Food Pantry Assistance Grant Program

Overview

Food Pantry Assistance Grant Program

Aid purchase and distribution of Colorado-grown produce and nutrient-dense foods.

Food pantries across Colorado are experiencing increased demand within their communities. In addition to the continued impacts of inflation, the recent reduction in benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – related to the end of the public health emergency – has led to more families and individuals turning to food pantries for food assistance and nutritional support.

Recognizing the ongoing need in Colorado communities, state lawmakers and Gov. Polis allocated additional funding for quick release to local organizations that directly provide access to food in their communities. The Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) redirected $14 million in supplemental state funding specifically for food banks and food pantries this year. The Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger (Blueprint), a collective impact organization focused on shifting power dynamics and building capacity in communities, is distributing $4.05 million of those funds through its existing Food Pantry Assistance Grant (FPAG) program.

The grant distribution program exists to support organizations working directly in Colorado communities so everyone can access healthy food options near where they live.

Grant opportunities continue to be open to all food pantries in the state, with a focus on purchasing meat, dairy, and fresh produce from local farmers, ranchers, and producers. This current grant cycle also focuses on expanding access to culturally relevant and nutritionally appropriate foods.

Food Pantry Assistance Grant (FPAG) was created to support organizations working directly in their communities to ensure that everyone has access to healthy food options near where they live. The new funding is intended to help meet increased need in Colorado communities as SNAP benefits have decreased significantly for families and individuals. Individual food pantries can request $2,500 - $50,000, and groups can request $51,000 - $100,000.

Specifically, the new grants hope to aid food pantries in the purchase and distribution of Colorado-grown produce, products, and nutrient-dense foods as well as to expand access to culturally relevant and nutritionally appropriate foods.

Funding

* Individual request range: $2,500 - $50,000
* Group request range: $51,000 - $100,000

Food pantries cannot apply both as an individual and as an organization in a group application. Only the group application will be considered in those cases.

Eligibility

_You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website._

* This grant opportunity is open to all food pantries in Colorado, including:
* Current FPAG grantees
* Past grantees and those who have never applied before who seek funding for this year
* This grant is open to all food pantries that meet the following requirements as defined by CRS 26-2-139.
* To be eligible to apply, you must: 
* Be a food pantry.
* "Food pantry" means an individual site that buys food or receives donations of foods that are then directly distributed to those in its community.
* This includes faith-based organizations.
* Only “food pantries” are eligible for this supplemental FPAG funding since “food banks” have already been awarded other funding.
* To the extent practicable, food purchased by grant recipients using this money should be designated to one of the following:
* A Colorado agricultural product; or
* An agricultural product that holds cultural significance for Indigenous First Nations people, or for other cultures of subcultural groups, including the ways in which those agricultural products are produced (like halal or bison as examples).
* 80 percent of all funding must be spent on food purchases (locally in Colorado, when possible).
* 20 percent can be spent on direct and indirect non-food expenses associated with the direct distribution of this supplemental funding.
* At least 50 percent of this supplemental award must be spent by the designated date.
* If at least 50 percent of funding is not spent by the designated date then the remainder of the award will be forfeited.
* The entirety of the supplemental funding must be spent by the specified date.

Ineligibility

*  This grant cannot supplant other current or future funds, such as existing rent costs, repair expenses, or general overhead. Such a focus ensures that the charitable food system is grounded in equity and responsive to existing community needs.