Advance conformance with the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards (VNRFRPS) | FOR FD 20 021

Opportunity Information: Apply for FOR FD 20 021

The grant opportunity titled "Advance conformance with the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards (VNRFRPS)" is a discretionary cooperative agreement offered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is identified as Funding Opportunity Number FOR FD 20 021 under CFDA 93.103, and it sits in the Food and Nutrition and Health funding activity areas. The core goal is to strengthen retail food regulatory programs by helping them move closer to full alignment with the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards, a nationally recognized framework that describes what an effective, modern, and responsive retail food safety program should look like.

At the practical level, the funding is designed to help State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) jurisdictions reduce risk factors that lead to foodborne illness in restaurants and retail food establishments. The opportunity emphasizes real-world capacity building: meeting training needs for inspectors and program staff, improving systems for tracking inspector standardization, and supporting other targeted projects that directly improve a jurisdiction's ability to oversee retail food safety. The underlying public health rationale is clear: CDC data cited in the notice (2014) indicates that more than half of foodborne illness outbreaks each year are linked to food from restaurants, so improving the consistency and effectiveness of retail food regulation is positioned as a high-impact prevention strategy.

A notable feature of the opportunity is that the primary grantee is expected to function not only as an implementer but also as a pass-through source of support. The FOA states that the grantee "may provide financial assistance to SLTT retail food regulatory programs" so those jurisdictions can carry out projects that advance their conformance with the VNRFRPS. In other words, the award is meant to create a mechanism for distributing resources, technical help, and program improvements across multiple retail food regulatory programs, rather than supporting only a single jurisdiction's internal activities. Because the funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, FDA involvement is typically more hands-on than with a standard grant, often including collaboration on goals, reporting, and technical direction as the project progresses.

Eligibility is broad and includes state, county, and city or township governments; federally recognized tribal governments; other tribal organizations; and nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), excluding institutions of higher education). The opportunity was created on May 25, 2021, and the listing forecasts archiving, with an expected number of awards listed as one. The award ceiling is listed as 0 in the source data, which usually signals that a specific maximum dollar amount is not provided in that field of the listing (rather than implying no funding), so applicants typically need to rely on the full FOA details for actual budget expectations, allowable costs, and any limits.

In summary, this FOA is aimed at improving the quality and consistency of retail food safety oversight across SLTT programs by pushing measurable progress toward VNRFRPS conformance. It supports training, inspector standardization, and other improvement projects that strengthen inspection programs and reduce outbreak risks tied to restaurants and retail food settings, thereby contributing to a broader strategy to protect the safety and security of the U.S. food supply at the retail level.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration in the food and nutrition, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Advance conformance with the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards (VNRFRPS)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.103.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 25, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Archiving forecast. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

Apply for FOR FD 20 021

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