Food Safety Outreach Competitive Grants Program | USDA NIFA FSMA 008641

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NIFA FSMA 008641

The Food Safety Outreach Competitive Grants Program is a discretionary grant opportunity run by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) designed to strengthen and widen the national food safety training system created under the broader National Food Safety Training, Education, Extension, Outreach, and Technical Assistance Competitive Grants Program. In practical terms, this program is meant to take that existing national framework and push more training and hands-on support out into communities, with an emphasis on customized, audience-specific education rather than one-size-fits-all materials. The central goal is to improve real-world food safety practices and compliance by meeting people where they are, using training and technical assistance that fits the scale, language, and operational realities of smaller and underserved operations.

Projects funded through this program are expected to develop and deliver food safety training, education, extension programming, outreach, and technical assistance. The intended beneficiaries are owners and operators of small to mid-sized farms, beginning farmers, socially disadvantaged farmers, small food processors, and small fresh fruit and vegetable merchant wholesalers. That focus signals that the program is not primarily aimed at large industrial operations; it is geared toward the kinds of producers and small supply chain businesses that often face barriers such as limited staff time, fewer technical resources, less access to formal training, and challenges navigating food safety requirements. The program also emphasizes delivery, meaning applicants need to show how they will actually implement training and support activities, not just create educational content.

A notable feature of this opportunity is its community-forward approach to applicants and delivery partners. NIFA indicates that applications will be solicited directly from local communities, and it explicitly calls out community-based organizations, non-governmental organizations, food hubs, farm cooperatives, extension, and other local groups as key players. This points to a model where trusted local institutions serve as connectors, helping translate food safety expectations into workable steps for their communities, and ensuring training is culturally appropriate, accessible, and tailored to the audience.

Eligibility is fairly broad but clearly defined. Applicants must be at least one of the following: a Cooperative Extension Service for a U.S. state or territory; a non-governmental organization and/or community-based organization representing owners and operators of farms, small food processors, or small fruit and vegetable merchant wholesalers, with a commitment to public health and demonstrated capability administering programs that support food safety; a federal, state, local, or tribal agency; an institution of higher education (as defined in federal law) or a foundation maintained by such an institution; or a collaboration of two or more eligible entities. Collaborations are explicitly allowed, which encourages partnerships that combine technical expertise (for example, extension or university faculty) with on-the-ground reach (for example, food hubs, co-ops, or community organizations).

Key administrative details from the opportunity listing include: the funding opportunity title is Food Safety Outreach Competitive Grants Program; the opportunity number is USDA NIFA FSMA 008641; the assistance listing is CFDA 10.328; the instrument type is a grant; and the funding activity category is agriculture. The award ceiling is listed as $550,000. The original closing date shown is 2021-12-16, and the posting (creation) date is 2021-11-01. As with most NIFA programs, applicants are expected to follow the requirements in the request for applications (RFA), and failure to meet eligibility or other application requirements by the deadline can result in removal from consideration. For organizations new to federal awards, NIFA points applicants to its Grants Overview resources to help navigate registrations, compliance expectations, and the federal grants process.

Overall, this grant opportunity is best understood as an implementation-focused food safety capacity-building program. It is structured to expand the reach of food safety education and technical assistance into local and regional networks, prioritizing smaller operations and historically underserved groups, and relying on extension systems, community organizations, agencies, higher education, and partnerships among them to deliver training that is practical, customized, and actionable.

• The National Institute of Food and Agriculture in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Food Safety Outreach Competitive Grants Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.328.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-11-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-12-16. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $550,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for USDA NIFA FSMA 008641

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