TEFAP FY 2023 Farm to Food Bank Project Grants
Section 4018(b) of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (PL 115-334, the 2018 Farm Bill) amended Section 203D of the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to provide funding for TEFAP state agencies to pay for projects to harvest, process, package, or transport commodities donated by agricultural producers, processors, or distributors for use by emergency feeding organizations (EFOs). These projects are known as Farm to Food Bank Projects. The purpose of this memorandum is to allocate funding for such projects in fiscal year (FY) 2023.
Farm to Food Bank Projects
Farm to Food Bank Projects are defined at 7 CFR 251.10(j) as the harvesting, processing, packaging, or transportation of unharvested, unprocessed, or unpackaged commodities donated by agricultural producers, processors, or distributors for use by EFOs. The purpose of such projects must be to (a) reduce food waste at the agricultural production, processing, or distribution level through the donation of food, (b) provide food to individuals in need, and (c) build relationships between agricultural producers, processors, and distributors and EFOs through the donation of food. Farm to Food Bank project funds can only be used for the costs associated with harvesting, processing, packaging, or transporting privately donated foods, and cannot be used to purchase foods or for agricultural production activities (e.g., purchasing seeds or planting crops). Additionally, these funds may not be used for costs associated with handling USDA Foods provided for distribution through TEFAP. States have discretion in determining how to distribute Farm to Food Bank project funds and may apply funds to both new initiatives and to existing projects that meet the definition of a Farm to Food Bank Project. Please see FD-151: Questions and Answers about Farm to Food Bank Projects for additional information on allowable and unallowable use of funds.
FY 2023 Farm to Food Bank Project Funding
FNS is making $3.772 million available for Farm to Food Bank projects in FY 2023. The 2018 Farm Bill provided $4 million1 each year for Farm to Food Bank projects from FY 2019 through FY 2023. The first round of Farm to Food Bank project grants were issued in May 2020, using funds appropriated in FY 2019 and the second round of Farm to Food Bank grants were issued in December 2020, using funds appropriated in FY 2020. A third round of Farm to Food Bank grants, issued in November 2021, used funds appropriated in FY 2021 and FY 2022. In FY 2023, FNS will be issuing the remaining funds provided by the 2018 Farm Bill: $3,772,000 (one year of funding after rescission).
For more information, including project partners, state plan amendments, match requirement, allocation of funds, and reporting requirements refer to the policy memo released Aug. 12, 2022.