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McGovern-Dole Food
for Education
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An Introduction to the McGovern-Dole Program
The McGovern-Dole International Food for Education
and Child Nutrition Program is a global school
feeding program that promotes education, child
development, and food security for some of the
world’s poorest children. Named in honor of
Ambassador and Senator George McGovern and Senator
Robert Dole, the McGovern-Dole Program provides
donations of agricultural commodities and financial
and technical assistance for school feeding and
maternal and child nutrition projects in low-income
countries.
The school feeding and nutrition projects within
recipient countries are conducted by nonprofit
charitable organizations, cooperatives, the United
Nations World Food Program, and other
international organizations. USDA invites
proposals for projects, which are then carefully
reviewed. Proposals are selected based upon
several criteria, including the following: (1) the
implementing organization's experience in school
feeding; (2) additional, non-McGovern-Dole program
resources that will be available to implement
multi-year, sustainable projects based on assessed
needs; (3) targeting of low-income areas with low
school attendance or enrollment rates, especially
for girls; (4) coordination of supplementary feeding
with nutrition programs; and (5) involvement of
local institutions and communities.
In addition, country eligibility for McGovern-Dole
funding is contingent upon the following criteria:
(1) country-wide
per capita income must be at lower, or
lower-middle income standards (using World Bank
statistics); (2) the country must have greater than
20 percent prevalence of stunting (WHO data); (3)
adult literacy rates must reside below 75 percent;
(4) the country must be a net food importer; (5) the
government must have preexisting commitments to
education; and (6) the country may not have, or have
limited civil conflict that could impede
implementation of the program.
USDA announces its McGovern-Dole Program
solicitation through the FAS website, the FACG, and
other avenues. Generally, proposals are due to
USDA in the summer and those chosen are announced
the following winter.
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