Food Security Mini-Grants

Arlington County Food Security Mini Grants Applications due July 9, 2025. Pictured are cartons of juice, and fresh fruits and vegetables.

Applications Are Currently Closed

In June 2025, The Arlington County Department of Human Services announced the third round of grant funding to support the implementation of its Food Security Strategic Plan(PDF, 6MB). Applications were due on July 9, 2025 and awardees will be announced in late September 2025. Future funding will be announced with the publication of the county budget in the spring of each year. The Strategic Plan was published in 2022 and identified 28 strategies in five categories that would support the improvement of food security in Arlington. Funding will be available to local organizations implementing selected aspects of the Strategic Plan. 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations and public universities are eligible to apply. View the full notice of funding availability(PDF, 385KB) for eligible activities, scoring rubric, reporting requirements, and grant guidelines.

FY 26 Grant Information

This competitive grant process will award a total of $150,000. The maximum grant award per organization is $25,000. Organizations may apply for one project.

The FY 2026 NOFA is now closed. Applications were accepted until Wednesday, July 9, 2025 at 5 p.m. Funding awards will be announced in late September 2025, and recipients will be required to sign the FY 2026 Food Security Mini-Grants Program Grant Agreement with the County. Funds must be spent by organizations before June 30, 2026.

Application Process

Applications must be submitted via Submittable at https://arlingtoncounty.submittable.com/submit no later than 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. Applications require completing the application form, including a budget worksheet, and 501c3 verification letter.

Submit Application

Application Documents

Timeline

Date	Milestone
June 2, 2025	Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) released.
June 9, 2025, 2:00 p.m.	Virtual information session.
July 9, 2025, 5:00 p.m.	Applications due.
Late September 2025	Grantees and awards announced; agreements executed.
October 2025 - June 30, 2026	Funds available to be spent by organizations

NOFA Q&A

Are 501c4 organizations eligible for this funding opportunity?
No, only organizations covered under 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code are eligible.

Is it okay for a project to serve a very specific population (ex: the residents in a certain building)?
Yes, it is okay for a project to serve a specific population and not the whole community.

My organization isn't based in Arlington, can we still apply?
Yes, as long as your project serves mostly Arlington residents, you can apply.

Can this grant cover expenses we occur between writing the application and receiving notice of an award?
No, this grant only covers expenses incurred after the grant agreement has been signed (October 2025 - June 2026).

I don't have much experience writing grants, can I get help?
Yes! Feel free to reach out to the Food Security Coordinator to discuss your program idea. We encourage you to reach out to a fellow organization or volunteer to get help writing your application.

Funded Projects

FY 2026

Organization	Award	Description
AHC, Inc.	$7,500	Establish an on-site mini food pantry at the AHC property, Terraces at Arlington View.
Arlington Bridge Builders	$17,500	Purchase a used cargo van to pick up donated food from grocery stores and the food bank to distribute at their food pantry.
Arlington Retirement Housing Corporation (Culpepper Garden)	$7,000	Provide residents returning from a hospital stay with a few days of meals from the Culpepper Garden cafeteria to assist with their transition back to health and independence.
Arlington Thrive	$9,500	Provide a series of infant and toddler feeding and nutrition classes to provide information and tools to help parents support their child's healthy development.
Aspire Afterschool Learning	$18,750	Strengthen nutrition education as a part of Aspire's afterschool programming with nutrition, wellness, and gardening education for students and parents. In addition, Aspire will establish a food pantry with a refrigerator to support families.
Central United Methodist Church	$11,000	Support the community café at the Central United Methodist Church in Ballston, providing hot meals and a warm and welcoming environment twice a week, particularly to unhoused or unstably housed individuals.
Community Association of Resources Education Enrichment & Economics (CARE), Inc.	$3,000	Provide funding to implement SNAP matching and other incentives for low-income shoppers at the Green Valley Farmer's Market as well as host cooking demonstrations at some markets.
Ethiopian Community Development Council Inc. (ECDC)	$12,500	ECDC will provide increased outreach and support, through workshops and one-on-one assistance to help people receiving SNAP benefits to understand and complete the renewal process to avoid losing their benefits.
Meals on Wheels of Arlington, Virginia Inc.	$20,000	Provide home delivered meals to homebound individuals unable to prepare their own food. This funding will support individuals under age 60 or any quantity of those over age 60 beyond what current funding covers.
Northern Virginia Family Service, Inc. (NVFS)	$18,750	Provide breakfast, lunch, and snack daily to the low-income young children enrolled in NVFS's Early Head Start and Head Start Programs at two locations in Arlington County.
OAR of Arlington, Alexandria, and Falls Church	$7,500	Support OAR's work with individuals returning to the community after experiencing incarceration with food items, Welcome Home kits, gift cards and delivered meals when individuals are housed in hotels immediately after release.
Randolph Elementary School Food Pantry	$4,500	Purchase fresh produce, protein, and household necessities to distribute at monthly school food distributions to supplement what is received from Capital Area Food Bank.
Shirlington Employment and Education Center (SEEC)	$12,500	Provide day laborers with hot meals from local Latino restaurants during winter months when there is less availability of work.

FY 2025

FY25 Mini-Grant Impact Report(PDF, 4MB)
Awardee	Amount	Description
Food For Neighbors	$11,500	Expand program that provides teen-friendly food to middle and high schools to support students in need to one additional school to serve 6 Arlington schools.
Friends of Urban Agriculture	$15,650	Hire an intern to increase organizational capacity and sustainability. Purchase supplies to support Plot Against Hunger gardens and gleaning efforts that provide free produce to small, local food pantries.
Kitchen of Purpose (Officially La Cocina VA)	$16,500	Expand Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) to serve meals at after-school programs in Arlington. CACFP reimburses 50% of the cost of afterschool meals for programs in high need areas with federal funds.
Meals on Wheels of Arlington, VA	$7,712	Provide a week's worth of shelf stable meals to participants to safeguard in case of emergency.
Mount Olivet United Methodist Church Community Assistance Program	$722	Purchase chicken on a bi-monthly basis to supplement what they receive from Capital Area Food Bank. Meat will be stored in a newly purchased freezer.
Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church Food Pantry	$16,506	Replace and update food pantry equipment and purchase additional produce to keep up with increased participant numbers.
Provision Church	$20,000	Support the launch of a community café at the Central United Methodist Church in Ballston, providing meals and case management twice a week, particularly to unhoused individuals.
Randolph Elementary School Food Pantry	$9,000	Purchase fresh produce, protein, and household necessities to distribute at monthly school food distributions to supplement what they receive from Capital Area Food Bank.
Real Food for Kids	$18,000	Implement Fresh Food Explorers, an eight-week nutrition education program for VPI preschool students, in four classes at two schools, including weekly produce bags for participating students' families during the program.
Saint George's Episcopal Church	$10,000	Purchase and provide fresh and culturally relevant foods to better support increased participant numbers.
Shirlington Employment and Education Center	$24,410	Provide day laborers with 3 hot meals per week from local Latino restaurants during winter months when there is less availability of work.

FY 2024

FY24 Mini-Grant Impact Report(PDF, 3MB)
AWARDEE	AMOUNT	DESCRIPTION
Bridges to Independence	$7,012	Purchase a freezer for the Bridges food pantry to be able to offer frozen vegetables, proteins, and prepared meals to clients.
Randolph Elementary School Food Pantry	$9,000	Supplement Capital Area Food Bank offerings to provide more fresh produce and proteins at monthly school food distributions.
AHC, Inc.	$10,831	Provide rolling grocery carts to seniors, nutrition education and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) outreach and enrollment clinics at AHC properties.
Food For Neighbors	$12,500	Provide teen-friendly food to middle and high schools to support students in need and transition the program from grant funded to fully supported by community donations. Supports five APS schools.
Arlington Thrive	$13,350	Quarterly nutrition education events with cooking demonstrations, food assistance resource navigation and SNAP enrollment. Participants receive grocery gift cards to purchase ingredients to replicate meals at home and Breadcoin tokens which can be used as tender at local restaurants.
DC Food Project	$14,000	Set up Share Tables at 10 APS elementary and middle schools so students can leave unopened foods they are not eating for others to eat.
Kitchen of Purpose(formerly La Cocina)	$15,325	Expand Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) sponsorship to 4 after-school programs in Arlington. CACFP reimburses 50% of the cost of afterschool meals for low-income students with federal funds.
Meals on Wheels of Arlington, Virginia	$19,334	Cover the cost of Meals on Wheels for homebound people under age 60 who are ineligible for Area Agency on Aging funding.
YMCA of Metropolitan Washington	$23,648	YMCA-VHC Outpatient Clinicpartnership to serve 50 participants with diet-related chronic disease with diabetes prevention/management education, blood pressure monitors, and weekly produce boxes over a 12-week period.
The Salvation Army Arlington Corps	$25,000	Increase capacity by hiring a part-time staff person focused on food assistance programming, starting a delivery program for seniors, increasing food rescue, improving storage, and providing rolling carts and reusable bags to seniors.

Contact

Any questions about this NOFA should be directed to Stephanie Hopkins, Food Security Coordinator, at shopkins@arlingtonva.us or 703-228-1065 before the application deadline.