USDA announces $7.5 million in grant funding to expand Cold Chain Capacity and increase access to real food

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced $7.5 million in grant funding available through the Cold Chain Grants for Emergency Food Assistance Program (CCG). The Program will fund projects to support cold chain equipment investments that help food assistance entities temporarily store, effectively package, and distribute fresh, frozen, and minimally processed foods.

“The Trump Administration continues to prioritize providing Real Food for Americans. Over the past year and a half, we have worked hard to incentivize healthier options for Americans and today’s announcement is another step in the right direction,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins. “With this funding opportunity we will see more cold storage and infrastructure to store homegrown proteins for all Americans to enjoy as we continue to Make America Healthy Again.”

“Every American deserves access to real, nutritious food,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “This funding will give food banks the infrastructure to deliver more meat, eggs, dairy, produce, and other whole foods from American farmers and ranchers to families in need. Under President Trump’s leadership, we are rebuilding a food system that nourishes American families and strengthens American agriculture.”

Funded non-profit organizations will administer a subaward program to support cold storage within the middle of the supply chain. The selected grant recipient(s) will be responsible for managing and overseeing a competitive subaward program, including providing consultation and subject matter expertise to sub-awardees in support of cold storage in consumer-facing food assistance operations.

CCG recipients will issue subawards to fund cold chain equipment purchases, with the amount awarded being equal to the cost of the equipment and documented delivery, installation and necessary ancillary equipment/supplies, up to $200,000. Sub-awardees will be required to provide a 10% cash cost share contribution.

Projects funded through CCG will result in more Real Foods produced by America’s farmers and ranchers being made available to support healthier families and healthier communities in alignment with the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This program is funded through the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021.

Application Information 

CCG applications must be submitted electronically through www.grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. ET on October 1st, 2026.

Any grant application submitted after the due date will not be considered. More information is available in the AMS’ Late Applications, Denials and/or Appeals Procedures Policy.

For more information about grant eligibility, visit the Cold Chain Grants for Emergency Food Assistance program website or contact the CCG team at AMS.CCG@usda.gov.