USDA Food for Progress Program – FY 2026 Funding Overview

Program Overview

The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service is accepting applications for the fiscal year 2026 Food for Progress Program. The program supports agricultural development projects in emerging markets while creating measurable value for U.S. agriculture through the purchase and monetization of U.S. agricultural commodities.

Food for Progress projects are designed to help developing countries and emerging democracies expand free enterprise in the agricultural sector. Under the program structure, USDA purchases U.S. bulk commodities from American producers, commodities are sold commercially in eligible markets, and proceeds are used to fund agricultural development initiatives.

This monetization-based funding model supports projects that improve agricultural productivity, strengthen market systems, and expand agricultural trade opportunities.

FY 2026 Priority Countries

USDA/FAS identified the following priority countries for FY 2026 Food for Progress funding:

• Bangladesh
• Bolivia
• Ecuador
• Morocco
• The Philippines
• Sri Lanka
• Thailand

Applicants should align proposed project activities with country-specific agricultural development priorities, trade objectives, and long-term sustainability outcomes.

Core Program Objectives

All Food for Progress projects must address two core strategic objectives:

• Improving agricultural productivity
• Increasing agricultural trade

USDA also emphasizes projects that align with broader America First objectives, including support for U.S. agricultural producers, robust oversight and monitoring systems, fraud prevention, and sustainable long-term project outcomes after USDA funding concludes.

Competitive proposals typically demonstrate:

• Clear implementation plans
• Practical monitoring and oversight systems
• Strong sustainability and exit strategies
• Market-oriented agricultural development approaches
• Realistic operational and commercialization assumptions

Cost Sharing and Matching

Cost sharing is encouraged but not required under the FY 2026 Food for Progress NOFO.

USDA/FAS may award bonus points for strong, feasible cost share commitments that increase long-term project sustainability and strengthen local stakeholder participation.

Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants include:

• Governments of emerging agricultural countries
• Intergovernmental organizations
• Private voluntary organizations
• Nonprofit agricultural organizations or cooperatives
• Nongovernmental organizations
• Colleges and universities
• Other private entities

Why This Program Matters

Food for Progress is more operationally complex than many traditional grant programs because it combines agricultural development, commodity monetization, international trade, financial oversight, and implementation planning into a single funding structure.

Successful applicants must balance technical development goals with practical commercialization planning, local market realities, commodity logistics, monitoring requirements, and sustainable project delivery.

Organizations pursuing these opportunities often require multidisciplinary expertise spanning agriculture, infrastructure, value chain development, feedstocks, processing systems, commercialization strategy, and long-term implementation planning.

How LEC Partners Supports Agricultural and Bioeconomy Projects

LEC Partners supports organizations developing agriculture, industrial biotechnology, bioenergy, feedstock, and infrastructure projects through practical technical and commercial advisory services.

• Technical and commercial due diligence
• Agricultural market and value chain analysis
• Feedstock and commodity assessments
• Project feasibility and scale-up planning
• Implementation and operational strategy support
• Funding and commercialization advisory services

Our network of more than 150 subject matter experts supports projects across renewable fuels, biobased products, agricultural processing, waste valorization, circular economy systems, and industrial biotechnology markets.

Frequently Asked Questions