Idaho Foodbank headquarters in Meridian. (Brad Carlson/Capital Press file)

The Idaho Food Bank Fund will accept grant applications July 1-31.

The fund issues grants to qualifying Idaho nonprofit organizations that provide hunger relief and/or promote healthy eating. Grant proceeds can be used to operate programs, purchase food, buy nutrition education materials, expand capacity — such as by installing new freezers and shelves and adding transportation — or to provide access to people in need such as underserved or marginalized populations.

Most grant awards are between $2,500 and $5,000, according to a news release from The Idaho Foodbank, which administers the fund with Catholic Charities of Idaho. This year’s grants are to be awarded in November.

The legislature established the fund in 2009. The fund is financed by taxpayers’ voluntary donations as marked on state income tax returns.

Grants in 2024 totaled $178,718 combined to 72 nonprofits that provide “critical education and hunger relief services across the state,” according to the release.

“Food insecurity touches every community in Idaho,” Theresa Vawter, Idaho Foodbank public relations and government affairs manager, told Capital Press. “Thanks to the generosity of Idaho taxpayers, Idaho Food Bank Fund grant money goes to local organizations working on the front lines of food insecurity.”

The fund “is an important tool for helping Idahoans who are food insecure,” she said.

High costs continue to drive the need for food assistance, including in rural areas, Vawter said.