Federal Grant Award Summary

The State of Rhode Island Department of Administration, Office of Library & Information Services, received a $262,692 formula grant award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service under the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) Administrative Costs program (CFDA 10.568). The award, effective October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026, provides funding to support administrative, storage, and distribution costs associated with operating TEFAP in Rhode Island.

The grant funds support the state's emergency food assistance network infrastructure, including administrative expenses for TEFAP operations and required pass-through funding to emergency feeding organizations such as food banks, food pantries, and soup kitchens. Consistent with program requirements, the state must allocate a minimum of 40 percent of the administrative grant to local emergency feeding organizations, either through direct grants or by expending funds on their behalf. The allocation was determined using a congressionally mandated formula based on Rhode Island's proportional share of persons living below the poverty level (weighted at 60 percent) and unemployed individuals (weighted at 40 percent). Funds are distributed on an as-needed basis for actual expenditures, with any unused allocations returned to the federal government for reallocation.