Updated December 19, 2025

Seed Grant Application

United Way of New York City is pleased to announce that the 2026 Seed Grant Application will be open starting December 19, 2026. NYC based non-profit organizations are invited to submit projects that develop or improve nutrition education programs or urban farming initiatives that incorporate nutrition or culinary education for low-income individuals. This is a 12-month grant running from April 1, 2026 – March 31, 2027. Selected projects may receive up to $30,000.

 Note: past Seed Grant recipients from 2020 onwards will be ineligible to participate in this grant cycle. Seed Grant funding cannot be used for food purchases, operating, expansion, or start-up costs for food pantries, soup kitchens, or other Emergency Feeding Programs (EFPs). Applications requesting funds for food, food distribution, or the operation/startup of EFPs will be automatically disqualified.

 Step 1: Review Application Guidelines.

Step 2: Download Required 1) Project Goals and 2) Budget Proposal templates. NOTE: there are character limits in the “Project Goals” form to keep responses brief and to the point

Step 3: Apply HERE (You must have all supporting documents ready on-hand before beginning the online application form. We suggest drafting your responses to the questions noted in the Application Guideline offline, then entering them when you have all the required documents ready to submit.)

 Applications are due Thursday January 22, 2026.

 Want to learn what makes a strong application?

To learn more, watch a recording of our Grant Application Workshop for an overview on grant eligibility and how to submit a strong application HERE!