McGovern-Dole Food for Education Program

The McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program helps support education, child development and food security in low-income, food-deficit countries around the globe. The program provides for the donation of U.S. agricultural commodities, as well as financial and technical assistance, to support school feeding and maternal and child nutrition projects.

The key objective of the McGovern-Dole Program is to reduce hunger and improve literacy and primary education, especially for girls. By providing school meals, teacher training and related support, McGovern-Dole projects help boost school enrollment and academic performance. At the same time, the program also focuses on improving children’s health and learning capacity before they enter school by offering nutrition programs for pregnant and nursing women, infants and pre-schoolers. 

Sustainability is an important aspect of the McGovern-Dole Program. FAS and its partner organizations work to ensure that the communities served by the program can ultimately continue the sponsored activities on their own or with support from other sources such as the host government or local community.

McGovern-Dole projects are conducted by nonprofit charitable organizations, cooperatives, the United Nations World Food Program , and other international organizations. FAS announces a list of priority countries each year, based on factors such as per-capita income and literacy and malnutrition rates. 

The McGovern-Dole Program is named in honor of Ambassador and former U.S. Senator George McGovern and former U.S. Senator Robert Dole in recognition of their tireless efforts to eradicate childhood hunger.

 

How to Apply

Application Deadline: Jun 23, 2025
Status: Open

The FY 2025 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program (McGovern-Dole) is now available on Grants.gov here: FY 2025 McGovern-Dole NOFO.  Priority countries for FY 2025 are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Honduras, Mozambique, Pakistan, Senegal, Sierra Leone.  The application deadline is June 23, 2025. Information about how to apply can be found on Grants.gov and on the Food Aid Information System website at: https://www.fas.usda.gov/food-aid-information-system

Data and Analysis

The USDA/FAS McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program is supporting education, child development, and food security in Sri Lanka. The objective of the Sri Lanka McGovern-Dole PALAM/A project is to reduce hunger and improve literacy and primary education, especially for young girls.

News and Features

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service announced today up to $240 million for the FY 2025 McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program (McGovern-Dole) awards.
Communications to Congress

International Food Assistance Report FY 2023

Programs in Action

FAS helps minority farmers gain traction in international trade as well as growing and promoting their businesses.
In 2022, USDA marks the 20th anniversary of the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program, which nas benefited more than 31 million schoolchildren and their families around the globe.