Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is here to help you apply with confidence. The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is the official, binding guidance. 

Save-You-Time Checklist

Before you open the application, have these ready:

  • Active SAM.gov registration (with a valid UEI)

  • State of Illinois prequalification (GATA) and good standing requirements

  • Start early: SAM.gov/UEI + GATA setup can take several weeks—your SAM.gov must be active and your UEI must match in SAM.gov and the Illinois Grantee Portal before an award can be made. 

  • Confirm your organization is not on applicable exclusion / stop-payment / sanctions lists 

  • Confirm you are based in Illinois and your project strengthens Illinois’ emergency food system.

  • Identify at least one Feeding Illinois food bank partner and secure a Letter of Support.

  • A project narrative + budget + timeline so the story and the numbers match.

  • Plan cash flow. This is reimbursement-based, meaning you pay eligible costs first.

  • A Conflict of Interest Disclosure.

Key Info and Dates

  • Total funding available: Up to $1.5 million statewide.

  • Award range: $1,000 to $100,000 per project.

  • Application opens: February 6, 2026

  • Application deadline: March 8, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. CST

  • How to apply: Online only at feedingillinois.org/capacitygrant

ABOUT THE GRANT
Download the Full NOFO

Frequently Asked Questions

About the Program

  • The Illinois Farm to Food Bank Program helps expand the availability of nutritious, locally grown, raised, or processed foods originating from Illinois farmers for Illinois' food insecure residents and underserved communities. The Program provides these grants to improve the capacity of Illinois’ local food system to support this objective and improve the affordability and accessibility of these foods for the state’s emergency food system by increasing Program participants’ capabilities to grow or raise, or properly aggregate, transport, handle, store, process, or distribute more of Illinois’ agricultural products to food banks and food assistance programs (e.g., food pantries), and, ultimately, to food insecure households, families, and individuals.

  • The Program targets fruits, vegetables, meat and poultry, dairy, and eggs produced in Illinois. Foods acquired through the Program must be surplus, seconds, or market‑grade and safe for consumption.

  • For this grant, local food refers to food that is grown, raised, harvested, or processed in Illinois.

  • No. Foods from the Program may not have fees assessed to recipient distribution sites/programs or to individuals/households.

About the grant

  • The Illinois Farm to Food Bank Program is supported by funding from the State of Illinois through the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) and provides up to $1.5 million in capacity-building grants to strengthen the infrastructure of Illinois’ local and emergency food systems.

  • This grant supports capacity-building, meaning lasting improvements that increase your ability to move Illinois-grown, raised, or processed products through Illinois’ emergency food system. A good gut-check is this: after the investment, can you pick up, store, handle, process, transport, or distribute more Illinois product into the emergency food system.

  • Subject to appropriation, the grant period begins no sooner than July 2, 2025 and continues through June 30, 2026

How to apply

  • Applications must be submitted online only at feedingillinois.org/capacitygrant. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered.

  • Your application must be submitted electronically at feedingillinois.org/capacitygrant and must be submitted by March 8, 2026 at 11:59 PM CT. If you don’t receive a receipt confirmation, you must notify the Awarding Agency within 48 hours. Late submissions are not reviewed. Applications will not be accepted if received by fax machine, hard copy, disk, or thumb drive.

  • The application is a Google form and automatically saves your progress as you fill it out, but you must be signed into a Google Account and using the same browser/device. When signed in, you'll see a "Draft saved" message, and your answers are stored for up to 30 days, allowing you to close and reopen the form (via the original link) to continue where you left off. 

    Tip: Draft your narrative responses and collect required attachments before submitting to help ensure a complete, on-time application.

  • No. There is no pre-screen or feedback system that flags mistakes before submission. Applicants should draft responses carefully and use the FAQ and office hours for support. 

  • Awards are determined based on scoring using the scoring rubric. If there is more demand than funding, higher-scoring applications rise to the top. Program priorities, including serving underserved communities and strengthening Farm to Food Bank partnerships, can also weigh into decisions. 

  • The goal is to fully fund each request, but there may be cases where an award is made for less than the full amount requested. 

Eligibility

  • Eligible applicants include Illinois-based farmers and agricultural producers, farmer cooperatives or producer-led entities, agricultural partnerships, Illinois-based community organizations, Illinois-based aggregators, and Illinois-based food banks.

  • Yes. Applicants must be physically located and operating in Illinois. Projects must support distribution of Illinois agricultural products within Illinois.

  • Yes. Applicants must identify at least one Feeding Illinois food bank partner and include a Letter of Support.

    Tip: Draft your narrative responses and collect required attachments before submitting to help ensure a complete, on-time application.

  • Start this step as soon as possible. A valid UEI and an active SAM.gov registration are required to submit an application, and your UEI must match across your SAM.gov registration and the State of Illinois grantee systems.

  • Your required letter of support must come from a Feeding Illinois member food bank that can confirm your Farm to Food Bank partnership and distribution connection. You may also attach additional letters from partners involved in the work, such as an aggregator, pantry, or community organization. Extra letters do not replace the required food bank letter, but they can strengthen your application.

What the grant can fund

  • Capacity-building projects that remove bottlenecks and increase your ability to move Illinois product, such as:

    • Facility upgrades and equipment necessary to support Farm to Food Bank objectives

    • Cold storage and distribution infrastructure (refrigeration, racking, temperature monitoring, dock/loading improvements)

    • Transportation and logistics capacity (refrigerated vehicles, trailers, delivery equipment)

    • Processing and packaging systems tied to distribution capacity (wash/pack, handling systems)

    • Technology and tracking tools that reduce waste and improve coordination

  • Common unallowable costs include:

    • Routine food purchasing unrelated to capacity expansion

    • Routine farm operating expenses (seed, feed, fertilizer, utilities)

    • General operating or overhead costs not tied to capacity-building

    • Debt repayment or land acquisition

    • Fundraising and lobbying

    • Equipment or improvements not directly tied to Farm to Food Bank participation

    If you are unsure whether a cost belongs, use this rule: If it does not clearly increase capacity to move Illinois products through the emergency food system, it is probably not the right fit for this grant.

Equipment and Purchasing

  • Awardees are required to submit three vendor quotes with reimbursement documentation to support the reasonableness of the purchase price.

  • Vendor quotes are not submitted with the application. They are submitted after award as part of reimbursement documentation. We encourage securing quotes as soon as possible because they will also contribute to your budget narrative.

  • If your project includes equipment, start your research early. Lead time, shipping, and installation can take longer than expected, and your narrative should reflect a realistic timeline for ordering and installation within the grant period. 

  • Generally, no. Each entity receiving state funds must meet eligibility and registration requirements.

Money basics

  • This is a reimbursement‑only grant. Grant recipients are responsible for paying project costs up front and then submitting reimbursement requests with supporting documentation as described in the Subrecipient Agreement. Reimbursement requests may be submitted no more frequently than monthly and no less frequently than annually.

  • Yes. This is a reimbursement‑only grant, so applicants should plan for how project costs will be covered before reimbursement. Feeding Illinois will share information about potential short‑term financing resources for awarded grantees.

  • Because the grant is tied to the state fiscal year, extensions are unlikely. Applicants should plan timelines carefully to complete eligible purchases by June 30, 2026.

    Because the grant is tied to the state fiscal year, applicants should plan timelines carefully. If a project cannot be completed by the end of the state fiscal year, the applicant may request rollover to December 31, 2026; rollover is considered on a case‑by‑case basis.

  • If a project cannot be completed by the end of the state fiscal year (June 30, 2026), successful applicants may be eligible to rollover grant budgeted, unused grant funds as of 6/30/26 into SFY 2027. Any funding carried forward must be expended by 12/31/2026. 

    All rollover requests are at the discretion of the Awarding Agency and are based on sufficient appropriation and performance criteria including, but not limited to: 

    • Grantee has performed satisfactorily during the previous reporting period.

    • All required reports have been submitted on time, unless the Awarding Agency has provided a written exception.

    • No outstanding issues are present (e.g., in good standing with all pre-qualification requirements and no outstanding corrective action, etc.)

  • Awardees are required to submit three vendor quotes with reimbursement documentation to support the reasonableness of the purchase price.

  • Yes. Indirect costs may be applied up to a maximum 15% de minimis, if eligible, and must be approved through ICRES.

  • Pre-award costs may be allowed only with prior review and approval and must be clearly identified and justified in the budget narrative. Otherwise, they are incurred at the applicant’s risk.

Review and scoring

  • Eligible applications are reviewed and scored by the Illinois Farm to Food Bank Advisory Council and the Administering Entity. The Advisory Council, in collaboration with the Administering Entity, makes award determinations.

  • Applications are scored on a 100-point rubric:

    Executive Summary - 5 points

    Organizational Information and Experience - 15 points

    Need and Program Benefit - 30 points

    Project Design, Capacity, Feasibility, Sustainability - 40 points

    Budget and Fiscal Accountability - 10 points

    Cost sharing (match) is considered in the review process. To be considered for funding, applications must achieve a minimum score of 70.

  • The goal is to fund strong, complete proposals. However, partial awards may be made after applications are reviewed and scored, including when a budget includes items that are not eligible under the grant.

After you are awarded

  • Selected applicants receive a Notice of Award (NOA). The Subrecipient Agreement must be signed to accept the award and conditions.

  • Yes. Competitive grant appeals are limited to the evaluation process (evaluation scores may not be protested). Appeals must be submitted in writing within 5 business days after the grant award notice has been published. Instructions and the appeal submission contact are listed in the NOFO.

Office hours and support

  • Office hour dates and details are posted at feedingillinois.org/capacitygrant. Office hours are held live on Facebook. Visit the Feeding Illinois Facebook page during the scheduled time and ask questions in the chat. Sessions will be recorded and posted. 

Compliance, records, and site visits

  • Plan to keep records for at least three years after the grant, and longer if your organizational policy requires it.

  • Site visits or inspections are always possible when receiving state funds. Keep your records, maintain and insure equipment, and ensure funded equipment remains in working order and on your property.

Match Basics

  • Yes. A (1:1) match of non-State funds is required for capacity-building grants (i.e., a minimum overall matching contribution of 100% of the grant award is required).

    • This must include a minimum cash match of 50% of the grant amount from the recipient's own funds, private donations, or local/federal government funds.

    • The remaining 50% of the match may be provided as in-kind (non-cash) match to meet the total required 100% match. In-kind contributions

      • Non-monetary assets such as the value of volunteer time, donated equipment, services, or use of space. The value of in-kind contributions must be reasonable and accurately documented. 

    EXAMPLE: If your application for an irrigation system has anticipated total costs of 175K, your application must clearly outline that the applicant is contributing 87,500, and is seeking an 87,500 grant.

  • Yes. At least 50 percent of the match must be cash. You can provide more than the minimum, including 100 percent cash match. In fact, cash matches are preferred and require less documentation.

  • Yes. The key requirement is that cash match meets the minimum. The remainder can be in-kind if it is allowable and properly documented. 

  • Yes, if you provide a clear example of donated use of equipment like a forklift where the donor provides documentation that supports the value and use tied to the project. 

  • It depends on when you purchased the cooler or freezer. If you want to propose this, explain it clearly in the narrative and be prepared to support the valuation. Examples: Equipment donation, possible billable hours of time, part of a person’s salary, or donated labor.

  • In-kind match must be within the project period and must be documented. Because food valuation and documentation can be complex, submit this as a written narrative if you plan to use donated food as match for your specific scenario. 

  • Match waivers may be considered on a case-by-case basis if approved by the administering entity and Advisory Council. Food banks are not eligible for a match waiver.

  • No. Food banks are not eligible for a match waiver and must provide the full match.

  • The required match contributions can be in the form of:

    • Cash contributions: Actual money from the recipient's own equity investments, private or philanthropic donations, or local/state government funds.

    • In-kind contributions: Non-monetary assets such as the value of donated labor/volunteer time, donated equipment, materials, services, or space directly related to the approved project supporting the objectives of the Farm to Food Bank Program.

      • The value of in-kind contributions must be reasonable and accurately documented. 

Contact

Staff and Contracted Labor

  •  Yes, if the staff time is directly tied to capacity-building and is clearly justified in your narrative and budget. Think of it as time-limited work or contracted labor that helps build the system or process. Your narrative should explain how the capacity continues beyond the grant.

  • Possibly, if it is structured as time-limited or contracted work during the grant period and clearly tied to capacity-building. The position must be matched and your narrative should explain sustainability beyond the grant.

  • Pre-award costs are allowed only with discretion, review, and prior approval, and must be clearly identified and justified as pre-award in the budget narrative. If you are considering retroactive staff time, submit a written question describing the role, dates, and tasks.