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2026 California Nutrition Incentive Program

Grantor:
CA Department of Food and Agriculture
Portal ID:
191343
Status:
Active
Open Date:
9/25/26 08:00
Opportunity Type:
  • Grant
Last Updated:
Categories:

Details

Purpose:

The 2026 CNIP RFP is focused on increasing California-grown fresh fruit and vegetable purchases at Certified Farmers’ Markets and California Small Businesses* by shoppers using CalFresh (SNAP) benefits and sustaining proposals in high need areas.

Description:

The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CDFA) Office of Farm to Fork is currently accepting proposals for the 2026 California Nutrition Incentive Program (CNIP) competitive grant solicitation. Authority for CNIP is derived from California Food and Agriculture Code Section 49010-49016. CNIP was established to encourage the purchase and consumption of fresh California grown fruits, vegetables, and nuts by nutrition benefit clients.

For the 2026 CNIP Request for Proposal (RFP), CDFA is seeking project proposals from eligible entities to distribute nutrition incentives to shoppers using their CalFresh (SNAP) benefits to purchase fresh, California grown fruits and vegetables at direct marketing outlets (Certified Farmers’ Markets, Certified Mobile Farmers’ Market, Community Supported Agriculture programs, and farm stands) and small businesses in California. CalFresh shoppers should be able to receive the incentive at the time of purchase. Projects that reach low-access areas and low-income populations, particularly communities where a large proportion of the population is eligible for CalFresh and experiences high rates of diet-related diseases, will be prioritized.

CDFA reserves the right to fund a portion of the selected proposals, in whole or in part, without further competition. If project funding and timeline allows, CDFA will combine selected proposals into a unified state application for submission to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP).

Eligibility is limited to the following entities or combination of eligible entities:

a.     Certified Farmers’ Markets authorized by USDA to accept SNAP benefits

b.     Community Supported Agriculture Programs (CSAs) authorized by USDA to accept SNAP benefits

c.      Certified mobile farmers’ market authorized by USDA to accept SNAP benefits

d.     Farm Stands authorized by USDA to accept SNAP benefits

e.     Small businesses authorized by USDA to accept SNAP benefits such as retail stores

f.       Non-profit organizations that are applying on behalf of organizations that fall into categories (a), (b), (c), (d) and/or (e)

Certified Farmers’ Markets are described in Food and Agriculture Code Section 47004, Community-Supported Agriculture programs are defined in Section 47060, Farm Stands are defined in Section 47050, and Certified Mobile Farmers’ Markets are defined in Section 47007.

Small Businesses are defined by California Government Code Section Government Code Section 14837 (d) (1) (A):

 “Small business” means an independently owned and operated business that is not dominant in its field of operation, the principal office of which is located in California, the officers of which are domiciled in California, and which, together with affiliates, has 100 or fewer employees, and average annual gross receipts of ten million dollars ($10,000,000) or less over the previous three years, or is a manufacturer, as defined in subdivision (c), with 100 or fewer employees. Commencing January 1, 2019, the average annual gross receipts threshold shall be fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000).”

Eligibility Requirements

Eligible Applicants:

  • Business
  • Nonprofit
  • Other Legal Entity
  • Tribal Government

For more information, see: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes.xhtml

Eligible applicants must be in good standing with CDFA, USDA, and the State of California, including no current violations with SNAP authorization (USDA), Direct Marketing Program (CDFA), any other CDFA grant agreement or contract, or the State Controller’s Office.

Matching Funding Requirement:

While cost sharing is not a requirement for participation in this program, applicants are strongly encouraged to demonstrate cost sharing. Cost sharing will be considered when making funding recommendations. Cost sharing may take the form of cash, materials, or in-kind support (e.g. staff time, rental space) and may be from the applicant or third-party partners.

Important Dates

The date (and time, where applicable) by which all applications must be submitted to the grantmaker. Time listed as “00:00” equates to midnight.
The date on which the grantor expects to announce the recipient(s) of the grant.
12/18/2026
The length of time during which the grant money must be utilized.
1 Year

Funding Details

The total projected dollar amount of the grant.
$13,500,000
A single grant opportunity may represent one or many awards. Some grantors may know in advance the exact number of awards to be given. Others may indicate a range. Some may wish to and wait until the application period closes before determining how many awards to offer; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.
Dependent
Grant opportunities representing multiple awards may offer awards in the same amount or in varied amounts. Some may wish to wait until the application period closes before determining per-award amounts; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.
$50,000 – $12,500,000
Certain grants require that the recipient(s) provide a letter of intent.
No
Certain grants require that the recipient(s) be able to fully or partially match the grant award amount with another funding source.
No
The funding source allocated to fund the grant. It may be either State or Federal (or a combination of both), and be tied to a specific piece of legislation, a proposition, or a bond number.
  • State
The manner in which the grant funding will be delivered to the awardee. Funding methods include reimbursements (where the recipient spends out-of-pocket and is reimbursed by the grantor) and advances (where the recipient spends received grant funds directly).
  • Reimbursement(s)

How to Apply

State agencies/departments recommend you read the full grant guidelines before applying.

Resources

For questions about this grant, contact:
1-916-900-5020, cafarmtofork@cdfa.ca.gov

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