Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA FAS LRP 18
The Local and Regional Food Aid Procurement (LRP) Program is a discretionary grant opportunity run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), specifically through the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), under CFDA number 10.612. It is offered as a cooperative agreement, which generally means USDA-FAS expects ongoing coordination with the recipient during implementation rather than a hands-off pass-through award. The program sits at the intersection of agriculture, education, and broader food-assistance and development work, with an emphasis on strengthening food systems while meeting immediate nutrition needs in partner countries.
At its core, LRP funding is meant to support field-based food assistance projects carried out in a foreign country by allowing recipients to procure food closer to where it will be distributed. Grant funds can be used to purchase eligible commodities locally or regionally, which can reduce delivery times compared to shipping food from distant markets and can help align food assistance with local dietary preferences and market conditions. Beyond the commodity purchases themselves, the program also supports related activities that improve the availability and reliability of commodity supply in developing countries, along with administrative and operational costs necessary to run the project on the ground. In practice, that can include the management, logistics, monitoring, and other implementation costs that are directly tied to carrying out a field-based food assistance program.
USDA-FAS indicates that it may give funding preference to eligible entities that already have, or are actively working toward, projects under the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program. That preference signals an interest in implementers with relevant experience in school feeding, child nutrition, and related education-linked food assistance, as well as organizations that can coordinate across programs or build on existing McGovern-Dole efforts.
Applications under this opportunity are specifically prioritized for Guatemala, Honduras, Malawi, and Senegal. While proposals may not be limited exclusively to those locations depending on the full eligibility rules and the year-specific notice, the language clearly indicates that those countries are at the top of the review and selection priorities for this round of funding.
Programmatically, the LRP Program is described as primarily focused on development-oriented food assistance rather than short-term relief alone. That means projects are expected to aim at longer-lasting outcomes such as improved food availability, strengthened supply chains, better market functioning, and more sustainable access to nutritious foods. At the same time, the governing rule also allows for the furnishing of food assistance through an emergency response mechanism (cited as 7 CFR 1590), meaning LRP can be used in crisis contexts when structured as a field-based project rather than a one-off shipment. Whether focused on development or emergency needs, projects funded under this opportunity must be field-based and have a defined duration of at least one year and no more than two years.
From an award structure standpoint, the notice lists an award ceiling of $4,000,000 and anticipates approximately four awards. The opportunity was created on May 9, 2018, with an original application closing date of June 22, 2018. Eligibility is listed broadly as “Others,” which typically means the detailed eligibility criteria are provided in the full funding notice and may include certain types of non-profits, international organizations, universities, cooperatives, or other entities that meet USDA-FAS requirements and demonstrate the capacity to implement overseas food assistance activities under a cooperative agreement.
Overall, this opportunity is designed for organizations that can run multi-month, on-the-ground food assistance projects overseas, procure food commodities locally or regionally in a compliant manner, and manage the operational realities of implementation while contributing to stronger local or regional food supply systems. The strongest applications are likely those that can clearly justify why local or regional procurement is appropriate for the target setting, show credible operational capacity and compliance readiness, and align with USDA-FAS priorities, including the country focus areas and potential linkage to McGovern-Dole-related experience.Apply for USDA FAS LRP 18
- The Department of Agriculture, Capacity Building and Development Food Assistance in the agriculture, education, other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Local and Regional Food Aid Procurement (LRP) Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.612.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 09, 2018.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 22, 2018. (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 $4,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 4 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Local and Regional Food Aid Procurement (LRP) Program (CFDA 10.612) FAQs
1) What is the Local and Regional Food Aid Procurement (LRP) Program?
The Local and Regional Food Aid Procurement (LRP) Program is a discretionary U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant opportunity administered through USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). It supports field-based food assistance projects carried out in foreign countries by funding the local or regional purchase of eligible food commodities for distribution.
2) Which USDA agency runs this opportunity?
The program is run by USDA, specifically through the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS).
3) What is the CFDA number for this program?
The CFDA number listed for this opportunity is 10.612.
4) What type of award is LRP funded under?
This opportunity is offered as a cooperative agreement. In general terms, that means USDA-FAS expects ongoing coordination with the recipient during implementation, rather than treating the award as a hands-off pass-through grant.
5) What is the main purpose of LRP funding?
LRP funding is meant to support field-based food assistance projects in partner countries by enabling recipients to procure food closer to where it will be distributed. The goal is to meet immediate nutrition needs while also supporting stronger food systems in developing countries.
6) What does "local or regional procurement" mean in this program?
It means grant funds can be used to purchase eligible commodities locally (within the target country) or regionally (from nearby markets/regions), rather than shipping commodities from distant markets. The stated benefits include reduced delivery times and better alignment with local dietary preferences and market conditions.
7) What activities can the grant funds be used for?
Based on the description provided, LRP grant funds may support:
- Purchasing eligible food commodities locally or regionally for distribution in a foreign country.
- Related activities that improve the availability and reliability of commodity supply in developing countries.
- Administrative and operational costs necessary to run the project on the ground, including items such as management, logistics, and monitoring, when those costs are directly tied to implementing the field-based food assistance program.
8) Are administrative, logistics, and monitoring costs allowed?
Yes. The opportunity description specifically notes that the program supports administrative and operational costs necessary to run the project on the ground, including management, logistics, monitoring, and other implementation costs directly tied to carrying out a field-based food assistance program.
9) Is this program only about short-term emergency relief?
No. The LRP Program is described as primarily focused on development-oriented food assistance rather than short-term relief alone. Projects are generally expected to aim at longer-lasting outcomes such as improved food availability, strengthened supply chains, better market functioning, and more sustainable access to nutritious foods.
10) Can LRP be used for emergency response?
Yes. The governing rule allows for furnishing food assistance through an emergency response mechanism (cited as 7 CFR 1590). In this framing, LRP can be used in crisis contexts when structured as a field-based project, rather than a one-off shipment.
11) What is the required project duration?
Projects funded under this opportunity must be field-based and have a defined duration of at least one year and no more than two years.
12) Which countries are prioritized in this funding round?
Applications are specifically prioritized for Guatemala, Honduras, Malawi, and Senegal. The language indicates these countries are at the top of the review and selection priorities for this round.
13) Are projects limited only to Guatemala, Honduras, Malawi, and Senegal?
The description notes that these countries are prioritized, and also suggests proposals may not be limited exclusively to those locations depending on the full eligibility rules and the year-specific notice. The stated takeaway is that these four countries are clearly the highest priority for this round.
14) Does USDA-FAS give preference to certain applicants?
USDA-FAS indicates it may give funding preference to eligible entities that already have, or are actively working toward, projects under the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program.
15) What does the McGovern-Dole preference imply about the kind of experience USDA-FAS values?
The preference signals an interest in implementers with relevant experience in school feeding, child nutrition, and education-linked food assistance, as well as organizations that can coordinate across programs or build on existing McGovern-Dole efforts.
16) What is the award ceiling for this opportunity?
The notice lists an award ceiling of $4,000,000.
17) How many awards does USDA anticipate making?
The opportunity anticipates approximately four awards.
18) When was this opportunity created and when did it close (as listed)?
The opportunity was created on May 9, 2018, with an original application closing date of June 22, 2018.
19) Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others." In federal opportunity listings, that typically means the detailed eligibility criteria are provided in the full funding notice and may include certain types of non-profits, international organizations, universities, cooperatives, or other entities that meet USDA-FAS requirements and can demonstrate the capacity to implement overseas food assistance activities under a cooperative agreement.
20) What kinds of projects is this opportunity designed for?
This opportunity is designed for organizations that can run multi-month, on-the-ground food assistance projects overseas, procure eligible food commodities locally or regionally in a compliant manner, manage implementation logistics and monitoring, and contribute to strengthening local or regional food supply systems while meeting immediate nutrition needs.
21) What should a strong application demonstrate (based on the description provided)?
Based on the program description, stronger applications are likely to:
- Clearly justify why local or regional procurement is appropriate for the target setting.
- Show credible operational capacity to implement an overseas, field-based food assistance project.
- Demonstrate compliance readiness for procurement and implementation under a cooperative agreement.
- Align with USDA-FAS priorities, including the country focus areas and potential linkage to McGovern-Dole-related experience.
22) What does "field-based" mean in the context of this opportunity?
The description emphasizes that projects must be carried out on the ground in a foreign country (as opposed to a purely administrative or domestic effort) and must involve implementing a defined food assistance project with operational components such as procurement, logistics, distribution, and monitoring.
23) What broader sectors does the LRP Program connect to?
The program is described as sitting at the intersection of agriculture, education, and broader food-assistance and development work, with emphasis on strengthening food systems while meeting nutrition needs.
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