Globally, 273 million children are out of school, and the gap is widening fastest in the lowest-income countries, where 33 percent of school-aged children are out of school, compared to 3 percent in high-income countries. School meals remain one of the most reliable interventions for boosting enrollment, attendance, and literacy, especially for girls.
The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service has released a Notice of Funding Opportunity for the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program. Up to $240 million is available across approximately seven five-year cooperative agreements ranging from $10 million to $35 million each.
$240M for School Feeding Programs
McGovern-Dole is fundamentally a commodity donation program. Awardees procure packaged U.S. agricultural commodities from American farmers and producers, and ship them through U.S. ports on U.S.-flag vessels for at least 50 percent of ocean transport. Implementers distribute those commodities through school feeding and maternal and child nutrition programs.
The FY 2026 NOFO leans into “America First” framing: projects must source predominantly from U.S. agriculture, demonstrate oversight against fraud and waste, and present graduation strategies so host governments can sustain results after USDA support ends. Up to 10 percent of funds may go to local or regional procurement; cash transfers and food vouchers are not allowable.
Projects must address two statutory objectives: improved literacy of school-aged children, and increased use of health, nutrition, and dietary practices. Allowable activities include take-home rations, micronutrient fortification, deworming, water and sanitation infrastructure, and teacher training.
The opportunity
- Funding: Up to $240 million total; awards $10M–$35M
- Length: Approximately 60 months, starting October 1, 2026
- Priority countries: Bolivia, Cambodia, Ecuador, Guinea, Honduras, Liberia, and Timor-Leste
- Eligible applicants: Private voluntary organizations, cooperatives, intergovernmental organizations, developing-country governments, and other organizations
- Cost share: Not required; voluntary matching can earn up to two bonus points
Apply Now: Deadline is June 22, 2026
How to Use AI to Apply Fast
Many organizations will want to apply for this funding pool, but few know how.
There is a cheat code that will help you create a complaint, winning Statement of Interest in minutes. Its called AI. Yes, you can – and should be – using artificial intelligence to understand US government procurements and respond to them.
Here is an example application start that I created with Claude. This has imaginary organizations doing real tasks that you can use to respond promptly with a strong proposal.
Subscribe now to build social impact AI today!
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