Church Food Pantry Grants 2026: TEFAP, EFSP and More

This guide is for: pastors, mission committees, and volunteer coordinators who run or want to start a church food pantry, soup kitchen, senior food box, or kids' meal program, and need to know where food and money actually come from.

Full answer: Most outside support for a church food pantry isn't a cash grant. It's USDA food delivered through your regional food bank under TEFAP, which received $461.5 million for food and $80 million for administration in FY2024 according to USDA. The main federal cash source is the Emergency Food and Shelter Program, funded at $117 million in each of FY2024 and FY2025 and awarded through local boards in qualifying counties and cities. Kids' meals run through USDA's Summer Food Service Program and the CACFP afterschool component, which pay per meal. Private foundations fill gaps: food-labeled foundation grants to churches had a median of $10,000 in tax year 2024. All federal food programs require the same thing from a church: no worship, religious instruction, or proselytizing as part of the service, and no religious test for who gets fed.

Data note: Grantsights checked USDA's TEFAP and CSFP fact sheets, the SFSP FAQs, the CACFP afterschool page, 7 CFR parts 16 and 251, 6 CFR part 19, the EFSP National Board's funding status notice and qualification page, and USAspending.gov obligations for Assistance Listings 10.568, 10.565, and 97.024, all on October 15, 2026. Foundation figures come from Grantsights analysis of tax-year 2024 Form 990-PF grant records from 3,972 private foundations.

Last updated: October 15, 2026.

For every program type churches can use, start with our grants for churches guide. If your congregation is small and the pantry is run by a handful of volunteers, our guide to grants for small churches covers what's realistic at that size.

Church Food Program Funding Routes at a Glance

Six routes pay for church feeding programs, and only 2 of them are cash grants a church applies for. The table compares them as of October 15, 2026.

Food shows up in foundation records less often than pantry leaders expect. Grantsights analysis of tax-year 2024 Form 990-PF grant records from 3,972 private foundations found 71 grants to churches and ministries with a stated purpose that named food, worth $1.22 million in total, with a median of $10,000. That's above the $7,000 median for all 2,937 church grants in the data. Food grants are a small slice, though: 1,650 grants were written as general or operating support, and many of those likely help pantries without saying so.

TEFAP: How USDA Food Reaches a Church Pantry

TEFAP is the backbone of church food pantries, and it moves food, not checks. According to USDA's TEFAP fact sheet, USDA buys food and gives it to state distributing agencies, which pass it to local agencies they select, "usually food banks," which supply food pantries and soup kitchens. More than 130 products are available, including canned, frozen, and fresh produce, meat, eggs, beans, grains, milk, and cheese.

How much food moves. The fact sheet says TEFAP received $461.5 million to buy food and $80 million for administrative costs in FY2024. On top of that, USDA made $955 million in "bonus" foods available in FY2023 and provided another $943 million through the Commodity Credit Corporation in FY2024. Each state's share is set by formula: 60% on the number of people in poverty and 40% on the number of unemployed people, under 7 CFR 251.3.

USAspending view. According to USAspending.gov, $145.8 million was obligated under the TEFAP administrative costs listing (10.568) in FY2024, and $131.3 million in FY2025. Those are cash obligations recorded in each fiscal year, so they don't line up exactly with the appropriation figures above.

Who can be a TEFAP pantry

Under 7 CFR 251, a church pantry can take part as an "eligible recipient agency" if it:

• Is public or private nonprofit, and not a penal institution
• Gives food only to needy households for home use (using the state's eligibility rules), or serves prepared meals predominantly to needy people
• Signs an agreement with the state agency, or with a food bank that already has one

The IRS letter isn't required. The tax-exempt rule in 7 CFR 251.5(a)(3) accepts an organization that is automatically exempt as "organized or operated exclusively for religious purposes," even without an IRS determination letter. That makes TEFAP one of the easier federal programs for a church to join directly.

What TEFAP asks of the pantry

• Household records. For each household that takes food home, the site records the recipient's name, household size, and the basis for eligibility, and keeps records for 3 years.
• State income rules. States set income eligibility for take-home food, and can let households qualify through other income-based programs. Recipients of prepared meals aren't means-tested.
• No fees. States can't charge fees to recipient agencies for distributing USDA Foods.
• Admin money flows down. At least 40% of each state's TEFAP administrative funds must go to emergency feeding organizations or be spent on their behalf. Ask your food bank whether any of that reaches partner pantries for storage, transport, or equipment.

For broader food-bank funding, see our guides to grants for food banks and USDA food assistance grants.

Joining a Food Bank Network

Joining a regional food bank as a partner agency is the step that unlocks most food for a church pantry, and it usually comes before any grant. Feeding America describes its network as "food banks, food pantries, local meal programs" and the national office, with food banks distributing donations to local pantries and meal programs. Each food bank sets its own partner rules, so ask yours directly:

1. Does the food bank distribute TEFAP, and will the church sign a TEFAP agreement through it?
2. What does a new partner need: a site visit, food safety training, storage space, minimum hours, or a set number of distribution days per month?
3. Does the food bank charge any handling fee on donated (non-USDA) food?
4. Can the pantry get equipment grants or capacity funding through the food bank?

A common mistake is buying food at retail with donated cash before checking what the food bank supplies at no cost. Food that arrives through the food bank costs the pantry nothing under TEFAP, so check that supply first.

Labeled hypothetical: a food pantry run by a church in Ohio that serves 80 households a month could join its regional food bank, sign a TEFAP agreement through it, and use a $10,000 foundation grant for a reach-in freezer and shelving instead of groceries. That combination fits how each source actually works.

CSFP: Monthly Boxes for Seniors

CSFP serves low-income people at least 60 years old with a monthly food package, and it runs through public and private nonprofit local agencies a church may be able to partner with. According to USDA's CSFP fact sheet, Congress appropriated $389 million for FY2024, and states had 731,933 caseload slots for the 2024 cycle. Income must be at or below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines.

State agencies run CSFP and give food to public and private nonprofit local agencies, which decide who's eligible, hand out food, and refer people to other programs. A church doesn't apply to USDA. It asks the state CSFP agency whether it can serve as a local agency, or asks an existing local agency whether it can partner. USAspending.gov shows $71.9 million obligated under the CSFP listing (10.565) in FY2024 and $65.7 million in FY2025.

EFSP: The Closest Thing to a Federal Cash Grant

The Emergency Food and Shelter Program received $117 million for each of FY2024 (Phase 42) and FY2025 (Phase 43), according to the EFSP National Board's latest news page. Awards have gone to qualifying counties, cities, and State Set-Aside Committees, but as of the National Board's August 13, 2026 status notice, Local Board plans weren't yet available, and the spending period hadn't been announced. According to USAspending.gov, $117.0 million was obligated under Assistance Listing 97.024 in FY2024.

How the money reaches a church. There's no national application. The National Board uses population, poverty, and unemployment data to decide which jurisdictions qualify, according to its qualification page. Jurisdictions that don't qualify can still get money through their State Set-Aside Committee. Then a Local Board in each funded area sets priorities and picks local recipient organizations. Faith groups have been part of EFSP from the start: the National Board, chaired by FEMA, was created in 1983 with representatives of the American Red Cross, Catholic Charities USA, The Jewish Federations of North America, the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, The Salvation Army, and United Way, as Howard County, Maryland's EFSP page recounts. The same page notes that a homeless or formerly homeless person must serve on each Local Board.

What to do now. Ask your county human services office or local United Way who runs the EFSP Local Board, and get on its notice list. Phases 42 and 43 were awarded nationally, so local application windows for those phases are the next opening. Ask the Local Board for its recipient requirements early, since federal pass-through money usually means an EIN, a Unique Entity Identifier from SAM.gov, and an accounting system that can track the grant separately.

Religious rules. EFSP is a Homeland Security program, and DHS's equal-treatment rule at 6 CFR part 19 says organizations using direct DHS assistance for social services can't use it for worship, religious instruction, or proselytization. Those activities must be separate in time or location, and participation must be voluntary.

Summer and Afterschool Meals for Kids

Child nutrition programs pay a church per meal served, and USDA's SFSP FAQs list private nonprofit organizations among eligible sponsors. It fits churches that already run summer or after-school programs, because the meal rides on an activity the church already offers.

Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). State agencies, usually education departments, approve sponsors and sites. The rules a church should know:

• Sponsor or site. A sponsor trains staff, finds sites, arranges meals, monitors, and files reimbursement claims. USDA's FAQs suggest smaller organizations consider running a feeding site under an existing sponsor instead, which means attending the sponsor's training, supervising the meal, and keeping daily records.
• Open sites must be in areas where at least half of children come from households at or below 185% of the poverty level. Meals are free to any child 18 or younger.
• Enrolled sites serve children enrolled in an activity program where at least half qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
• Rural options. In eligible rural areas, sponsors can offer pick-up or home delivery with written parental consent.

CACFP at-risk afterschool meals. During the school year, the CACFP afterschool component reimburses meals and snacks at programs that offer educational or enrichment activities after school, on weekends, or on holidays. Sites must be in a school attendance area where at least half of children qualify for free or reduced-price meals, and must meet state or local licensing, health, or safety codes. It doesn't operate in summer, so many programs pair it with SFSP.

A church thinking about a youth program alongside meals should read our guide to church youth program grants.

Religious Activity Rules for Church Food Programs

USDA's equal-treatment rule at 7 CFR part 16 is the rule that governs most church food programs, and it counts donated food commodities as federal financial assistance. So a TEFAP pantry is covered even though no cash changes hands.

What the rule protects for the church:

• It can't be excluded or disfavored because it's religious, by USDA, the state, or a food bank acting as an intermediary.
• It can keep religious art, icons, scriptures, and symbols in the room where food is distributed.
• It can keep a religious name, govern itself on a religious basis, and include religious references in its mission statement.

What the rule requires:

• No explicitly religious activity in the program. Worship, religious instruction, and proselytization can't be part of the USDA-supported service. If the church offers them, they must be separate in time or location, and voluntary.
• No religious test for food. The pantry can't turn away a current or prospective recipient based on religion, belief, or refusal to attend a religious practice.
• Written notice. Organizations receiving direct USDA assistance must give beneficiaries a written notice of these protections, using language set out in the rule's appendix.

Labeled hypothetical: a church that holds an optional prayer service in the sanctuary before its pantry opens in the fellowship hall, with signs saying the service isn't required, keeps the activities separate in time and location. Asking people to sit through a devotional while waiting in the pantry line doesn't.

Building money for pantry space. If the church wants to renovate the room the pantry uses, CDBG money through the city or county is one option, but HUD's rule at 24 CFR 5.109 limits it to the share used for eligible activities and bars it from sanctuaries or chapels used as the principal place of worship. Our CDBG guide and church building repair grants guide cover that route.

What Church Pantry Grant Lists Don't Tell You

Grantsights compared the official TEFAP, EFSP, and child nutrition rules against how church grant lists usually describe them, and five gaps stand out.

1. TEFAP isn't a grant application. Lists present it as funding a church applies for. In practice, the church signs on as a partner through its food bank or state agency, and the benefit is food.
2. EFSP money is local and slow. The FY2024 and FY2025 phases were awarded nationally, but Local Board plans weren't out as of mid-August 2026. A church that only watches federal sites will miss its county's short local window.
3. The church doesn't need an IRS letter for TEFAP. Many churches assume they must file Form 1023 before joining. The TEFAP rule accepts automatically exempt religious organizations.
4. Record-keeping is the real cost. Household records, three-year retention, written notices, and state income rules take volunteer time. Underestimate that, and the pantry can lose its agreement.
5. Foundation food grants are bigger but rarer. The $10,000 median beats the $7,000 church-wide median, but only 71 of 2,937 church grants named food. A general support request that describes the pantry is often the better route.

Foundation Grants for Church Food Ministries

Foundations gave 2,937 grants to churches and ministries in tax year 2024, from 1,188 foundations, worth $83.8 million, according to Grantsights analysis of tax-year 2024 Form 990-PF grant records from 3,972 private foundations. Food-labeled grants had a $10,000 median, and 632 of the 1,188 foundations gave to only one church, which usually signals a local or personal tie.

This data covers only foundations in our dataset and one tax year, and it undercounts gifts to churches that report under a different name. Still, it points to a practical approach: ask local foundations for general or outreach support that names the pantry, and use the food-specific request for equipment or a defined expansion.

To find them, see how many foundations gave to churches in your state, with two named for free. The $29 church funder list names all of the foundations that reported grants to churches and ministries on their own IRS Form 990-PF filings, by state, with links to their filings and a 30-day refund. Our guide to foundations that give grants to churches shows how to read a 990-PF before you ask. For government options beyond food, see government grants for churches and the broader grants for faith-based organizations.

A 30-Day Start for a Church Pantry

A church can set up the main routes in about 30 days if it works through these 6 steps in order.

1. Call your regional food bank. Ask about partner requirements and whether it distributes TEFAP. This decides most of your food supply.
2. Name a records lead. One person owns household sign-in sheets, eligibility records, and the written notice to clients.
3. Separate ministry from distribution. Decide where and when any prayer or worship happens so it's clearly voluntary and apart from the food line.
4. Find your EFSP Local Board. Ask your county human services office who administers it and when Phases 42 and 43 open locally.
5. Check child nutrition fit. If the church runs a summer camp or after-school program, call the state agency about becoming a site under an existing sponsor.
6. Write one foundation request. Use a specific need, such as cold storage, with a cost and the number of households served. The specific figure to plan around is $10,000, the median food grant to churches in the 990-PF data; asking a first-time funder for far more is usually not worth the risk.

Use the eligibility checker to see other programs that fit your congregation, and the church grant path index to compare food, security, youth, and building routes.

Sources Checked

All sources were checked on October 15, 2026:

• USDA Food and Nutrition Administration: TEFAP fact sheet, TEFAP program page, CSFP fact sheet, SFSP FAQs, CACFP afterschool meals
• Regulations: 7 CFR part 251 (TEFAP), 7 CFR part 16 (USDA faith-based equal treatment), 6 CFR part 19 (DHS faith-based equal treatment), 24 CFR 5.109 (HUD)
• EFSP National Board: latest news and Phases 42 and 43 status, how areas qualify; Howard County, Maryland EFSP Local Board page
• USAspending.gov obligations for Assistance Listings 10.568, 10.565, and 97.024, FY2024 and FY2025
• Feeding America food bank network