to other states according to the established formula.