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Submit Applications for Food Aggregation Grant Program (Maryland)

The Office of Food Systems Resilience (OFSR), in partnership with the Office of Grants Management (OGM), is soliciting grant applications from local food aggregation and distribution companies with experience in market development for small farmers to establish and maintain a facility in Montgomery County, Maryland under the County’s 2026 Food Aggregation Grant Program.

Donor Name: Montgomery County Office of Grants Management

State: Maryland

County: Montgomery County (MD)

Type of Grant: Grant

Deadline: 02/20/2026

Size of the Grant: $500,000 to $1 million

Grant Duration: 4 Years

Details:

This facility, and the grantee selected to run it (“Operator”), will aggregate, distribute, and market food grown by regional farmers to wholesale markets- including, but not limited to, Montgomery County institutions and agencies- such as schools, senior centers, hospitals, food banks, and correctional facilities.  

To address this challenge, the County is seeking experienced food aggregators and distributors to establish and operate a local food aggregation facility in Montgomery County. These facilities combine products from multiple small farms, allowing local food to be sold at the scale required by institutional buyers.

The program will support the aggregation, storage, distribution, and marketing of food grown by regional farmers, with a focus on supplying Montgomery County institutions and agencies. 

Funding Information

  • This program will make a single award in the amount of $550,000 for the initial one-year program period. Applicants must request the award amount of $550,000 in their application. Final funding amount may be lower than $550,000.
  • The performance period of the grant is anticipated to be over a four year period from on/about June 30, 2026 through June 30, 2030.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Conditions

  • Organizations may only submit one application in each stage, and must meet all of the following Grant Program and Montgomery County eligibility conditions to be considered for the award.

Grant Program Eligibility Requirements

  • The grantee must have the ability to aggregate, store, and distribute a variety of locally sourced food products to fulfill OFSR’s guaranteed purchases and create more market opportunities for the County farmers.
  • The grantee must have prior experience contracting with and selling to at least 2 institutional buyers (e.g. K-12 schools, universities, hospitals, carceral sector)
    • Preference will be given to applicants with experience:
      • Maintaining sales relationships with the charitable food sector
      • Sourcing from registered CLFF producers
      • Maintaining sales relationships with institutional buyers in Maryland and/or the Mid-Atlantic region
  • The grantee must have active wholesale and institutional customer relationships
    • Preference will be given to applicants with existing market channels in (a) Montgomery County, (b) Maryland, and (c) the Mid-Atlantic region.
  • The grantee must demonstrate at least $1M in annual gross revenue from food sales within the past three years.

Montgomery County Eligibility Conditions

  • The organization must be currently registered and in Good Standing with the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT);
  • The organization’s principal place of business must be located in Montgomery County; if a national or regional organization, it must have a location in Montgomery County through which it provides related services;
  • All activities and expenditures under this grant program must be provided in Montgomery County and/or be exclusively for Montgomery County residents;
  • All successful applications must clearly state the following and activities and expenditures funded through this grant program must:
    • Be provided free of charge (this includes a prohibition on requesting donations and use of County resources for fundraising);
  • Not be provided in promotion of a particular religion, political party, etc. or with a requirement of service or program attendance; and
  • Be open and available to all Montgomery County residents, regardless of race, color, religious creed, ancestry, national origin, age, sex, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, family responsibility, genetic status, presence of children, or source of income.
  • Current Montgomery County contract or grant award winners must be current on all reporting obligations for other awards and those reports must reflect substantial progress towards the goals of their awards; and
  • Proposed expenses must be for a new activity, expansion of existing activities, or a combination of both. Grant funding cannot be used for any purchase which has already been made; purchases or activities unnecessary to accomplish grant purposes as determined by Montgomery County; prior obligations of and/or fines; debts and penalties imposed on the grantee; lobbying expenses; alcoholic beverages; or supplanting (replacing) other funds.

For more information, visit OGM.

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