Funding Overview: Virginia’s Food Access Programs

The Virginia Food Access Coalition would like to share the impact of federal grant cuts on food access programs in Virginia. Farmers, community members and nonprofit partners are particularly affected by the uncertainty in current and future federal food systems funding. When there are changes in one food access program, the impacts ripple through and affect other programs and the people and businesses that rely on them. Additionally, many food access programs are reimbursement based; cancellations or pauses to funding result in farmers being unpaid for their products, employees being furloughed, and disruptions in nutritious food supply to Virginia’s most vulnerable populations.

Especially during this time of rapid change and uncertainty, continued advocacy for state leadership and collaboration among food access partners is essential to protect the viability of local farms and ensure Virginia’s families can consistently access local, nutritious and affordable food. We remain grateful for your ongoing support and thought partnership.

Many cross sector partners have worked together for decades to invest in better, more resilient food systems in Virginia. Without interventions to mitigate the damage of funding reductions, we expect that the strong momentum gained over several years will be lost.  

Along with the Virginia Food Access Coalition, there is strong support by Virginia agriculture leaders for maintaining current programs, including:

• The Virginia Agribusiness Council supports increased access to nutritious, locally produced food, and calls for action to mitigate the impacts of these cuts. Improving food security and bolstering support for our local food supply will help agribusiness in the Commonwealth.

• Virginia Farm Bureau supports grants that help to connect food insecure citizens with local food produced by Virginia farmers. These at-risk food assistance programs are critical to ensuring food security in the Commonwealth, as well as supporting farms and the rural economy.

The total impact on food access programs in Virginia is estimated at $44.2M including federal program cuts, programs at risk, delayed federal payments and sunsetting state programs, as well as $351M in additional costs related to SNAP. While the funding status of many critical programs remains uncertain, the goal of this document is to ensure that state leaders are up to date on this rapidly evolving landscape. To the best of our collective knowledge, this summary is current as of February 16, 2026.

SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) -  $351M in new costs for VA

SNAP is the largest food assistance program in the nation, offering funds to families with limited income to supplement healthy food purchasing. Current federal budget proposals include cuts to SNAP that will impact 1 in 10 Virginia residents, including 34,000 veterans (data from the Food Research & Action Center). $1.76B in SNAP benefits were distributed in VA in 2024.

• To maintain current levels of SNAP distribution, VA will be responsible for $263 million annual state cost share effective FY28 + $88 million annual increase in admin costs, effective FY 2027
• 50% of SNAP households include children; 48% include someone with a disability; 37% include an older adult
• Average SNAP allotment in FY2025 is $187/month ($6.16/day). An average meal in Virginia costs $4.06, with costs higher in urban areas
• These historic cuts to SNAP include increasing the states’ cost share; increasing work/reporting requirements; and flat lining the Thrifty Food Plan. Cuts fundamentally restructure SNAP and result in reduced coverage for low-income Virginians
• SNAP and Medicaid cuts have cascading effects on student access to and participation in school meals and on WIC.

Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Grant in Virginia (SNAP-Ed) - $8M loss

The Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Grant in Virginia (commonly referred to as SNAP-Ed) works alongside the SNAP program, providing nutrition education and programs to improve access to affordable, nutritious foods. SNAP-Ed is coordinated by Virginia Cooperative Extension and Virginia Tech, and aligns with state and national agendas including Make America Healthy Again.

• Virginia SNAP-Ed funds 71 full-time employees, serving over 16,000 residents annually
• In 2024, 304 nutrition programs were coordinated across the state that help Virginians save money, improve eating habits, and prevent chronic disease, at a cost of just $5.15 per beneficiary
• The entire budget for SNAP Ed is cut from the current proposed federal budget

Impact story:

For 5 years, SNAP-Ed agent Andrea Wann has been a fixture at the Abingdon Farmers Market on summer Tuesday afternoons, providing lessons each week to teach kids how food grows and how to enjoy local fruits and vegetables. Kids learn about healthy eating, meal planning, math and managing money all in one lesson. Sponsored by a local Pediatrics group, each child receives a $10 Fresh Bucks voucher to spend on healthy food at the market. Kids, parents and vendors love the program, as it brings new customers to the market. A record 91 families participated on the opening day in 2025 — without SNAP-Ed, this program would end.

Food Banks - estimated $3.5M loss

Program Affected: The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)

Virginia food banks are experiencing record high demand. In 2024, pantry visits increased more than 20% on average and have remained high. Meanwhile, as government support diminishes, food banks are spending 5x more money on food compared to 2019.

• TEFAP contributes 20–30% of the food distributed by Virginia’s seven food banks, serving over 400 food pantries
• In March 2025, USDA unexpectedly cancelled 130 orders ($3.5 million), eliminating roughly 1/3 of Virginia's anticipated TEFAP supply.

Impact Story: FeedMore, the food bank servicing the greater Richmond area and much of southside Virginia, was expecting 13 TEFAP food deliveries that they will not receive due to cancellations. This is worsened by simultaneous cuts to other fresh produce programs, like LFPA. As a result, Feed More has had to dip into reserves to compensate for the losses and TEFAP agencies will be forced to limit the amount of food available to the families they serve.

Federal Agency Agreements Managed by VDACS - estimated overall $26.9M

Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA): estimated $7.6M loss

The Local Food Purchase Assistance Program connects Virginia farmers with opportunities to sell local food for distribution to food insecure residents. Over the past 2.5 years, LFPA has provided VA producers with $6.3M in sales and provided Virginians with consistent and high-quality Virginia Grown food via the emergency feeding system (food banks, food pantries, community service organizations).

• Under the current LFPA program, which was contracted through July 15, 2025, payments were canceled and then resumed following court ruling; all funds must be expended by July 2026.
• Funding for LFPA 2025, which was anticipated to start in July 2025, was cancelled. Discontinuing LFPA sets back farm partnership progress and directly impacts farmers' bottom lines this growing season.

Impact Story: The 19 farm members of the Southside Virginia Fruit and Vegetables Growers Association of Charlotte Courthouse, VA, through 257 orders, sold over $480,000 in 2023 and 2024 and expected to sell over $2 million dollars of produce through LFPA between 2025 through 2028. With crops planted and inputs purchased, the disappearance of this contract is a major loss.

Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFS): estimated $13M loss

The LFS program, renamed in October 2024 to Local Food for Schools and Child Cares (LFSCC), provided funding to states for purchasing food from Virginia farmers for use in meals served by schools and childcare institutions. The program's intent was to strengthen local food systems, broaden access to fresh foods in school and community meals programs, and support local farms and small businesses.

• Prior to the cancellation of LFS funding, Virginia had planned to utilize this funding to increase access to local food within Virginia schools and childcare facilities.
• LFS funding would have continued a similar program, the Virginia Department of Education’s (DOE) Centralized Local Procurement Pilot Program (CLPPP), which brought over $4.8M in local food onto student trays and built incredible momentum in Virginia's farm to school movement by linking regional food hubs with school nutrition programs
• The CLPPP became a national model to states seeking to implement similar programs Virginia was poised to build on this impact utilizing LFS funding prior to its cancellation. The loss of these projected funds will dramatically reduce farm to school and farm to childcare opportunities, impacting children and farmers

Impact Story:  Bruce Davis, Supervisor of Food Services at Prince Edward County Public Schools, shared: “LFS makes it possible for us to offer students fresh produce from small farms that otherwise wouldn’t be able to partner directly with schools. This program, in partnership with our local food hub, makes it possible for us to offer high quality, nutritious food that students may not otherwise have access to.”

Federal Programs Administered Outside of VDACS:

Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) - estimated $3.5M at risk

GusNIP is a USDA program that provides assistance to low-income individuals participating in SNAP to increase their purchase of fruits and vegetables, to improve dietary health, reduce food insecurity, and potentially decrease healthcare costs. 

Virginia Fresh Match (VFM) - estimated $2M at risk

Virginia Fresh Match (VFM), the statewide nutrition incentive network, partners with more than 100 Virginia businesses and organizations to offer SNAP matching funds for produce, with a collective annual impact of more than $3.4 million. VFM is primarily funded by GusNIP, in addition to annual investment from Virginia’s General Fund.

• VFM’s current GusNIP funding is available through September 2026, but the opportunity to apply for future funds has been withdrawn. This loss of future support will require additional state funding if VFM programming is to continue  
• Due to funding uncertainty, VFM is limiting operations, pausing new partner onboarding, and slowing program expansion for existing partners
• To preserve funds, other states (e.g., DC and Maryland) have reduced the amount of SNAP match for their partners and SNAP shoppers

Impact Story: In 2024, So Fresh Supermarket in Petersburg, VA reported a 30% increase in produce sales in just 5 months of participating in VFM. Without these funds, small businesses like So Fresh Supermarket would lose customers, the farmers they purchase from would lose sales, and low-income families would lose access to affordable produce.

Produce Prescription Programs (PRx) - estimated $1.5M at risk

Produce prescription programs (PRx) improve health outcomes for individuals and families facing food insecurity by providing access to fresh fruits and vegetables. These programs typically involve a community partnership with healthcare providers prescribing produce to eligible patients, who then use the prescription voucher to purchase fruits and vegetables at local retailers or farmers markets.

• GusNIP PRx grants support integration of PRx programs into state, regional, and local health and reimbursement models
• There are currently three PRx projects in VA funded by GusNIP grants (Est $1.5M). As of now, this funding has not been cancelled. The future of current contract and future opportunities is unclear
• Other PRx programs in Virginia are operated by food banks and healthcare partnerships

Regional Food Business Centers (RFBCs) - estimated $6.6M loss

12 USDA Regional Food Business Centers (RFBCs) were designed to help small and mid-sized food and farm businesses overcome market access barriers. RFBCs provide grants and capacity building resources to businesses, linking them to local and regional supply chains, wholesalers, and distributors, and offering technical support and access to federal, state, and local resources. This program’s federal funding has been paused since January 2025 and is cancelled effective September 30, 2025.

• Virginia was represented by both the Southeast and Appalachia RFBCs and worked with partners in the Northeast RFBC. Each Center was awarded an average of $30M for 5 years
• As a result of paused funding, all program activities have been reduced, and several staff have been furloughed.
• Business Builder awards, grants which directly support farm and food businesses, will be honored if already committed
• While funding for the RFBCs has been cancelled, some of the food systems financing and development work may continue under other initiatives

Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP) - No Longer at Risk

LAMP is an umbrella program created in the 2018 Farm Bill which supports the development, coordination, and expansion of direct producer-to-consumer marketing; local and regional food markets and enterprises; and value-added agricultural products.

• After a delay, the LAMP RFA was released on May 13 with applications due by June 27 

• In 2024, Virginia entities received $1.34M in LAMP grants, including farmers markets and regional food programs
• Key recipient: Roanoke Foodshed Network (RFSP funding)

• Roanoke Foodshed Network (RFN) coordinates regional marketing and development efforts with more than 20 Roanoke and regional organizations, farmers, and businesses with a $844k RFSP grant. Work is continuing after a 6-week funding pause

• Key recipient: 4P Foods (RFSP funding)

• 4P Foods plans to use $992K in RFSP funds to scale transportation and logistics infrastructure in the Mid-Atlantic, enabling the expansion of its regional distribution model to underserved areas such as the Eastern Shore

VDACS State-Funded Programs

Several state programs play a major role in supporting food access and farming in Virginia, operating in tandem with federal programs. With federal funding less available, the competition for these state-supported programs is expected to rise, encouraging the state to allocate additional funding to food access projects.

Ending 2025: Virginia Food Access Investment Fund (VFAIF): estimated $2M

Administered by VDACS, the VFAIF program supports local food systems by investing in new or expanding food retailers that address food access issues in underserved, resource-limited communities in Virginia.

• 2025 is the final round of funding anticipated for this program if new state appropriations are not awarded
• Finalizing pre-project technical assistance; project announcements expected in early summer 2025

Ongoing: Virginia Agriculture Food Assistance Program (VAFAP): estimated $1.6M

The Virginia Agriculture Food Assistance Program (VAFAP) supports charities in purchasing Virginia-grown agricultural products to distribute to food-insecure residents. Established in 2021, VAFAP provides reimbursable grants to organizations, compensating farmers for food products donated or sold, benefiting both local farmers and food assistance groups.

• This fund currently includes produce purchases by charitable food organizations for emergency feeding programs and Virginia Fresh Match
• Applications for charitable food programs were due May 9
• An RFP for “Fresh Match” has been released, with $1m for statewide nutrition incentives
• VAFAP is expected to be ongoing funding.  With demand increasing as federal programs have been cut, there is opportunity to expand this funding in the upcoming state budget.

Conclusion

The total impact on food access programs in Virginia is estimated at $44.2M including federal program cuts, programs at risk, delayed federal payments and sunsetting state programs, as well as $351M in additional costs related to SNAP. These cuts and delays, occurring in less than one year,  are vast and deeply disruptive to the progress in Virginia’s food systems that has been achieved in the last decade.

The programs highlighted in this report form the foundation of Virginia’s regional food systems and current food access programs, sustaining local agriculture and food security, either through purchases, direct support, or market development. Funding cuts to any of these programs has cascading impacts on other programs, farm vitality, jobs, and the ability for Virginia residents to consistently access fresh, local, nutritious and affordable food. For food access practitioners, even programs that have been reinstated or renewed, uncertainty still prevails.  We appreciate your continued advocacy and support.  

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The Virginia Food Access Coalition is a collaborative of more than 100 public and private organizations advocating for improved access to nutritious, local foods for all Virginians.

For more information, please contact:

For Local and Regional Food Systems: Elizabeth Borst, elizabeth@virginiafreshmatch.org

For Emergency Food Assistance: Eddie Oliver, eoliver@vafoodbanks.org