McGovern-Dole Food for Education Program Guide

The McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program (often shortened to McGovern-Dole Food for Education) is a U.S. Department of Agriculture program that funds multiyear school meal and child nutrition projects abroad. This guide maps who can apply, which budget rules shape a proposal, and how a project moves from application to a negotiated agreement and evaluation. Program details below are as described in the FY2026 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) and checked on 2026-10-29. A NOFO is year-specific, so confirm the current one before you plan.

What it is and who runs it

The program is run by the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), through its Global Programs, International Food Assistance Division. It is listed as Assistance Listing 10.608, “Food for Education”. The FY2026 NOFO states that the program is intended to improve food security, reduce the incidence of hunger, and improve literacy and primary education, particularly for girls, through the procurement of U.S. agricultural commodities, financial and technical assistance, and maternal, infant, and child nutrition programs.

The statutory basis is 7 U.S.C. 1736o-1, which authorizes preschool and school food for education programs in foreign countries and maternal, infant, and child nutrition programs for children five years of age or younger. The NOFO organizes projects around two strategic objectives: improved literacy of school-aged children, and increased use of health, nutrition, and dietary practices.

Awards are made as cooperative agreements, a federal instrument with substantial agency involvement (see cooperative agreement). For FY2026 the NOFO anticipated up to $240,000,000, subject to the availability of funding, across about seven awards of roughly $10 million to $35 million each, with a period of about 60 months. Treat these as FY2026 figures, not standing terms.

Eligibility

Section 2.1 of the FY2026 NOFO, citing 7 U.S.C. 1736o-1, lists five categories of eligible applicant:

Private voluntary organizations (defined in 7 CFR 1599.2)
Cooperatives
Intergovernmental organizations
Governments of developing countries and their agencies
Other organizations, including higher education institutions

The last category matters for research institutions: the NOFO names higher education institutions explicitly. Two threshold tests apply on top of applicant type. The application must propose U.S. commodities as an integral part of the project, and it must propose assistance on a multiyear basis. Every applicant also needs an active SAM.gov registration before the deadline (see SAM.gov); the NOFO says inactive, expired, pending, or excluded listings are deemed ineligible and that there are no waivers. Applicants must document their own eligibility, and FAS states it will rely solely on the materials provided.

What it funds or requires

A compliant application includes a school meals activity that uses U.S.-provided commodities, plus locally or regionally procured commodities that complement them, and interventions that serve both strategic objectives. The NOFO names priority areas that include girls’ education, safe food storage and handling, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and deworming. It also requires a graduation and sustainability plan covering advocacy, capacity building, policy, and system strengthening; the statute separately requires agreements to include provisions for sustaining educational benefits after assistance ends.

Budget rules that shape a proposal

Cost share: not required. Voluntary cost share is considered and can earn up to two bonus points (see voluntary cost share).
Local and regional procurement (LRP): capped at ten percent of the total federal award amount. Food vouchers and cash-based transfers are not currently allowable LRP methods.
Monitoring and evaluation: the NOFO sets a three percent minimum M&E budget. Cost share cannot be used to meet that minimum or the ten percent LRP budget goal.
Federal cost rules: 2 CFR 200, 2 CFR 400, and 7 CFR 1599 apply, and personnel pay is capped at GS-15 pro rata. Ineligible activities or costs can render the whole application ineligible. For the cost principles, see 2 CFR 200 Subpart E.

Application and compliance steps

Register. Obtain a SAM.gov registration with a valid unique entity identifier (UEI) and a Food Aid Information System (FAIS) account. Applications go through FAIS and require SF-424 and SF-424A forms. Late applications are not accepted. For general NOFO reading skills, see how to read a NOFO.
Build to the NOFO structure. The FY2026 NOFO runs from basic information, eligibility, and program description to application content and format, submission requirements, and review criteria. Applications that do not substantially comply with the content and format section are deemed ineligible.
Include a monitoring and evaluation brief. The NOFO requires a Monitoring and Evaluation Brief (three-page limit) and an evaluation approach consistent with the FAS International Food Assistance Division M&E policy and handbook.
Face review and risk assessment. Section 6 of the NOFO covers review criteria and a risk assessment. Past Performance Reviews are no longer required in the application, but the risk assessment still applies.
Negotiate the agreement. Under 7 CFR 1599.5, after FAS approves an application it negotiates an agreement with the applicant that sets out the obligations of FAS and the recipient.
Operate under plans FAS approves. Under 7 CFR 1599.13, the recipient designs a performance monitoring plan and an evaluation plan, each subject to FAS approval, and evaluations are conducted by an independent third party.

Typical timeline phases

Dates change every year, so plan by phase rather than by calendar. The sequence below follows the NOFO and 7 CFR Part 1599; none of the phases carries a fixed duration in the sources.

Pre-application: registrations active, eligibility documented.
Application: NOFO published, questions window, FAIS submission by the notice’s own deadline.
Review: FAS review against the criteria and risk assessment.
Agreement: FAS approval, then negotiation of the agreement (7 CFR 1599.5).
Implementation: school meals, complementary activities, and monitoring under the approved plans, over a period of about 60 months in the FY2026 notice.
Evaluation and graduation: independent third-party evaluation and the sustainability provisions that let benefits continue after assistance ends.

Common mistakes

Each of these follows from a rule stated in the NOFO or regulations above.

Lapsed SAM.gov registration. Inactive, expired, or pending listings are ineligible with no waiver.
Treating U.S. commodities as optional. They must be an integral part of the proposal, and the proposal must be multiyear.
Using cost share to fill budget floors. Cost share cannot satisfy the three percent M&E minimum or the ten percent LRP goal.
Planning LRP around vouchers or cash transfers. They are not currently allowable LRP methods, and LRP is capped at ten percent of the federal award.
Leaving eligibility undocumented. FAS relies solely on what the applicant provides.
Ignoring format rules. Substantial non-compliance with content and format makes an application ineligible.
Underbuilding sustainability. Graduation and sustainability are required content, and the statute requires agreements to provide for sustaining benefits.

Related programs

Program	Statute	What the statute says
McGovern-Dole Food for Education	7 U.S.C. 1736o-1	Preschool and school food for education programs in foreign countries, plus maternal, infant, and child nutrition for children five or younger. Eligible: private voluntary organizations, cooperatives, intergovernmental organizations, foreign governments.
Food for Progress	7 U.S.C. 1736o	Uses U.S. food resources to support developing countries and emerging democracies that have committed to introduce or expand free enterprise elements in their agricultural economies. Agreements are with eligible entities, including intergovernmental organizations, private voluntary organizations, and cooperatives.

For other federal mechanisms, see 2 CFR 200 Subpart C pre-award requirements.

FAQ

What does McGovern-Dole Food for Education fund?

Multiyear projects that provide school meals using U.S. agricultural commodities, with complementary activities for literacy and for health and nutrition, in line with the FY2026 NOFO’s two strategic objectives.

Who can apply?

Private voluntary organizations, cooperatives, intergovernmental organizations, governments of developing countries and their agencies, and other organizations, including higher education institutions, each with an active SAM.gov registration.

Is cost share required?

No. The FY2026 NOFO says cost share is not required, though voluntary cost share can earn up to two bonus points.

Is it the same as the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education program?

Yes. “McGovern-Dole Food for Education”, “McGovern-Dole International Food for Education”, and the full “International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program” name refer to the same program, Assistance Listing 10.608.

Sources

USDA FAS, FY2026 McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program NOFO (PDF), Simpler.Grants.gov attachment, checked 2026-10-29.
7 CFR Part 1599, eCFR, sections 1599.3, 1599.5, 1599.13, checked 2026-10-29.
7 U.S.C. 1736o-1, Cornell LII, checked 2026-10-29.
7 U.S.C. 1736o (Food for Progress), Cornell LII, checked 2026-10-29.