Office of Food Systems Resilience Newsletter: FY26 Recommended Operating Budget

Office of Food Systems Resilience | Special Edition Newsletter | FY26 Recommended Operating Budget

 

Earlier this month, County Executive Marc Elrich released his FY26 Recommended Operating Budget. The $7.7B budget reflects a commitment to sustain existing initiatives, expand investment in education and support services for youth and families, and improve public safety while maintaining stability and steady economic development amidst federal transitions and a tight state budget. The $13,946,720 Recommended Operating Budget for the Office of Food Systems Resilience will allow for the continuity of programs that enhance food access, promote food sovereignty and sustainability, and build the self-sufficiency of our local food system.   

So What Else's March 2025 bag drop off to JFK HS

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OFSR’s FY26 Recommended Operating Budget includes resources to:

• Continue to lead the final transitions from pandemic-era funding approaches towards a long-term framework for strategic investment in food security programs, which includes reinforcing the solid foundation of existing resources while strategically implementing new initiatives that close service gaps, align with OFSR’s values of equity and resilience, and leverage available Federal and State funds;
• Launch the next round of the Community Food Assistance Grant program, which supports local food service providers with direct funding and specialized access to shelf-stable and fresh foods for distribution to residents experiencing food insecurity while building their capacity and the stability of the County’s food assistance network;
• Expand and enhance the County’s approach to implement the recommendations of the Strategic Plan to End Childhood hunger, including: retail food access strategies via the MC Groceries program, and the Food as Medicine, School-Based Food Assistance, and Nutrition Benefits Outreach grant programs; and
• Strengthen local food production and distribution through strategic and creative investments in projects that aggregate, process, and/or distribute locally produced food, such as direct purchases from local food farms via Farm to Food Bank, grants for Resident and Community gardening projects, and operating and infrastructure funding for food aggregation that will expand local food demand and access.

 

 

Board of Education Member Grace Rivera-Oven, MCPS Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor, and representatives from OFSR, Damascus HS, UpCounty Hub, and the Montgomery County Food Council staff in front of Damascus HS during a visit in November 2024

 

Specifically, the FY26 Recommended Operating Budget includes:  

• Level funding for OFSR’s FY25 initiatives, including the Community Food Assistance Grant Program, Food as Medicine Grant Program, Nutrition Benefits Outreach Grant Program, Cold Storage Infrastructure Funds, and Retail Food Access strategies including MC Groceries; 
• An additional $300,000 for expanding the reach of the School Based Food Assistance Grant Program.  
  • In FY25, this grant program awarded just over $1.25M to 11 organizations, currently supporting 61 school communities. The FY26 Recommended Budget realigns existing resources and adds funding to expand the program to 20 additional schools. 
• $200,000 for the renewal of the Resident and Community Garden Grant Program; 
• Annualizing core funding for the Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB), the County’s designated Feeding America partner, to ensure CAFB’s ability to bulk-purchase and allocate food to partner organizations; and 
• A 3% inflationary adjustment for nonprofit contracts, critical to maintaining operations, staff capacity, and resilience within the County’s food security network now and into the future despite inflation.  

OFSR initiatives support all seven of the County Executive's Priority Outcomes, with a particular focus on: 

• Thriving Youth and Families
• A Growing Economy 
• An Affordable, Welcoming County for a Lifetime 
• Effective, Sustainable Government 

The final FY26 budget is expected to be approved and released no later than June 2025. For any questions regarding OFSR programs or funding in the FY26 Recommended Operating Budget, please contact ofsr@montgomerycountymd.gov.