Providing the food that people need today to build brighter futures tomorrow.
Capital Area Food Bank Foundation’s recent giving centers on operating support for the Capital Area Food Bank itself, with two large grants totaling $10.8 million across 2023 and 2024. That pattern points to a funder built around strengthening its own food distribution and hunger relief work in the Greater Washington region rather than dispersing funds across many external organizations. The latest grants on file include $8.8 million in 2023 and $2 million in 2024, both to Capital Area Food Bank Inc. in Washington, DC for operating support. Alongside that core support, the foundation’s active programs show a practical mix of food assistance, nutrition education, and local sourcing. It has a college-student grocery support pilot that uses grocery gift cards, campus pantries, and Mobile Markets at Northern Virginia Community College, Prince George’s Community College, and Montgomery County campuses. It also works through a nonprofit partner program that supplies food and ordering support to 501(c)(3) agencies across Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Another program supports local farm purchasing, including produce from Maryland farms, to move fresh food into distribution channels.
Food access is the clearest throughline in the foundation’s program design. Through the Nonprofit Food Assistance Partner Program, Capital Area Food Bank Foundation supports 501(c)(3) agencies with food, nutrition education materials, and access to ordering and commodity programs for meal and grocery distribution. In college student food security, the Food+Education pilot provides grocery store gift cards and supports campus pantries and Mobile Markets at Northern Virginia Community College, Prince George’s Community College, and Montgomery County campuses. Local sourcing also appears in its work: the Local Farm Purchasing Assistance cooperative agreement was used to buy produce from Maryland farms such as Beauty Blooms for healthy distribution in the region. The foundation’s stated focus areas also include hunger relief, food security, nutrition and wellness, food-related education and training, healthcare-food partnerships, and advocacy and public policy.
The typical grant size is large: the 25th percentile is $3.7 million, the median is $5.4 million, and the 75th percentile is $7.1 million. That sits well above small project grants and matches a model of major operating and program support. The recent record also shows repeat support to the same recipient across multiple years, with grants in 2023 and 2024 both going to Capital Area Food Bank Inc. The foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. Unsolicited applications are accepted for the Nonprofit Food Assistance Partner Program, while other listed programs are structured as pilots, cooperative agreements, or donor-supported initiatives.
$1.5M
$52.9M
$1.9M
$1.6M
Most grants fall between $3.7M and $7.1M, with a median of $5.4M.
25th Percentile
$3.7M
Median
$5.4M
75th Percentile
$7.1M
RADHA MUTHIAH
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Giving is highly local and entirely within the United States in the recent grants data. The top state by grant count is DC, and 100% of grants in the recipient distribution go to the foundation’s headquarters state. Recent recipient locations include Washington, DC, with program activity also reaching Northern Virginia and Prince George’s County and Montgomery County in Maryland. The active program footprint extends across Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia, with local farm purchasing tied to Maryland.
Its stated focus areas include food security, hunger relief, food distribution, nutrition and wellness, community partnerships, advocacy and public policy, food-related education and training, and healthcare-food partnerships. The active program list also includes college student food security, senior food access programs, child nutrition and summer meal programs, food recovery and waste reduction, and capacity building for partner agencies.
Yes, but only for the Nonprofit Food Assistance Partner Program. That program accepts unsolicited applications from nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations, while the Food+Education pilot, Local Farm Purchasing Assistance cooperative agreement, and the Bedford Falls Foundation DAF gift are not open in that way.
The grant size distribution is substantial: the 25th percentile is $3.7 million, the median is $5.4 million, and the 75th percentile is $7.1 million. The recent grants list also includes operating support gifts of $8.8 million in 2023 and $2 million in 2024.
Its recent grants go to Capital Area Food Bank Inc. in Washington, DC. Programmatically, the foundation works with nonprofit partner agencies, college campuses, and local farm suppliers to move food and nutrition support to food-insecure households, seniors, children from low-income families, and college students in the Greater Washington region.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Current and upcoming funding from Capital Area Food Bank Foundation that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Applicants must be nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations that are prepared to serve communities in the Washington metropolitan area. Organizations may provide food-related services or other services such as job training or housing assistance while using CAFB food resources to support people experiencing hunger.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAPITAL AREA FOOD BANK INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $1,500,000 | 2026 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| CAPITAL AREA FOOD BANK INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $2,000,000 | 2025 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| CAPITAL AREA FOOD BANK INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $2,000,000 | 2024 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| CAPITAL AREA FOOD BANK INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $8,800,000 | 2023 | OPERATING SUPPORT. |
