School Based Food Assistance Grant Program
This program supports projects that address critical gaps in healthy food access for children and families and implement innovative approaches to co-locating food assistance at MCPS school sites.
FY26 School Based Food Assistance Program
The Office of Food Systems Resilience (OFSR) awarded 13 organizations with a total of $2,303,775 in grant funding to support programs co-located at 99 MCPS school sites that increase food security for students and their families. The list of grantees can be found below:
| Organization Name | Total School/School Cluster Partner Sites |
| Manna Food Center | 26 |
| Nourishing Bethesda | 6 |
| The Upcounty Hub, Inc. | 20 |
| Small Things Matter | 2 |
| AfriThrive | 5 |
| The Shepherd's Table, Inc. | 1 |
| So What Else, Inc. | 11 |
| Community FarmShare | 14 |
| Mid-County United Ministries, Inc. | 1 |
| Clifton Park Baptist Church | 5 |
| Hughes United Methodist Church | 1 |
| Rainbow Community Development Center | 6 |
| Nourish Now | 4 |
| Total Unique School/School Cluster Partner Sites: 99 |
FY26 Resources for Grantees
FY25 School Based Food Assistance Program
The FY25 School-Based Food Assistance Grant Program has awarded $1,250,274 to 11 organizations to support new initiatives and the expansion of existing projects at 60+ Montgomery County Public School sites. In this cycle, awardees were funded to establish, expand and/or maintain school-based food assistance programs in partnership with MCPS, by developing a program model for successful services at new school(s) and addressing food resource needs within the school community that have been identified by school personnel. The awarded organizations are:
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Impact
FY25 Resources for Grantees
FY24 School Based Food Assistance Program
The FY24 School-Based Food Assistance Grant Program awarded $480,452 to eight organizations to support new initiatives and the expansion of existing projects at 30+ Montgomery County Public School sites. Awardees were funded to lead school-based food assistance programs in partnership with MCPS, by developing a program model for successful services at new school(s) and addressing food resource needs within the school community that have been identified by school personnel.
- Community Farm Share: $87,400 - provides locally grown, culturally relevant fresh produce to families at five MCPS sites.
- Manna Food Center: $86,732 - establishes new food pantries at two MCPS high schools, supports the expansion of food pantries at two MCPS elementary schools, and provides grocery gift cards at four MCPS schools.
- Nourishing Bethesda: 27,320 - provides pre-packed snack bags at three MCPS elementary schools and supports the expansion of a food pantry at one MCPS high school.
- Rainbow Community Development Center: $39,000 - distributes pre-packed bags of shelf-stable and produce items at two MCPS schools.
- Shepherd’s Table: $15,750 - provides prepared meals for families at one MCPS school.
- Small Things Matter: $18,000 - provides pre-packed bags of shelf-stable and produce items at one MCPS school.
- So What Else: $60,000 - facilitates onsite food pantries and pre-packed grocery distributions at five MCPS schools.
- The Upcounty Hub: $146,250 - provides snack bags and family-sized food boxes for seven MCPS schools.